How To Watch 'Game Of Thrones' Live Without A Cable Subscription

A Netflix subscription can get you a lot of things — Queer Eye, Narcos, Black Mirror, Riverdale and more — but unfortunately, Game of Thrones is not one of them. The final season of Game of Thrones begins on Apr. 14 and as always, Game of Thrones won't be on Netflix. If you want to stream GoT Season 8, you'll need an HBO account. If you don't have a cable subscription — or even a TV — don't panic. There are options for you, too.

Don't hold your breath for Netflix to add Game of Thrones to its lineup any time soon. Netflix and HBO are direct competitors, as Pop Sugar points out. They go up against one another at the Emmy's and compete in trying to rake in customers to their respective streaming platforms. Game of Thrones is one of HBO's biggest series, so it's not likely they'd be willing to part with it any time soon. It's a huge bummer, especially because buying an extra streaming service for your favorite show isn't always feasible. That being said, GoT is a show that is more fun to watch live, with the rest of the world, so shilling out for access to HBO might be worth it for this final season. It's the end of an era, after all.

Here are some of your options.

HBO Go & HBO NOW

If you do have a premium cable subscription that already includes HBO, then you get a free subscription to their streaming service, HBO Go. In order to start using it, you'll have to download the HBO Now app to your tablet, smartphone, or TV. You'll get access to all the existing HBO content (including Game of Thrones Seasons 1 – 7), as well as the option to stream the episodes of Season 8 as they air. The HBO website mentions that most service providers will offer you a free trial, although that trial typically only lasts one week, so if you want to catch all six episodes of Season 8, you'll need to shell out at least a few Gold Dragons.

The easiest way to get access to Game of Thrones without a full on premium cable subscription or even without a TV is to download HBO NOW to your smartphone or tablet (you can also download it to a TV) and subscribe to HBO's streaming service on its own. There, you can stream all the existing HBO content (e.g., Game of Thrones Seasons 1 – 7) for just $14.99 per month, as well as catch the episodes of Season 8 as they air. You get a one-week free trial with your subscription, so that season premiere is on the house.

Amazon & Hulu

If you already have a subscription to Amazon Prime or Hulu, it's possible to purchase an HBO add-on for your account. You won't be able watch Game of Thrones on Amazon or Hulu without it. These HBO add-ons give you all the same access as an HBO Now subscription, so if you don't already have an Amazon or Hulu account, it would be cheaper to just buy HBO Now on its own. And yes, you can watch Thrones live with these, too.

Of course, it's still possible to watch Game of Thrones the old fashioned way: going over to your buddy's house with biggest TV, the fanciest cable subscription with all the fixins', the very best sound system, and enough wine to get a Lannister drunk.