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House of the Dragon will premiere in August. It’s the Game of Thrones spin-off we’ve all been waiting for, but should you watch Game of Thrones first?

While there is news of another Game of Thrones spin-off in the works, that’s not what we’re all that bothered about. Sure, there could be something interesting in Jon Snow’s story after the end of Game of Thrones, but we’re more interested in the prequel spin-off. It’s all about House of the Dragon coming next month.

The prequel series stars Paddy Constantine, Matt Smith, and Emma D’Arcy. It follows George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood*, which covers the Targaryen dynasty. Before you jump into the story, you’ll want to know if you need to check out Game of Thrones first.

House of the Dragon is a prequel series

Something to note is that House of the Dragon takes place before the events of Game of Thrones*. And not just before, either. It takes place 200 years before the OG series.

This does mean there’s no need to watch Game of Thrones first. What happened in GoT has no weight on this new series. There may have been things mentioned in the original series about the dynasty, but that doesn’t mean those stories will play out. Remember that stories are always written by the victors, so there may be changes to some of the story based on who got to tell it.

The prequel also doesn’t include those originally involved in Game of Thrones. It’s a new set of writers and producers, with only George R.R. Martin as the constant. This will be a relief to many.

So, if you didn’t watch the original series, don’t worry too much about it. The prequel series is going to work on its own, and it may help get you interested in the world enough to then check out the original series.

MORE: When will HotD premiere?

What do you think of House of the Dragon? Have you watched or rewatched Game of Thrones to get ready? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

HotD premieres on Sunday, Aug. 21 on HBO and HBO Max.