‘Game of Thrones’ season 5: Which episodes rank worst to best?
Game of Thrones season 5 still pulls steady rewatch traffic in 2026 as new viewers chase the source material before House of the Dragon’s next cycle and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series. The ten episodes aired in 2015, and their spread of highs and lows remains a live talking point on Reddit threads and podcast roundups. This ranking sorts them from weakest to strongest using viewership data, Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb scores, and the scenes that fans still argue about today.
Early setup drags
The Wars to Come opens the season with Tywin’s funeral and a Maggy the Frog flashback for Cersei. Viewership hit a season high near eight million, yet the episode still ranks low because it functions mostly as reset and table setting. The 96 percent Tomatometer and 8.4 IMDb score reflect competence without momentum.
The House of Black and White follows Arya into Braavos and Jon’s election as Lord Commander. The 6.8 million viewers and 96 percent Tomatometer show steady approval, but the episode stays in groundwork mode. Its value appears later when those threads pay off.
High Sparrow lands in mid-tier thanks to Jonathan Pryce’s debut and the Faith Militant’s rise. The 100 percent Tomatometer and 8.4 IMDb score reward the political shift, yet the episode still feels preparatory rather than conclusive.
Dorne drags the middle
Sons of the Harpy sends Jaime and Bronn to Dorne while Barristan dies in Meereen. The 6.8 million viewers and 96 percent Tomatometer mask the lasting complaint: the subplot never earns its screen time. Barristan’s abrupt exit remains a frequent rewatch grievance.
Kill the Boy keeps Daenerys and Jon on parallel tracks without major spectacle. The 6.5 million viewers and near-perfect aggregate scores mark it as reliable but unremarkable. It serves mainly to move pieces before later payoffs.
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken sits at the bottom across nearly every ranking. Its 6.2 million viewers mark the season low, the Tomatometer drops to 54 percent, and the Sansa-Ramsay wedding night plus wooden Sand Snakes dialogue still draw groans on rewatches.
Late momentum builds
The Gift delivers Tyrion’s first meeting with Daenerys and Sansa’s quiet alliance with Theon. The 9.0 IMDb average signals strong viewer appreciation even as live numbers dip. Its tension feeds directly into the next two episodes.
Hardhome stands alone at the top. Miguel Sapochnik’s White Walker assault earned a 9.9 IMDb score and 100 percent Tomatometer, and the Night King’s raised-arm gesture became an instant meme. Seven million-plus viewers watched it live; streaming numbers have kept climbing since.
The Dance of Dragons pairs Stannis’s tragic decision about Shireen with Daenerys’s first ride on Drogon. Emilia Clarke’s physical sequence earned an Emmy nomination, and the 9.5 IMDb score keeps it in consistent top-three placement.
Finale carries weight
Mother’s Mercy closes the season with Cersei’s walk of shame and Jon’s stabbing. The 8.1 million viewers and 9.1 IMDb score reward the imagery, yet the multiple unresolved threads keep it just behind Hardhome. The cliffhanger still fuels rewatch speculation years later.
Why the season endures
Game of Thrones season 5 sits between the show’s early prestige peak and its later tonal shifts, making its ranking debates useful calibration for new viewers. The season’s mix of political maneuvering, dragon spectacle, and franchise-spanning consequences continues to surface whenever House of the Dragon or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms prompts a return to the original run. The ranking above gives a clear map for deciding where to press play or press skip.
