Game Of Thrones Officially Unveils Terrifying New Night King Design

Published Sep 23, 2026, 6:03 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

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There's no doubt that the Game of Thrones series is full of interesting and nefarious characters from across the spectrum, but there are some that stand out amongst their peers. Of those, the Night King is the most immediately terrifying, serving as the big bad for the series as a whole and bringing with him a horde of undead who want to do nothing other than kill human beings as savagely as possible.

A huge part of his ongoing legacy with fans as the series is the design that was employed in the immensely popular TV series, and that remains his most closely associated aesthetic to date. Now, a new design for the Night King has emerged from an officially licensed source, and it could have dialed-up his impressively terrifying visage even further.

The Night King Is Back And Scarier Than Ever

In case you missed it up to this point, fans have a new strategy game to look forward to in Game of Thrones: War for Westeros. Developed by PlaySide, the game is set to give players control of some of the most powerful families in the series as they vie for control of the Iron Throne. The game combines real-time battles with grand strategy elements, and it's going to be a release that gives players unparalleled freedom to control the fate of Westeros as a whole.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about it, though, is the fact that players will also be given the chance to control the Night King and his hordes, instead of one of the traditional families like the Targaryens, Starks or Lannisters. With that in mind, the latest trailer for the game has given us a great look at him and it's safe to say his appearance has actually got some subtle points of redesign that might make him even more terrifying than before.

The production company Goodbye Kansas produced a new trailer for the game, which is set to release next year, and in it the Night King takes on Jon Snow directly. He eventually comes out on top in the trailer and Jon Snow becomes one of his mindless followers, but we actually see that the physical design of the Night King does have some differences from the version we saw in the TV show.

The major change is that he appears less blue in his skin tone, though the iconic blue eyes remain. His head is also a less spiky, but there's something much more unnerving about the slightly more realistic and gritty design choices taken here.

War For Westeros Is On The Way Soon

PlaySide

In even better news, you don't have too long to wait if you want to get in on the action and take control of the Night King for yourself, as Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is set to release in the first part of 2027. We don't have a specific release date just yet but expect it to be in player hands by March at the latest, unless the developer announces further delays.

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