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This season of House of the Dragon has so far delivered on its promise of more fantastic battles, family feuds and flying, fire-breathing lizards, with the finale set to air on Aug. 4. Rhaenyra's faction and her opposition have all made questionable decisions in their civil war, and once again, things are about to escalate with dragon casualties now in play.
Season 2 of the series, set in the world of George RR Martin's epic fantasy novel A Song of Ice and Fire, but hundreds of years earlier, picked up with the Targaryen dynasty in turmoil. King Aegon's Green and Queen Rhaenyra's Black Councils are on a pathway for all-out war, with both side claiming to be the one true monarch.
The new run of episodes has seen the return of original stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine and Eve Best, while new cast members for season 2 include Raised By Wolves actor Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Glow's Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers and Cucumber actor Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower.
Here's how to tune into the finale for House of the Dragon, season 2. Plus, learn how a virtual private network can be useful while you stream.
The season closer will air on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series is available to watch on HBO's linear channel and streams as a simulcast at the same day and time on Max. You have the option to subscribe to Max as a standalone service, or try out the new bundle that packages Max, Disney Plus and Hulu together.You can sign up for any of these subscription options on Max's site.
If you're not already subscribed to Max, you can get it for $10 a month (with ads) or $17 a month (ad-free). To watch in 4K, you can also sign up for the Ultimate plan for $21 a month. Read our Max review.
If you're in Canada, you'll be able to watch season 2 of House of the Dragon on Crave from June 16. A Crave subscription starts at CA$10 a month (plus tax) for its Basic with Ads tier. Standard with Ads costs CA$15, while its ad-free Premium Plan is priced at CA$20 a month.
Want to watch season 2 in the UK? You'll be able to watch it on Sky Atlantic starting Monday, June 17 at 2 a.m. BST. Episodes will also be repeated at 9 p.m. on Monday evenings. A Now TV membership starts at £7. (Sky TV package starts at £25 a month.)
If you're in Australia, you'll be able to watch the new season on Binge from June 16. (A Binge subscription starts at AU$10 a month.)
Episodes will be released at 11 a.m. AEST each Monday, with the season finale set for August 5.
How to watch House of the Dragon season 2 from anywhere on VPN
So what if you're traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the show or want an added layer of privacy for streaming? There is an option that doesn't require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the show. If you find yourself unable to watch locally, a VPN can come in handy. It's also a great idea for when you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
Most VPNs, like CNET's Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to virtually change your location. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals.
Tips for streaming House of the Dragon season 2 using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- experience and success may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble viewing after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log in to your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is located in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a network app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices appear in the correct location.
- Remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.