Game of Thrones: King’s road will fully launch as a free-to-play game on May 21, 2025, across PC and mobile platforms. The action RPG, developed by Netmarble and licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, has been in paid early access since March, where it has received mixed reviews from players.
The game will be available on PC through Steam, Epic Games Store, and Windows Launcher, as well as on iOS and Android devices. Cross-play and cross-progression features will allow players to continue their adventures across different platforms.
Mixed Reception During Early Access
Players who paid between £22 and £78 for Founder’s Packs to access the early version have expressed significant concerns about the game’s monetization strategy. The game currently holds a “Mixed” rating on Steam, with many negative reviews focusing on what players describe as “aggressive” in-game purchases.
Common complaints highlight that basic functions like character revival and fast travel require additional payments. One highly upvoted Steam review describes the game as “a mobile game on steroids and kinda not in a good way.”
Another frequent criticism involves the Founder’s Pack items being tied to single characters rather than being account-wide, limiting their usefulness when players want to try different character classes.
Similar Posts
Game Features and World
Despite the monetization concerns, the game offers an expansive open world based on the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Players take on the role of an illegitimate child from a small noble house in the North who must rally support against the White Walkers.
The game features three playable classes:
- Knight
- Sellsword
- Assassin
Players can explore iconic locations from the HBO series, including King’s Landing, Castle Black, Highgarden, and the Wall. The game uses a manual combat system with dodging, parrying, and strategic skill usage. Familiar characters like Jon Snow, Ramsay Bolton, Varys, and Olenna Tyrell appear throughout the adventure.
Developer Response
Game Director Hyunil Jang has addressed player feedback in a community letter, outlining several planned improvements:
“We closely reviewed player feedback and gameplay patterns from early access and we identified several areas for improvement which we’re currently working on,” Jang stated. “One of the biggest points was a shortage of RP. The original intent of the RP system was to help manage fatigue and ensure players could still earn meaningful rewards even with limited play time.”
Netmarble has promised to increase the daily amount of RP (a resource that limits certain activities) and add new content types for players who have exhausted their daily allotment. The company has also committed to more frequent communication through developer notes and AMA sessions.
The developers have emphasized that Game of Thrones: King’sroad is designed primarily as a single-player experience, with optional multiplayer content like field bosses that allow up to 12 players to participate together.
Future Content and Regional Release
The May 21 launch will be global except for some Asian regions, which will see a delayed release due to additional localization work. Netmarble has outlined plans for post-launch content, including new areas, story episodes, and dungeons.
The next region to be added will be the Stormlands, which Jang describes as having “a dark and oppressive feel and atmosphere matching the region’s tone.” This content will explore religious themes as players witness how the populace reacts to their king ordering them to change their faith.
Early access players will receive exclusive rewards including special costumes and house sigils when the game fully launches on May 21.
Whether Netmarble’s promised adjustments will address the monetization concerns remains to be seen when the game transitions to its free-to-play model later this month.