House of the Dragon Episode 1 Leaked on Torrent Sites, Piracy Networks Ahead of Release

House of the Dragon episode 1 has leaked onto torrent sites and other networks that enable piracy, in differing versions of quality and file size (from 262MB to 2.29GB). While most copies of the Game of Thrones prequel series are arguably genuine, given the attached screenshots and user comments attesting to their legitimacy, some are fraudulent and merely exist as a trap to load viruses and malware onto the computers of unsuspecting individuals. And because House of the Dragon is being released directly online — available on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar — the genuine pirated copies have good video and audio quality. 

The first legitimate leaked version of House of the Dragon episode 1 showed up on torrent sites around 8:20am IST on Sunday, August 21 — almost 24 hours prior to release — in full-HD 1080p resolution and surround sound audio. (House of the Dragon premieres Sunday at 9pm ET on HBO Max wherever available, and 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar in India.) High-definition piracy is a permanent issue for TV shows, as they are more easily recorded than movies on the big screen. Also, Game of Thrones is no stranger to leaks. For what it's worth, House of the Dragon will also be available in 4K HDR — at least on HBO Max — but there's no leaked 4K version at the time of writing.

Created by Ryan Condal (Colony) and George R.R. Martin — the latter is the author behind A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of books that were adapted into the eight-season-long Game of Thrones — House of the Dragon is set about 200 years prior to its parent series. It chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, which culminated in the famed Targaryen war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons. Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will deploy multiple time jumps across its 10-episode first season, with actors also swapping out roles over the course of the season. The Thrones spin-off could take on an anthology format from season 2.

In House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine stars as the Seven Kingdoms' fifth ruler King Viserys I Targaryen, Matt Smith as Viserys' younger brother and heir presumptive Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock as Viserys' firstborn child Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra's best friend Lady Alicent Hightower, Steve Toussaint as famous seafarer Lord Corlys "Sea Snake" Velaryon, Eve Best as Corlys' wife and The Queen Who Never Was, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as skilled swordsman Ser Criston Cole, Sonoya Mizuno as Daemon's trusted ally Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Alicent's father and the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower.

House of the Dragon episode 1 is out August 22 at 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar. New episodes air every Monday at 6:30am until October 24.