Will 'The Winds of Winter' Ever Be Released? The Wait for the Next 'Game of Thrones' Book Hits a Major Milestone

George R.R. Martin has now spent longer working on The Winds of Winter than he did writing the first five A Song of Ice and Fire books combined.

As of 21 June 2026, the wait for the long-delayed sixth instalment has reached 5,458 days, surpassing the gap between A Game of Thrones and A Dance with Dragons.

Fans who were unhappy with the ending of HBO's Game of Thrones have become increasingly eager for Martin to complete The Winds of Winter, which still has no official release date more than a decade after the previous book arrived.

Breaking Down 'The Winds of Winter' Delay

A Feast for Crows took five years to arrive after its predecessor, while A Dance with Dragons followed six years later. The wait for The Winds of Winter has now stretched to 15 years.

Martin has released several other works set within the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, including novellas and companion books. He has also been involved in the TV adaptations of his books: Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Outside of Westeros, Martin also served as an editor for Wild Cards and was involved in the video game Elden Ring. These additional commitments have often been cited by fans as possible contributors to the prolonged delay.

Martin has previously confirmed that he had already written 1,100 pages of The Winds of Winter. While rumours circulated that the book would be secretly released this year, his publisher dismissed those claims.

Earlier this year, Martin said that while he knows what he needs to do, he is not always 'in the mood' to work on it.

'I have to write more Dunk and Egg. There's supposed to be another Fire and Blood book, too. I do think if I can just get some of these other things off my back, I could finish The Winds of Winter pretty soon. It's been made clear to me that Winds is the priority, but ... I don't know. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for that. I'm so far behind on everything,' Martin said.

Upcoming 'Game of Thrones' Books

To make matters even more complicated for fans, The Winds of Winter will not be the final instalment in the series. A Dream of Spring is intended to conclude A Song of Ice and Fire, but given the uncertainty surrounding The Winds of Winter, it remains unclear when the seventh and final book will be published.

Beyond those two novels, Martin is set to release a sequel to Fire & Blood, the book that serves as the source material for House of the Dragon. He also expressed plans to write more Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which follow Ser Duncan the Tall and a young Aegon V Targaryen (also known as Egg), the protagonists of HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

For now, Game of Thrones fans still have plenty to look forward to, although much of the franchise's literary future remains tied to the long-awaited release of The Winds of Winter.

In the meantime, viewers can look forward to more episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3, as well as the upcoming second season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.