Game of Thrones Houses Tier List: Ranked Best to Worst
Westeros runs on grudges, marriages and dragons, and every great house has its own flavor of chaos. We ranked all twelve major houses from the show based on how fans and critics talk about them: the quality of their storylines, how iconic their members became, and honestly, how much we just wanted to watch them on screen.
This is a popularity-meets-impact ranking, not a "who would win a real war" simulation (sorry, Tully loyalists). Disagree with where we put the Boltons or the Freys? That's half the fun. Argue it out, then make your own list.
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SS Tier: The houses that defined the show
House Stark
The moral center of the whole show, even when the show stopped rewarding morality. Ned's execution in season one told you this story wasn't going to be fair, and Sansa, Arya and Jon spent the rest of the series proving a house can get gutted and still come out running the North. Nobody's arc covers more emotional ground than a Stark's.
About House Stark
The ruling family of the North, based at Winterfell, known for honor, direwolves, and the motto 'Winter is Coming'.
- Seat
- Winterfell
- Sigil
- Grey direwolf on white
- Region
- The North
House Targaryen
Dragons, prophecy, exile, and the most debated finale in TV history all belong to this house. Daenerys went from sold-off bride to Breaker of Chains to a character fans are still arguing about, which is exactly the kind of messy, huge storytelling that defines prestige television. Say what you want about how it ended, you remember it.
About House Targaryen
A Valyrian dynasty that ruled Westeros for centuries after conquering it with dragons, later exiled before returning under Daenerys.
- Seat
- Dragonstone / King's Landing
- Sigil
- Three-headed dragon, red on black
- Known for
- Dragons and the Iron Throne
House Lannister
Tyrion alone could carry a house into S tier, but then you add Cersei's slow-burn villain arc and Jaime's redemption-then-not-redemption and you've got the richest cast of any family in Westeros. Rich, cruel, funny, tragic, sometimes all in the same scene. A house that always pays its debts and somehow always has the best lines too.
About House Lannister
The wealthiest house in Westeros, based at Casterly Rock, famous for gold mines and a reputation for ruthlessness.
- Seat
- Casterly Rock
- Sigil
- Golden lion on crimson
- Words
- Hear Me Roar
AA Tier: Deep, dramatic, unforgettable
House Greyjoy
Theon's journey from cocky pretender to Reek to something like redemption is one of the show's best slow builds, and Yara gave the Iron Islands some actual swagger. They never had the resources to matter as much as the Starks or Lannisters, but their family drama hit just as hard.
About House Greyjoy
Rulers of the Iron Islands, a seafaring culture built around raiding and the old Drowned God faith.
- Seat
- Pyke
- Sigil
- Golden kraken on black
- Words
- We Do Not Sow
House Bolton
Ramsay is the show's most purely hateable villain, and that's a compliment to how well the character worked. Roose's cold, clinical menace made the Red Wedding aftermath land even harder. Flaying people as a house sigil tells you everything you need to know, and fans still love to hate them.
About House Bolton
Longtime rivals of the Starks in the North, historically associated with flaying enemies, who briefly seized Winterfell.
- Seat
- The Dreadfort
- Sigil
- Flayed man on pink
- Words
- Our Blades Are Sharp
House Tyrell
Margaery played the game smarter than almost anyone and nearly won it, while Olenna Tyrell walked away with half the show's best one-liners before going out on her own terms with a wine glass and a confession. Highgarden deserved more screen time than it got, honestly.
About House Tyrell
Rulers of the Reach from Highgarden, the second wealthiest house in Westeros, known for political maneuvering.
- Seat
- Highgarden
- Sigil
- Golden rose on green
- Words
- Growing Strong
BB Tier: Solid, with real highlights
House Baratheon
Three brothers, three completely different flavors of ruin: Robert's rot, Stannis's grim duty, Renly's charm. None of them got a happy ending, but each one left a real mark on the plot even after their own storylines wrapped up early.
About House Baratheon
A house founded after Robert's Rebellion, which held the Iron Throne through Robert, then split between his brothers Stannis and Renly.
- Seat
- Storm's End / King's Landing
- Sigil
- Crowned black stag on gold
- Words
- Ours Is the Fury
House Martell
Oberyn Martell is one of the most charismatic one-season characters the show ever produced, and his death against the Mountain is still brutal to watch. Problem is, everything Dorne did after that felt rushed and undercooked, which drags the house down a tier it didn't earn on Oberyn's merits alone.
About House Martell
Rulers of Dorne, the only region of Westeros never conquered by Targaryen dragons, known for a looser, more independent culture.
- Seat
- Sunspear
- Sigil
- Red sun pierced by spear
- Words
- Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
House Arryn
The Eyrie gave us Lysa Arryn's unforgettable meltdown and one of the most satisfying shoves in TV history. Beyond that moment, though, the Vale mostly sat out the war, which keeps this house respectable but forgettable for long stretches.
About House Arryn
Rulers of the Vale, based in the mountaintop castle of the Eyrie, historically staying apart from wars in the rest of Westeros.
- Seat
- The Eyrie
- Sigil
- Moon and falcon, white on sky blue
- Words
- As High as Honor
CC Tier: Flashes of greatness, a lot of filler
House Tully
The Red Wedding happened in their name and because of their alliance, which should count for something dramatically. But the Tullys themselves, Edmure especially, stayed passive characters that things happened to rather than people driving the story.
About House Tully
Rulers of the Riverlands from Riverrun, whose alliance with the Starks through marriage set up one of the show's darkest moments.
- Seat
- Riverrun
- Sigil
- Leaping trout, silver and red
- Words
- Family, Duty, Honor
House Mormont
Jeor and Jorah gave the Night's Watch and Daenerys's court some grounded loyalty, and Lyanna Mormont stole scenes on pure attitude alone despite barely any screen time. A house that's all quality, very little quantity.
About House Mormont
A small but fiercely respected house from Bear Island, loyal to the North and known for producing tough, no-nonsense leaders.
- Seat
- Bear Island
- Sigil
- Black bear on green
- Words
- Here We Stand
FF Tier: Nobody's throwing a parade
House Frey
The Red Wedding makes them historically important, sure, but as a house they're written as one-note weasels, memorable mainly for being punished for it later (hello, pie). Fans don't love to hate them the way they do the Boltons, they mostly just want them gone.
About House Frey
A wealthy but looked-down-upon house controlling the Twins, a river crossing in the Riverlands, best known for hosting the Red Wedding.
- Seat
- The Twins
- Sigil
- Two grey towers connected by a bridge
- Words
- We Stand Together
How we ranked them
We weighed how memorable and well-developed each house's storyline was, how iconic its key members became (Tyrion, Daenerys, Ramsay, take a bow), and how much lasting cultural footprint it left behind. We also factored in sheer entertainment value, because a house can lose every battle and still win the tier list if it gives us something unforgettable. Where fandom opinion splits, like love-hate feelings on the Tyrells or the Freys, we picked a side and explained why.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
Which Game of Thrones house is the most popular with fans?
House Stark and House Targaryen consistently top fan polls and discussions, thanks to Ned, Jon, Arya and Daenerys carrying so much of the show's emotional weight.
Why is House Frey ranked so low?
The Freys are central to one of the show's biggest moments, the Red Wedding, but as characters they're mostly written as disposable schemers rather than people with real arcs.
Is House Lannister a villain house or a hero house?
Both, which is the point. Cersei and Joffrey are villains, but Tyrion and eventually Jaime become some of the most sympathetic characters in the show.
Which house has the best standalone character?
That's genuinely split between Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and Oberyn Martell depending on who you ask, which is part of why this list sparks so much debate.
Did House Martell deserve a better storyline?
Most critics agree yes. Oberyn's introduction was one of the show's high points, and Dorne's plot afterward is widely considered one of its weaker threads.
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Image credits
- House StarkPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House TargaryenPhoto: Abjiklam, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House LannisterPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House GreyjoyPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House BoltonPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House TyrellCover: Wikipedia · Source
- House BaratheonPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House MartellPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House ArrynPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House TullyPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House MormontPhoto: Hodors, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- House FreyPhoto: George R. R. Martin, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source