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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Sons of Winter is episode four of Telltale Games’ six-part Game of Thrones adventure—not an episode of HBO’s television series. Critics disagreed about whether its action and focus on House Forrester keep the story moving or whether its slower stretches and limited-feeling choices stall it.
What is Sons of Winter?
Released on May 26, 2015, Sons of Winter is the fourth episode of Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series, a point-and-click narrative adventure. It follows House Forrester and its allies across Westeros and Essos. The title is easy to confuse with HBO episodes: it is not season four’s “Oathkeeper” or season five’s “Sons of the Harpy.” Metacritic’s episode listing gives the game’s release and platform details.
What happens in the episode?
The story cuts among four Forrester-connected characters, each dealing with a different danger or political problem:
- Rodrik sees an opening to challenge the Whitehills’ control of Ironrath while his younger brother Ryon remains a prisoner.
- Gared leaves Castle Black and travels beyond the Wall in search of the North Grove.
- Mira tries to navigate King’s Landing’s political maneuvering after a royal death.
- Asher arrives in Meereen on Daenerys Targaryen’s mission, where his loyalties and friendship are tested.
This is a broad story overview, not a scene-by-scene recap. Metacritic reproduces the publisher’s description of these parallel storylines.
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#1 Best Overall
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How did reviewers assess it?
The episode’s reviews diverge most clearly on pacing and momentum. GameSpot’s Alexa Ray Corriea rated it 5/10, “Mediocre”, arguing that exposition slows the episode and that player decisions do not feel consequential enough. Corriea writes, “Sons of Winter slows to a crawl.” She nevertheless identifies the secondary characters’ backstories and Rodrik’s storyline as strengths, and sees the final moments as an effective setup for what follows. Read Corriea’s GameSpot review.
PC Gamer describes a brisker, more action-oriented chapter than the earlier episodes, with greater attention to the Forresters. Its critique also raises concerns about the portrayals of familiar television characters and the choices involved in adapting the show’s world. It is an episode critique, not a scored review. Read PC Gamer’s critique.
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These reviews use different approaches, so their judgments should not be treated as a single consensus. GameSpot’s score is one critic’s rating; Metacritic displayed an aggregate critic score of 64/100 from 27 reviews when its episode page was checked for this article. That figure is an aggregator snapshot, not a fixed or audience score. Metacritic’s critic-review page may change over time.
Is Sons of Winter a good episode?
It depends on what you want from a mid-season chapter. The favorable case is its action, its closer attention to the Forrester family, and the character work in Rodrik’s plot. The critical case is that exposition and pacing can blunt momentum, while choices may not feel weighty enough for a game built around player decisions. PC Gamer and GameSpot also differ in how they assess the episode’s pace and adaptation of television characters.
Rank #3
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Readers looking for a decisive turning point may find the episode less satisfying than those invested in the separate Forrester storylines and their setup for the next chapter. That is a way to reconcile the critics’ different emphases, not a claim that every player will respond the same way.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you play episode four on its own?
The episode continues an ongoing story, so its characters and conflicts are better understood in the context of the season. PC Gamer reported that PC purchasers bought the six-episode season rather than episode four on its own. Metacritic lists PC, PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and One, and iOS; GameSpot’s series listing also includes Mac and Android. These are historical platform listings, not confirmation that the game or a particular episode is currently available to buy on any store.
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