Game of Thrones (Premium) is Stern’s high-stakes, fast-paced adaptation of the fantasy television phenomenon, designed by the “King of Flow” himself, Steve Ritchie. This Premium edition elevates the battle for Westeros with a mechanical layout that demands speed and precision. Dominated by a menacing, motorized interactive dragon that thrashes and kicks balls back at the player, the playfield features a sprawling four-flipper configuration that utilizes a ball elevator to feed an elevated castle playfield. A signature sword-shaped ball release locks and unleashes spheres for multiball, while a sliding bash target—stylized as a medieval battering ram—sits at the center of the playfield, inviting players to repeatedly smash it to escalate their scoring potential.
The strategic depth of the game lies in its faction-based ruleset, where players choose their allegiance to one of the great Houses of Westeros at the start of the game, completely reshaping their path to the Iron Throne. Choosing House Lannister, for instance, focuses gameplay on accumulating gold, which can then be traded via the lockdown bar’s action button to purchase crucial playfield multipliers. House Targaryen grants the ability to freeze mode timers to survive chaotic multiballs, while electing House Stark boosts the value of the “Winter Is Coming” hurry-ups and allows a player to instantly bypass a difficult mode once per ball. For high-risk, high-reward tournament play, House Greyjoy offers a brutal but lucrative path, allowing players to steal the unique abilities of rival houses as they conquer them.
Success on the battlefield requires stacking these house perks with the game’s major multiballs. Knocking down the right-hand green targets lights the center ramp for the chaotic Blackwater Multiball, while hitting ice-blue shots triggers “Winter Is Coming” hurry-ups, paving the way to the “Winter Has Come” wizard mode. To maximize scoring, competitive players should focus on hammering the battering ram to crank up the playfield multiplier before collecting massive Super Jackpots. Surviving four house modes lights “Hand of the King,” but the ultimate crown is the “Iron Throne” wizard mode, achieved by conquering all seven kingdoms—a grueling feat of endurance where progress persists even across ball drains, proving that in this game, you either win or you die.