The wait for Winds of Winter just passed a surprising milestone

Jun 21, 2026 - 19:20

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The wait for Winds of Winter just passed a surprising milestone

Published Jun 21, 2026, 11:21 AM EDT

We've been waiting a really long time for The Winds of Winter

Daenerys giving serious side eye as smoke billows behind her in season 8 of Game of Thrones

While you probably know that we've been waiting a long time for The Winds of Winter, you may be surprised to learn that we've now surpassed the time it took George R.R. Martin to publish the first five A Song of Ice and Fire books.

As Culture Crave recently pointed out on X, the gap between A Dance With Dragons and The Winds of Winter has now lasted longer than the gap between A Game of Thrones and A Dance With Dragons. The first five A Song of Ice and Fire books were released over a timespan of 5,457 days — nearly 15 years — culminating with the release of A Dance With Dragons on July 11, 2011. As of today, June 21, 2026, it has been 5,458 days since A Dance With Dragons hit store shelves.

Although the long gap between A Dance With Dragons and The Winds of Winter is shocking, George R.R. Martin has been very busy during that time. Since A Dance With Dragons came out, he has written many other books set within the universe of A Song of Ice and Fire; he just hasn't finished the next mainline book. He has also contributed to multiple television shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Song of Ice and Fire is a widely known franchise outside the book industry because of the work George R.R. Martin has done in lieu of completing The Winds of Winter. Still, those who didn't like the ending of the Game of Thrones HBO show and have been following the franchise since it began in 1996 are desperate for George R.R. Martin to finish The Winds of Winter.

In May, Polygon created a comprehensive timeline of every The Winds of Winter tease and update from the last 20 years. That shows how it has been over a year since we were last updated on the book, so we still have no idea when The Winds of Winter will actually be released.