Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3.
The titular creatures in House of the Dragon vary in size; here is how they rank amongst each other from largest to smallest. House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones spin-off, focused entirely on the reign of the Targaryens and the civil war that led to their downfall. House of the Dragon season 3 was released in June 2026, further delving into the Dance of Dragons as the mighty creatures belonging to the two warring sides of House Targaryen are pushed into battle.
As expected, the dragons of House of the Dragon have been a major focus since season 1, both as weapons of war and as companions of the show’s main characters. The ending of House of the Dragon season 2 teased even more dragon inclusions from the source material, while showing other massive creatures being claimed by Dragonseeds, bastards with Targaryen blood. This allowed some of the bigger dragons of Westeros to enter the fray, benefiting the side to which their allegiance is.
Due to the nature of adaptation, the CGI budget of bringing these huge creatures to life, and the difficulties these bring in terms of showing them to scale, it is worth noting that ranking the dragons by size is somewhat subjective and speculative; George R. R. Martin describes some of the creatures in detail in the books, specifically Fire and Blood, on which House of the Dragon is based. Others, though, are not described as thoroughly.
When these descriptions were translated to TV, House of the Dragon made some big timeline changes and had to provide CGI creations that further vary in size. All of that being said, it is possible to differentiate between the largest and smallest dragons in Westeros during the civil war, with only a few of the medium-sized beasts being interchangeable. Nonetheless, here is every dragon shown in the HBO series ranked by their size, as far as is possible to gauge.
17
Tyraxes
The smallest dragon in House of the Dragon is Tyraxes, the creature bonded to Joffrey Velaryon. Joffrey is the youngest son of Rhaenrya Targaryen and Harwin Strong, with Tyraxes matching that age after being a cradle egg. Interestingly, the dragon has not actually been shown in House of the Dragon, but one scene in season 2 hints at its size as the smallest of the fantastical beasts. After assassination attempts were made against Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season 2, Joffrey was sent to the Eyrie.
Naturally, given the bond between rider and dragon, Tyraxes went along with him. The dragon is shown being transported onto a ship via a small cage, with that cage being carried by only four men. This proves that Tyraxes is incredibly small for his age. Given this one scene, it is likely that Tyraxes is not much bigger than a very large dog at the point of House of the Dragon season 2’s ending, though he will certainly grow in future installments.
16
Arrax
Arrax, the first deceased dragon on this list, belonged to Lucerys Velaryon. Arrax is somewhat difficult to rank, as, as alluded to earlier, there are not many scenes that show the dragon in clear daylight, scaled against other creatures or adult characters. However, the best scene to use as a reference is from the ending of House of the Dragon season 1, in which Lucerys and Arrax were killed by Vhagar. As the scene conveyed, the smaller dragon had no chance at all against his much larger enemy.
Lucerys, sitting atop Arrax, looked similar to other fully grown adults sitting atop their equally grown dragons. This means that, comparatively, given Lucerys’ younger age and thus smaller height, Arrax is a lot smaller than other dragons in House of the Dragon, save for the younger Tyraxes. The sheer size of Vhagar in comparison to Arrax supports this, with the latter’s death not allowing him to grow beyond a young age that Lucerys mirrored.
15
Moondancer
Arrax and Tyraxes are the only two dragons in House of the Dragon that can be counted as “small.” Moondancer is the first, and thus, smallest, of the medium-sized dragons in the show, bonded to Baela Targaryen. Moondancer is shown a few times in House of the Dragon season 2, as well as in the opening episodes of season 3, and is very similar in size to the following three or four dragons on this list. As a result, these four dragons could, admittedly, be swapped, given there are no real, factual sizes to compare.
However, given that Moondancer is ridden by Baela, who is slightly shorter than the riders of other dragons, it can be assumed that Moondancer is the smallest of the bunch, besides Arrax and Tyraxes. House of the Dragon season 3, episode 1, at least, confirms that Moondancer is smaller than two other dragons, including Vermax and Sheepstealer.
14
Grey Ghost
Grey Ghost is a difficult dragon to rank, as he has not actually been shown in House of the Dragon thus far, only indirectly mentioned. However, as a wild dragon, his growth will have been unencumbered by being bred in “captivity,” such as the dragon pits of King’s Landing. For this reason, he can be assumed to be bigger than Moondancer. Still, this is not supposed to be objective; if Grey Ghost appears in House of the Dragon in the future, he could easily be bigger or smaller than his placement here.
13
Tessarion
Tessarion is yet another interesting case, as she has only been seen once in House of the Dragon season 2’s finale, flying high above the Hightower army. This makes it difficult to gauge her size, though a 16-year-old Daeron Targaryen is her rider. As a result, Tessarion can be compared to Grey Ghost, Vermax, and Moondancer, as Daeron is around the same age as the latter two dragons’ riders. In House of the Dragon season 3’s trailer, Tessarion can be seen among the Hightower soldiers, looking around twice their height, with Vermax appearing slightly bigger in his appearances.
The only reference to hint that Tessarion is larger than those other dragons, however, comes from Fire and Blood. Admittedly, House of the Dragon is quite different from the source material. Even still, Tessarion was described as one-third the size of Vermithor, a massive dragon in Westeros. Therefore, if the show depicts her in this way, especially as she grows, she will be larger than the other dragons in this middle group.
12
Vermax
Vermax is the dragon of Jacaerys Velaryon and was also shown more intently in House of the Dragon seasons 2 and 3. Jacaerys, as the oldest child of Rhaenyra Targaryen, is one of the aforementioned riders who is slightly taller than Baela. With their dragons looking very comparable in size, it is safe to assume Vermax is a slightly bigger, still medium-sized dragon in House of the Dragon when placing him next to Moondancer.
11
Syrax
Syrax is the dragon of Rhaenyra Targaryen and has been seen at several points throughout House of the Dragon seasons 1, 2, and 3. Syrax is bigger than Tessarion, Vermax, and Moondancer, as the former is older than these other dragons. One of the differences made in the House of the Dragon show over Fire and Blood was that Syrax was reduced in size. As a result, she is counted as a medium-sized dragon, compared to the bigger creatures in the show.
10
Sunfyre
Sunfyre is another medium-sized dragon in House of the Dragon, bonded to the king himself, Aegon Targaryen. Sunfyre is larger than Tessarion, as the former is big enough to be ridden into battle early in House of the Dragon season 2. Tessarion only appears as a tease for season 3, having been described as just large enough to be battle-ready. Therefore, the extra years give Sunfyre more growth in comparison to the likes of Vermax, Moondancer, and even Syrax.
Something that supports the idea that Sunfyre is bigger than Syrax is that the former is large enough to battle Meleys. The latter still makes the former look small, but he puts up a fight during House of the Dragon season 2, episode 3. With Meleys being known as one of the more powerful dragons on the Blacks’ team at the onset of the Dance of Dragons, Sunfyre is proven to be bigger than Rhaenyra’s mount.
9
Seasmoke
Seasmoke is the largest of House of the Dragon‘s medium-sized dragons, ridden by Addam of Hull. Addam was chosen as Seasmoke’s rider in House of the Dragon season 2 before a confrontation with Rhaenyra and Syrax proved Addam’s dragon to be the larger of the two. One wide shot shows Rhaenyra and Addam facing off, with Syrax and Seasmoke standing behind their respective riders. Seasmoke is visibly bigger than Syrax, though not by much. Still, the shot was enough to solidify Seasmoke as a bigger creature than the last few dragons.
8
Sheepstealer
Sheepstealer is the first of the large dragons in House of the Dragon. This creature is one of the few riderless ones in Westeros during the Dance of Dragons, though House of the Dragon season 2 teased that this would end soon, thanks to Rhaena Targaryen finding him in the Vale. House of the Dragon season 3 then followed through on this promise, with Sheepstealer even being shown in action, causing destruction and death during the Battle of the Gullet.
Sheepstealer, as a wild dragon, is considerably larger than those beneath him in this list. The Battle of the Gullet confirms as much, with the dragon being large enough to take on Vermax and Moondancer at the same time, as well as stand up to the Triarchy’s fleet. This easily solidifies Sheepstealer as the first of House of the Dragon‘s large dragon class, but he is described as skinny in the books, and the show depicts him as more unkempt than the likes of Caraxes, Meleys, and beyond.
