Outlander's 8 Seasons Outshine Game Of Thrones: A Superior Fantasy Adaptation

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Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) looking concerned in Game of Thrones.

Published Mar 7, 2026, 10:00 AM EST

Zach Moser is a Philadelphia native who loves films, television, books, and any and all media he can get his hands on. Zach has had articles published on satirical sites such as Points In Case, Slackjaw, and McSweeney's.

For a few years, Game of Thrones was the poster boy of what a fantasy book adaptation for television should look like, but some years later, Outlander appears to be the true bar fantasy TV should aspire to. Outlander season 8 is the last, and it's a fitting number of seasons considering another major fantasy adaptation series.

Much can happen in eight seasons, as fans of HBO's George R.R. Martin adaptation painfully found out. The two shows are quite different in story and even in what kind of fantasy they are, but they're both epics with big fanbases, and now that the dust is settling on them, we can get a picture of how they stack up.

As Outlander's End Draws Closer, It's Clearly Better Than Game Of Thrones

Jamie and Claire looking at each other while embracing in Outlander season 8

Outlander season 8 is set to end on May 8, 2026, closing the book on nearly 12 years of storytelling based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon. Outlander follows a former WWII nurse who, in 1945, is suddenly transported back in time to 1743, where she gets wrapped up in the Jacobite rising and other significant events.

Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser's (Sam Heughan) love story reaches across time and continents in a series that began a few months after Game of Thrones' acclaimed fourth season. At the time, Game of Thrones was the biggest show on TV, much less the biggest fantasy TV show.

Seven seasons later, it seems that Outlander has taken the crown from Game of Thrones, aided in part by Game of Thrones completely flubbing three of its final four seasons. Outlander, on the other hand, has stayed strong throughout, and season 7 is arguably the best season of the show.

Rotten Tomatoes Scores

Season	*Outlander*	Game of Thrones
1	92%	90%
2	92%	97%
3	90%	96%
4	88%	97%
5	86%	93%
6	89%	94%
7	95%	93%
8	Unknown	55%

Unlike Game of Thrones, Outlander feels like its writing has improved every year rather than corroded. Outlander is not racing toward a finish line, heedless of how characters are treated or whether plots are ignored. It's taken its time and given everything the opportunity to naturally develop, resulting in a better show.

Would Outlander Still Beat Game Of Thrones If HBO's Series Had A Better Final Season?

Jamie with bloody sleeves in Outlander season 8

Game of Thrones' quality dropped dramatically after season 4, with a brief uptick in season 6, followed by a steep plummet. However, when season 8 was announced, fans were absolutely ready to give the series a last chance. All the sins of the later seasons could be forgiven if the last one stuck the landing.

As we now know, Game of Thrones season 8 did anything but, and most people wrote off the series, some even the franchise. If that last season had been better, we would be having a very different conversation about Outlander and Game of Thrones, such is the strength of those first GOT seasons.

Game of Thrones would be considered an overall better fantasy adaptation compared to Outlander if its final season were better. It would be undeniable. Unfortunately, GOT's end will always make its status as an all-time great show shaky. As long as Outlander season 8 doesn't blow it, it can officially be crowned as the best fantasy TV adaptation.

Release Date 2014 - 2026-00-00

Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts

Directors John Dahl, Metin Hüseyin, Jamie Payne, Stephen Woolfenden, Anna Foerster, Brendan Maher, Brian Kelly, David Moore, Jennifer Getzinger, Mike Barker, Philip John, Joss Agnew, Lisa Clarke, Jan Matthys, Ben Bolt, Charlotte Brändström, Christiana Ebohon-Green, Denise Di Novi, Douglas Mackinnon, Julian Holmes, Norma Bailey, Richard Clark, Justin Molotnikov, Stewart Svaasand

Writers Toni Graphia, Matthew B. Roberts, Ronald D. Moore, Luke Schelhaas, Anne Kenney, Karen Campbell, Shannon Goss, Joy Blake, Richard Kahan, Jennifer Yale, Megan Ferrell Burke, Ira Steven Behr, Diana Gabaldon