Winds of Winter: Status, Updates and Release News

George R.R. Martin’s fans have grown used to waiting. The sixth novel in his A Song of Ice and Fire saga, The Winds of Winter, has been in the works since 2011 — well over a decade of anticipation. As of January 2026, Martin has reported approximately 1,100 pages complete, but no publisher has confirmed a release date. Here’s a clear-eyed look at where things stand, backed by what the author himself has said and what his publisher has denied.

Author: George R.R. Martin · Series: A Song of Ice and Fire · Planned Position: Sixth novel · Status: In progress · Publisher Updates: Ongoing statements

The following table summarizes the essential metadata for The Winds of Winter based on publicly available information.

What is happening with The Winds of Winter?

George R.R. Martin remains at work on the novel, though progress has not followed a predictable arc. The book is the planned sixth entry in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy epic that has spawned one of television’s most-watched series. As of January 2026, Martin reported approximately 1,100 pages complete on his Not A Blog, according to a Wikipedia overview of recent updates. That figure represents meaningful progress from the 200 pages reported in March 2012, yet it falls short of any published release date.

Current writing status

The writing process has included periods of noticeable advancement and stretches of relative silence. In October 2022, Martin told readers he was “three-quarters done” — a claim The Week’s timeline briefing describes as one of the more concrete progress markers in recent years. By July 2025, Martin hinted at 1,500 pages completed on social media, though that figure drew skepticism due to earlier conflicting reports. The Week notes this discrepancy, suggesting the number may reflect draft material rather than a final page count.

Recent author statements

Martin has acknowledged the long wait directly. “There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late,” he told GamesRadar in an interview the outlet published in 2024. He also reiterated the obvious: yes, he is still working on the book. His publisher has not echoed any timeline, and Martin’s own statements have consistently avoided specific release windows since missing the 2016 deadline he once targeted ahead of Game of Thrones Season 6.

Is George Martin still writing Winds of Winter?

Yes, though the answer comes with the caveat that “still writing” has been true for over a decade with no book in hand. The evidence is consistent: Martin continues to reference the novel in blog posts, and his publisher has never announced a cancellation. Business Insider’s timeline of blog updates shows repeated confirmations of ongoing work from March 2022 and December 2022, with the author stating explicitly, “Yes, of course I am still working on THE WINDS OF WINTER.”

Author blog updates

Martin’s Not A Blog has served as the primary channel for progress updates, even if those updates resist neat timelines. The March 2022 entry acknowledged less progress during the pandemic years, while December 2022 brought a brief but encouraging confirmation. The Week’s analysis of the author’s public statements finds that Martin has consistently maintained transparency about his working status, if not his pace.

Sample chapters released

Martin has shared chapters with fans sporadically over the years, a practice GamesRadar notes as one of the few concrete gestures toward reader patience. These previews, distributed through his blog and live appearances, have kept certain plotlines alive in fan speculation without advancing the release calendar. Each chapter release temporarily reignites interest, followed by longer stretches of silence. What this means is that sample chapters serve as engagement tools rather than progress indicators.

Why are The Winds of Winter take so long?

The reasons are multiple and have shifted over time. When Martin announced the novel in 2011, his existing track record suggested a few years of work. A Dance with Dragons had published in 2011 after a six-year gap, but Martin’s pace was then interrupted by an event no one predicted: HBO’s Game of Thrones transformed from a popular series into a global phenomenon that generated enormous demand for his attention.

Timeline of delays

The missed deadlines tell the story clearly. Martin predicted a 2012 or 2013 release, according to The Ringer’s timeline of his statements. He hoped for 2014, then 2015, and in April 2015 explicitly aimed to finish before Game of Thrones Season 6 in 2016. On January 2, 2016, he publicly acknowledged missing that window — an admission A Wiki of Ice and Fire chronicles in detail. The 2017 prediction followed the same pattern, and by April 2018 Martin confirmed Fire & Blood would publish that year, not The Winds of Winter. The pattern suggests repeated optimism outpaced actual progress.

Author’s other projects

Television projects have consumed substantial time. House of the Dragon, a prequel series Martin executive produces, requires his involvement. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new HBO adaptation of his Dunk and Egg novellas, adds further demands. Business Insider’s analysis of Martin’s workload identifies these productions as ongoing distractions from the writing desk. At New York Comic Con in October 2025, Martin admitted what readers have long suspected: “I’ve always had trouble with deadlines.” The implication is that competing creative obligations have consistently interrupted the writing process.

Is Winds of Winter coming in 2026?

No. The publisher and Martin both moved quickly to debunk an April 2026 false leak that gained traction online. Collider reported that Martin responded directly to the rumors, confirming no release was planned for that year. The Week documented the false leak’s circulation and the swift denial that followed. GamesRadar similarly published the publisher’s statement rejecting the 2026 date as unfounded.

Rumored dates

The 2026 rumor was not the first. Martin predicted no release in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018 — each time with varying degrees of optimism that hindsight has not vindicated. The Ringer’s collection of his past statements shows a pattern of hope followed by adjustment, a cycle fans have learned to treat with caution.

Official responses

Both Martin and his publisher have issued denials when rumors surface. The consistency of these denials suggests the 2026 date was speculative rather than anchored to any internal schedule. What is notable is how quickly the denial arrived — publishers typically do not comment on books-in-progress, which makes the explicit rejection itself unusual.

Is Winds of Winter ever going to be finished?

The book remains in progress, which is the most reliable answer available. Martin has not announced an abandonment of the series, and his publisher has not removed the title from its catalog. The Week’s analysis frames the question as one of timeline rather than viability: the work continues, but the finish line is not visible. Wikipedia describes the novel as “one of the most anticipated in modern history,” a status it has held through multiple generations of reader frustration.

Challenges discussed

Martin has described the novel as “the curse of his life,” a phrase Wikipedia cites from his public statements. The complexity of A Song of Ice and Fire’s interwoven storylines presents structural challenges: in 2022, he reported finishing storylines for a couple of characters while other POV chapters still required interweaving. The Week notes this patchwork of completion as a reason progress can appear uneven, with certain threads advancing while others stall. What this means is that the book’s complexity creates genuine structural obstacles that defy simple progress metrics.

Future prospects

The penultimate novel will be followed by A Dream of Spring, the planned seventh and final book in the series. Business Insider’s analysis observes that Martin has not publicly addressed whether he intends to write that final volume before or after The Winds of Winter publishes — a question that looms over the entire project. For now, the realistic outlook is that The Winds of Winter will eventually arrive, but the remaining path involves continued work, likely more delays, and reader patience that has already been tested for over a decade.

What people are saying

“There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late.”

— George R.R. Martin, GamesRadar interview

“Yes, of course I am still working on THE WINDS OF WINTER.”

— George R.R. Martin, Business Insider blog timeline

“I’ve always had trouble with deadlines.”

— George R.R. Martin, The Week timeline briefing

Summary

The Winds of Winter exists in a state of genuine progress alongside genuine uncertainty. Martin is writing. The page count has climbed from 200 in 2012 to roughly 1,100 in 2026. But the book remains unreleased, and every prediction cycle has ended in deferral. Publisher denials have consistently killed release rumors before they gain durable traction. For dedicated readers of A Song of Ice and Fire, the most rational posture is continued patience — and skepticism toward any unverified date that surfaces online. Readers who adjust their expectations accordingly will avoid the cycle of disappointment that has defined the novel’s history.