HBO Game of Thrones
There’s really nothing worse than getting ready to watch Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4, only to find that the HBO NOW or HBO GO streaming services aren’t working. Sometimes the servers get overloaded and these services crash, give error messages, go blank, or are just stuck loading. Unfortunately, this problem has happened for people every week (not to mention last week, when the episode was also too dark for quite a few viewers.) Here’s what you can do if the servers crash again tonight, along with alternatives you can quickly turn to if nothing else seems to work.
What To Do if HBO GO or HBO NOW Are Down When You’re Trying to Watch Season 8 Episode 4
If HBO GO or HBO NOW are down, crashed, sending error messages or endlessly loading when Season 8 Episode 4 is supposed to begin, here’s what you can try. First, make sure your app is updated to the most recent version. Sometimes HBO will resolve access issues but those will only be available in a newer version of the app.
This means that if there were problems last week that required an HBO NOW or GO app fix, the app might need updating before you can watch tonight.
If that doesn’t help, try restarting the app or switch to a different device. Some viewers may have trouble with the website, for example, but find that the episode may load fine on their iPad or phone. Or maybe it won’t load on their iPad but it loads fine on their Xbox. If one device isn’t working for you, try another device. If it’s not loading on your Smart TV’s app, then try switching to Apple TV. For some reason, some versions of the app might work even if another one isn’t.
Check HBO GO & HBO NOW on Twitter
You should also check for tweets from HBOGoHelp or HBONowHelp, along with tweets sent to those accounts, to see if there’s an issue. Sometimes HBO will post a quick fix to a problem on the respective Twitter accounts, so it’s a good idea to check those for possible solutions.
You can also tweet directly to either account. HBO GO may respond by asking you to direct message them with your HBO ID, email, TV Provider, Device, bandwidth, and the troubleshooting steps you already tried.
For HBO NOW users, you may be asked to simply DM with your HBO NOW email address.
Don’t tweet any private information to either GO or NOW, because you don’t want that information to be public. Only share it in a DM to either of the two accounts.
Here is where you can find HBO GO troubleshooting steps:
@emilylopez Hi, thank you for reaching out with your inquiry. Apologies for the streaming difficulties. Please follow this link for some troubleshooting steps to try: t.co/SbtBr9Zhjz. Please let us know if they help resolve the streaming errors you’re having. Thanks.
And here is where to get sign-in help for HBO NOW:
Stream #GameofThrones on #HBONOW tonight at 9PM ET, the same time it premieres on #HBO! Watch on your favorite #HBONOW supported devices: t.co/D4wzJ0KEst
For sign-in help, see: t.co/ZHXCQKWjcM
If all else fails, give one of these alternatives a try.
Alternatives if HBO GO or NOW Crash
Here are the backups, some of which can be accessed with free trials that you can use until HBO GO or HBO NOW is working for you again:
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch live and on-demand HBO content through the HBO Amazon Channel, which also comes with a free 7-day trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the HBO channel, you can watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, HBO is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. Once signed up, you can watch the show live as it airs, or you can watch it on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (on-demand only), Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
Whether you already have PlayStation Vue or you want to start a free 5-day trial of PlayStation Vue, you can watch live and on-demand HBO content through the HBO add-on, which comes with a free 7-day trial. Once signed up, you can watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
Viewers Have Had Problems with Every Episode
Unfortunately, if you’re having trouble today you’re not alone. Viewers have had problems getting HBO GO and NOW to work in a timely fashion with every episode. One error people get is simply seeing a blank or black screen instead of the episode:
Or the app may just endlessly load.
christ may have risen, but @hbonow is dead
Here are some of the problems people had last week.
Im sure that the last episode of #GameofThrones would have looked so much better if HBO NOW supported 4k or even at the very least HDR but without it this was many peoples view
Did anyone else have banding issues in some of the #GameofThrones scenes last night? It was terrible in some scenes and at first thought it was due to using HBO now instead of regular cable.
@HBONowHelp HBO Now has slowed & stopped approximately once a minute in the 17 minutes I’ve been streaming tonight’s #GameofThrones episode. WTH? Epic level frustration.
For the third week in a row, @HBO‘s video streaming service, HBO Go, in the United States and across South America can’t cope with subscribers who want to watch #GameofThrones and crashes.
If you have any problems tonight, try any of the above solutions.