Newsletter
The final season of Game of Thrones is already underway and you surely don’t want these eight years of buildup end up ruined by a spoiler or ten.
Whether you’re late to watching the new episodes or are simply concerned about production leaks spoiling the fun (and trust us, they’re out there, just like they were during every previous season), there are ways wherein you can minimize and outright eliminate any chance of having your experience of watching the mega-popular fantasy show ruined.
So, here’s how to avoid Game of Thrones spoilers online:
Step 1: Use Chrome
Most of the advice listed below works exclusively if you’re a Google Chrome user; some also apply to Mozilla’s Firefox but if you want to ensure you get the most of this guide, switch to Chrome at least until Game of Thrones wraps up. Your RAM may hate you for it but you’ll be better protected in the long run.
Step 2: Download Spoiler Shield
Besides being one of the most customizable anti-spoiler Chrome extensions out there, Spoiler Shield also has the unique selling point of being made by a company with “Carrots” in its name – how awesome is that?
Much like its name suggests, this plugin can also help you filter out spoilers for pretty much any other show, book, movie, or another piece of entertainment in existence. The downside is that you have some setting up to do before you’re able to benefit from the extension, though that shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes or so; the bright side is that Spoiler Shield has an excellent FAQ section with step-by-step instructions that are super-easy to follow.
Step 3/Alternative Step 2: Download GameOfSpoils
If you don’t have the time or the willpower to yield a mighty piece of anti-spoiler software or want to go an extra mile and encapsulate your Internet browser into an extra layer of protection, check out GameOfSpoils in addition to Spoiler Shield or as an alternative to it.
After following the link above and installing GameOfSpoils, you’re pretty much set, even if you don’t have any intention of fiddling with its settings.
Step 4: Remember Twitter Muting Is A Thing
Pretty much what the subheading above says. You can avoid the entirety of “Game of Thrones,” “ASOIAF,” “George R.R. Martin” and other mentions of associated terms over the next month without completely giving up on your favorite microblogging platform.
To do so, open Twitter on Android or any other platform, navigate to “Settings and Privacy,” open the “Muted Words” menu in the sidebar, and start adding any and all terms associated with the show that you want to avoid. We suggest throwing in a random “Kit,” “Harrington,” and “Jon Snow” in there, in addition to your usual suspects like “HBO” and “David Benioff.”
One thing to keep in mind is that muting only filters out results in your Twitter Timeline and Notifications, i.e. you can still stumble upon Game of Thrones if you end up searching for the wrong thing. That’s why it’s important to have at least one actual spoiler shield running on a browser level.
Step 5: Deal With The Fact Tumblr Muting Isn’t A Thing
If you’re a tech news aficionado, chances are you aren’t exactly part of the Tumblr demographic but given how the blogging platform remains popular even after Verizon did what it could to gut it of content last year, let’s just cover all of our bases here.
In short, download Tumblr Savior, and enjoy the benefit of third-party Tumblr-muting functionality. You’re welcome.
Step 6: Learn Self-Constraint
This is mostly an alternative to Spoiler Shield but seriously – download Spoiler Shield.
If, for some reason, you are really resistant to that idea (maybe you don’t have any RAM to spare), there’s not much you can do but learn self-constraint; maybe not so much in the Twitter department but definitely when it comes to content aggregators like Reddit – unsubscribe from /r/GameOfThrones, /r/FreeFolk, and similar subs, and remember – it will all be over soon, risking spoilers is just not worth it.
In the meantime, get your Game of Thrones fix with some awesome apps designed to provide you with one in a spoiler-free way and enjoy the final month of one of the most popular TV shows that ever existed.
Also, make sure you’re not overpaying for your access to the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.