The title sequence was created by Elastic for HBO, and is accompanied by a theme composed by Ramin Djawadi.

The sequence depicts a three-dimensional map of the series' fictional world, projected onto a concave earth,[1] and lit by a small sun contained within an armilla (or spherical astrolabe) that metaphorically depicts major events in the history of the fictional world at the sphere's center.

The sequence concludes after about one-and-a-half minutes with the title card and brief opening credits indicating the episode's writers and directors.

Relief depictions of the fictional's world's history are visible on the sphere, such as the Doom of Valyria, Aegon's Conquest and the rise of House Baratheon, which appear at varying points in the sequence.

The interiors of two major locations are shown for the first time: the crypts of Winterfell and the Red Keep at King's Landing, as well as the latter's throne room.

[8] Angus Wall, the head of title design firm Elastic, met with Strauss, the showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and producer Greg Spence to discuss the project around a year before the show debut.

An early suggestion was to use animated maps as a transition between scenes to orient viewers, but that idea was rejected as it would interrupt the narrative flow.

[8] For the original pilot, the showrunners Benioff and Weiss initially wrote the title sequence as a crow's flight from King's Landing to Winterfell; however, the production team at Elastic thought the idea was too flat and devised the idea of using 3-D models within a sphere that represents the world in which the show is set.

[8] According to Angus Wall, the title sequence had "a concrete function in the world of the show, in that it serves as a legend the way the map at the beginning of a fantasy book orients you.

[21] On the use of an armillary and models with moving parts, producer Greg Spence explained that Angus Wall at Elastic came up with "a vision of a mad monk, in a tower somewhere", who was somehow keeping track of all this action "and creating as he went.

[23] The design team were given a list of the locations where the action may take place in each episode after the shooting had completed, and they had around 3 months to create title sequences.

[21][26] Djawadi said the showrunners Benioff and Weiss wanted the theme music to be about a journey that reflects the variety of locations and characters in the show.