Game of Thrones Ascent was a point-and-click casual, role-playing/strategy video game. The player takes on the role of the head of a minor house, swearing allegiance to one of the Great Houses of Westeros, building and managing a keep and army of Sworn Swords. Players complete quests and build their holdings as solo play, making choices that influence their alignment and affect future quests.

They can also engage in player versus player conflict, both one-on-one with individual players, or as part of an Alliance in larger-scale wars. These wars are scheduled in 5-week "cycles", beginning with a week of low-conflict preparation, followed by three weeks of Alliance-versus-Alliance combat competing for ranks across eight of the nine major geographical areas of Westeros, and concluded with a week-long cooperative event. Of the Alliances that participated in these events "King's Landing" was the Number One ranked over the life of the game.

The game closely followed the HBO television series, with weekly content updates following the airing of each episode. Quests allowed the player to participate in major events from the story in various ways, as well an original storyline exploring your character's past and current events at your holdings.

The player selected their primary location by swearing fealty to House Stark, House Lannister, House Greyjoy, House Baratheon, House Targaryen, House Tyrell, House Tully, or House Martell. However, the character visits many notable locations through the course of the game, including several famous places in Essos.