The Hightowers didn’t get wiped out in Game of Thrones ; they mostly fade into the background by the time of the original series. Their big political importance is in House of the Dragon , where House Hightower is central to the Dance of the Dragons, and later they’re still around in Westeros, just not at the same level of power.

What happened to them

  • In the lore after the Targaryen civil war: House Hightower survives, but its influence declines compared with its peak.
  • In Game of Thrones itself: they are not a major active player on screen; the family is basically off to the side of the main story.
  • Notable Hightowers you may know: Otto Hightower and Alicent Hightower are from House of the Dragon , while Gerold Hightower is a historical Kingsguard figure tied to earlier Targaryen history.

Why they seem to disappear

The simplest answer is that the TV story shifts focus away from Oldtown and the Reach, so House Hightower is only lightly mentioned or implied rather than followed closely. In the wider lore, they endure as an old noble house, but they are no longer the spotlight house they were during the Targaryen era.

One-sentence version

They survived , but by the time of Game of Thrones they’re mostly a background noble house rather than a power center.