Hogwarts Legacy

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Hogwarts Legacy is set in the 1890s at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its surrounding areas. The areas include magical village Hogsmeade and the Scottish Highlands, influenced by the Wizarding World franchise. Players take on the role of a student (voiced by Sebastian Croft or Amelia Gething) starting their studies at Hogwarts in the fifth year. The protagonist can control a mysterious form of ancient magic that threatens the stability of the wizarding world. Their mission is to discover the reasons behind the resurgence of this forgotten magic and stand against those who are trying to harness its power.

Professor Eleazar Fig (Nicholas Guy Smith), a wizard who teaches magic theory at Hogwarts, is a central ally throughout the protagonist's adventure. Other characters include Hogwarts students Amit Thakkar (Asif Ali) and Everett Clopton (Luke Youngblood), Professors Onai (Kandace Caine) and Shah (Sohm Kapila), as well as Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black (Simon Pegg) and Professor Matilda Weasley (Lesley Nicol). The protagonist also partners with students Natsai Onai, Poppy Sweeting, Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt, who serve as companion characters. Antagonists include Ranrok, the leader of a goblin rebellion, and Victor Rookwood, the leader of a group of Dark Wizards.

Plot

The protagonist receives a letter from Professor Matilda Weasley, which confirms their attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a fifth-year student and assigns Professor Eleazar Fig as the protagonist's mentor. Fig escorts the protagonist from London to Hogwarts via a flying coach. While investigating an unknown artefact, a dragon attacks them, prompting the two to reach for a Portkey hidden inside the artefact that teleports them to the Scottish Highlands. In the Highlands, they find a ruin with a portal to Gringotts. Using the Portkey to enter an old vault, the protagonist learns they can see traces of ancient magic. The duo is confronted by a hostile goblin named Ranrok before escaping to Hogwarts, where the protagonist is sorted into one of the four houses. The protagonist learns various spells during classes and goes on a trip to Hogsmeade with a companion, where they defeat a troll sent by Ranrok. The protagonist also sneaks into the library and finds a book with missing pages. While Fig studies the book, the protagonist locates the missing pages and finds a secret room below Hogwarts known as the Map Chamber. The protagonist visits the Map Chamber several times with Fig later in the game. They talk to the portraits of four deceased Hogwarts professors who refer to themselves as the "Keepers", whose goal is to protect the secrets of ancient magic from the wizarding world.

To reveal the secrets of ancient magic, the protagonist completes four trials left by the Keepers. Each trial leads to a Pensieve, a magical device used to store and review memories. The protagonist learns from these memories about Isidora Morganach, a Hogwarts student and later professor with abilities similar to the protagonist. Isidora was in conflict with the Keepers and left behind a hidden repository of ancient magic after using it to extract negative emotions, particularly from her suffering father. The Keepers realised that Isidora was inhaling the extracted emotions to increase her own power and failed to dissuade her, forcing one of them to eliminate her with the Killing Curse. Through their other adventures, the protagonist also learns that Ranrok, the leader of an ongoing goblin rebellion against wizards, seeks to find the repository and exploit it for his own ends. He collaborates with a group of dark wizards led by Victor Rookwood, a descendant of one of the Keepers, to locate it.

After the protagonist completes all four trials, they receive a final task from the Keepers: to create a special type of magic wand from the artefacts found at the Pensieves. Fig sends the protagonist to Gerbold Ollivander, a wandmaker, to craft the special wand. As the protagonist leaves Ollivander's, they are ambushed by Rookwood, who proposes an alliance against the goblins. The protagonist refuses, resulting in a battle in which the protagonist manages to defeat him. The protagonist and Professor Fig discover the repository. Ranrok interrupts them and destroys Isidora's repository. Absorbing the ancient power, he transforms himself into a dragon, injuring Fig. The protagonist defeats Ranrok, ending the goblin rebellion, and the protagonist makes a choice between keeping the ancient magic sealed away or absorbing the power for themselves. Regardless of their choice, Fig dies, and Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black and Professor Weasley hold a eulogy in honour of him.

Gameplay

Hogwarts Legacy is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective. Players create a character by customising features such as appearance, voice, and complexion. They choose whether to be housed in a witch or wizard dormitory and select one of the four Hogwarts Houses, guided by the Sorting Hat. Each Hogwarts House (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin) features a unique common room accessible only to its members and exclusive quests. Attending and completing classes is essential to progression, as it unlocks gameplay mechanics, such as broom flight. As the game advances, players learn to cast spells, brew potions, and master combat abilities, eventually developing a personalised combat style. Experience points are earned by completing quests and challenges, while a separate talent tree for enhancing spells and abilities unlocks as players progress through the game. Players can engage with various non-player characters (NPCs), and some of them become companions. Companions provide a series of side quests focused on relationships and can join players on select missions.

Players can explore related areas such as Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the Room of Requirement. Hogsmeade offers a variety of shops and establishments, including the sweet shop Honeydukes and the Hog's Head tavern. The Forbidden Forest features familiar magical creatures such as centaurs and spiders. The Room of Requirement features several customisation elements, allowing players to modify the room with various objects. It can be fully personalised, and its architecture can be changed through spells to conjure, alter or delete objects. The room serves as a place to store and maintain utility items such as brewing stations and planting pots, which can also be customised. The room further features vivariums, which are areas for magical beasts. Players can tame, care for, and ride various creatures, including hippogriffs and thestrals. Once caught, these creatures can be kept in vivariums. Other magical creatures available for interaction include unicorns, kneazles, and puffskeins. Plants grown or acquired can be used in combat, such as mandrakes, which can stun enemies.

Players can explore the open-world map at their own pace. Different areas offer a range of activities and players face various enemies, such as goblins, poachers, and trolls. Certain aspects are locked behind progression milestones in the main plot. During exploration, players can acquire gear by locating treasure chests. The Revelio spell supports exploration by acting as a scanning tool to discover secrets. Players may use Floo Powder to fast travel around the map or fly with a broom.

Development

Hogwarts Legacy was developed by Avalanche Software, which Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment acquired from Disney in January 2017. That same year, Warner Bros. established the publishing label Portkey Games to manage the Wizarding World licence. The game marked Avalanche's first project unrelated to Disney Interactive Studios and its products since 2005. The game was developed by using Unreal Engine 4. J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was not directly involved in its development. The total budget was estimated at $150 million.

Lead writer Moira Squier stated that the story in Hogwarts Legacy was intentionally set in a time period without established Wizarding World protagonists such as Harry Potter and Newt Scamander. This allows players to explore their own unique world within a setting reminiscent of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts eras. While main Harry Potter characters do not appear, some familiar figures like Nearly Headless Nick and Peeves the Poltergeist make appearances. The writing team focused on creating a diverse range of characters that players could relate to and see themselves in. The team also introduced a character creator without gender options and the franchise's first transgender character, Sirona Ryan.

Boston Madsen, environmental lead for the creation of Hogwarts, emphasised the importance of creating environmental elements close to the source material from the Harry Potter books. Madsen noted that although it is Avalanche Software's version of Hogwarts, the castle remains easily recognisable. Game director Alan Tew added that they aimed to go beyond the expected areas, encouraging players to discover new locations and hidden chambers. Tew and Madsen further explained that each of the four Hogwarts house common rooms was designed to offer a unique experience, enhanced by distinct music for each house. Their goal was to create a welcoming atmosphere that fostered a sense of nostalgia and belonging.

Lead designer Troy Leavitt stated that the studio had the flexibility to select the elements that fans were most enthusiastic about. He added that Hogwarts Legacy was designed to give fans the wizarding world experience they always desired while reading the books or watching the movies, without promoting any particular agenda or message. Game designer Troy Johnson explained that advances in technology and gaming consoles made it possible to create a competent game based on the Wizarding World. The open world was designed to offer players overall freedom and to provide opportunities for crafting a highly personalised experience. Artists Jeff Bunker and Vanessa Palmer noted that they focused on five technical pillars: 4K graphics and visuals, 3D audio, activities and game assistance, the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, and fast loading times. They referenced the use of Unreal Engine, especially its Niagara visual effects system, and the computing and rendering power of the PlayStation 5 to deliver the visual effects of spells and magic. Each spell was given its own visual language with unique casting, impact and area of effect, resulting in dozens of distinct magical effects.

Music

Chuck E. Myers, J. Scott Rakozy and Peter Murray composed the soundtrack, including additional tracks by Alexander Horowitz. Murray and Rakozy explained that the challenge of its creative process was to balance the original composition with the existing music of the Wizarding World films. One of the songs, "Overture to the Unwritten", was released ahead of the soundtrack. It was performed by the Seven Springs Symphony Orchestra & Choir and featured in a promotional music video.

In December 2022, the soundtrack's release was announced for February 2023. It was released as two digital double albums totalling 75 tracks: Hogwarts Legacy (Original Video Game Soundtrack) and Hogwarts Legacy (Study Themes from the Original Video Game Soundtrack). The soundtrack also saw a vinyl release, mastered by James Plotkin and distributed by Mondo. Music from the game was featured at the 2023 Hollywood Bowl concert in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of The Game Awards.

Release

Before any formal announcement was made, gameplay footage was leaked in 2018. Hogwarts Legacy was announced at a PlayStation 5 event in September 2020, with a planned release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021. It was delayed twice: first to 2022, and later to 10 February 2023. The PS4 and Xbox One versions were further delayed from February 2023 to 5 May 2023. The game was released in three versions: Standard, Deluxe, and Collector's Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes extra content like a mount, clothing set, and exclusive battle arena. The Collector's Edition includes the former's content along with a steel case, box, and a collectible "floating wand". Owners of the Standard Edition can upgrade to Deluxe by purchasing the extra content separately. Early access began on 7 February 2023 for those who pre-ordered the physical Collector's Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition. A limited edition DualSense controller, the "Revelio Controller", was released in the United States and United Kingdom to coincide with the launch. With the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Hogwarts Legacy, an arachnophobia mode was added. It replaces regular spiders with a cartoonish design that removes their legs and adds roller skates, referencing the Harry Potter books. Den of Geek considered the update a positive addition but would have preferred an option to remove spiders as enemies entirely. A Nintendo Switch port by Shiver Entertainment was released on 14 November 2023. It was originally scheduled for 25 July 2023. To accompany the release of PlayStation 5 Pro, Hogwarts Legacy received graphics enhancements to support the console's increased power. The Nintendo Switch 2 version was released alongside the console on 5 June 2025, featuring enhanced graphics and reduced loading times.

Hogwarts Legacy drew criticism for setting its story during the Goblin Rebellion era of Wizarding World history and assigning the protagonist to suppress a goblin uprising. Goblins in the Wizarding World have previously been criticised as based on antisemitic tropes. TheGamer argued that the game suggests that goblins, as a minority, are the villains for fighting against their oppressors and seeking equal rights and freedom. Some defended the portrayal of goblins in the game and the wider Harry Potter universe. The non-governmental organisation Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote that Harry Potter's depiction of goblins is consistent with their portrayal in Western literature, and is therefore "a testament more to centuries of Christendom's antisemitism than it is to malice by contemporary artists". They also commended Rowling for being a "tireless defender of the Jewish community". Travis Northup of IGN disagreed that the game contained antisemitic tropes, stating that the story does not feature a group of goblins controlling banks or trying to seize power. Instead, it focuses on a single goblin who rebels against the Wizarding World's refusal to grant his kind access to magic.

Additional content

At release, players could obtain free cosmetic items by joining the Harry Potter Fan Club and linking a WB Games account. PlayStation versions included exclusive content like the "Haunted Hogsmeade Shop" quest and the "Felix Felicis" potion recipe as a pre-order bonus. The quest features an additional dungeon, a cosmetic set, and an in-game shop, while the potion reveals gear chests on the map. The Dark Arts Pack, available in Deluxe and Collector's editions or as downloadable content (DLC), includes an exclusive mount, clothing set, and a new battle arena. From the early access release on 7 February 2023 to 24 February 2023, players could earn five exclusive cosmetic items by watching selected Hogwarts Legacy livestreams on Twitch. The items were distributed via Twitch Drops, which were granted after viewers watched streams for a specified time. The launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions offered the "Professor Ronen cosmetic set", with seven extra items obtainable through Twitch Drops.

Shortly after release, game director Alan Tew stated that the team focused only on the launch and did not yet plan to release additional content. In May 2024, Avalanche Studios announced a major update for 6 June, which added player-requested features like a photo mode, talent point resets, and new cosmetic items. The update also made pre-order and previously console-exclusive content available on all platforms, including the "Haunted Hogsmeade Shop" quest. In January 2025, PC-exclusive mod support was added via the Hogwarts Legacy Creator Kit. In March 2025, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported that Warner Bros. cancelled an unannounced story expansion that had been planned for release later in the year, alongside a Definitive Edition containing all previously released content. According to Schreier, the cancellation was in part because the company felt that the content was not substantial enough to justify the anticipated price.

Reception

Critical response

Hogwarts Legacy received "generally favourable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 88% of critics. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave it a total score of 37 out of 40.

Many critics praised the environments, visuals and overall faithfulness to the source material. GamesRadar+ complimented the world as being faithful to existing Wizarding World lore, while Destructoid appreciated the overall presentation and positive synergy with the universe. Other reviewers echoed these points, with NME writing that the world was probably the most fitting depiction for fans. Further praise was directed at the castle's level of detail. Push Square highlighted the level of atmosphere and visual presentation, finding it made aimless activities like walking around Hogwarts enjoyable. The surrounding areas set in the Scottish Highlands received similar praise.

The gameplay received mixed reactions, with praise for the variety of content but criticism regarding the open-world experience. PC Gamer praised the straightforward yet cohesive systems, such as the wizard duels and the personalised Room of Requirement. Eurogamer Germany said the attention to detail motivated players to explore the world. They highlighted the music and were impressed by the design of some of the quests and puzzles. Destructoid complimented the range of activities and unlockables but found the game sometimes unimpressive, contributing to a less than satisfactory open-world environment. NME similarly wrote that the design felt dated, which they attributed to its long development cycle. The Guardian criticised the experience as competent yet not particularly impressive. While praising the presentation for its captivating nature, they felt that the progression was derivative of other open-world examples. GameRevolution described Hogwarts Legacy as a fun but forgettable Harry Potter fan service. While they found exploring the world enjoyable, they wrote that features such as attending classes and creating potions lacked sufficient depth and lamented the absence of Quidditch.

Combat was generally praised, though critics were divided on the enemy design. PCGamesN considered it as the strongest aspect, highlighting its fluid mechanics, varied enemies, and strategic use of colour-coded spells despite the restriction of equipping only four at a time. The A.V. Club deemed it the most interesting feature and expressed that confrontations with greater difficulty provided genuinely thrilling experiences. GameSpot described the combat and spells as giving a notable feeling of control to players, though they criticised the spell-selecting controls and the unremarkable enemy design. Game Informer similarly complimented the general combat experience but lamented the enemies for lacking variety.

Sales

On 23 February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Hogwarts Legacy had sold more than 12 million copies and generated $850 million in global revenue. By 5 May 2023, global sales had risen to 15 million copies, surpassing $1 billion in total earnings. The game reached 22 million units sold by the end of 2023, including approximately 2 million during the December holiday season. Sales rose to 30 million copies in October 2024 and reached 34 million copies sold by the end of March 2025. As of December 2025, Hogwarts Legacy sold 40 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games.

In the United States, Hogwarts Legacy topped the monthly sales charts for February 2023. In the United Kingdom, it debuted and remained atop of the physical sales chart for five consecutive weeks, and fifteen weeks in total. Analysts compared its first-week sales with Elden Ring, noting increases of 80% in physical sales and 88% in digital sales. In Germany, it sold more than 600,000 copies in two and a half weeks. Across Europe, its launch was the sixth-largest for a video game since the inception of the European Monthly Charts. In Japan, Hogwarts Legacy debuted atop the software sales chart with the PlayStation 5 version selling 67,196 physical copies. It held the top spot for an additional week and had sold a total of 172,820 physical copies by 14 May 2023. The PlayStation 4 version sold 44,947 physical copies by 4 June 2023. As of 4 February 2024, the Nintendo Switch version reached 95,156 physical copies sold. On Steam, Hogwarts Legacy peaked at over 489,000 concurrent players during early access. It marked the second-highest concurrent player count for a single-player game at the time, behind only Cyberpunk 2077, which reached over 1 million concurrent players. The game later peaked at more than 879,000 concurrent players, making it the game with the eighth-highest concurrent player peak overall at the time. Steam separates pre-orders and official releases for reporting purposes, which meant Hogwarts Legacy occupied the top four spots on the platform's sales chart at some point during its first week of release.

Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of 2023 in the United States, breaking a 14-year games industry streak of either a Call of Duty or a Rockstar Games release holding the top spot. It was also the eleventh best-selling game in the US in 2024. In Europe, it was the second best-selling game of 2023. Excluding EA's football game, no other game had achieved comparable unit sales in a calendar year since the launch of the European charts in 2017. The game topped the annual sales charts of 2023 in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and reached the top three in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Sweden. On Steam, it was among the best-performing games of 2023.

Accolades

Before its release, Hogwarts Legacy was nominated for "Most Anticipated Game" at the Game Awards 2022 and "Most Wanted Game" at the Golden Joystick Awards 2022. Several publications listed it as one of the most anticipated games of 2023, including CNN, GameSpot, IGN, NPR, Polygon, Time, and VentureBeat. As a result of its record-breaking viewership on Twitch during early access, Hogwarts Legacy became the most-watched single-player game by peak viewers on the platform and earned a Guinness World Record.

At the 20th British Academy Games Awards, Hogwarts Legacy was longlisted in nine categories, and was ultimately nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Animation and British Academy Games Award for Family. It was nominated for "Game of the Year" and won "Best Game on Steam Deck" at The Steam Awards. At France's 2024 Pégases awards, Legacy was nominated for "Best Foreign Video Game". At Poland's 2024 Digital Dragons Awards, it was similarly nominated for "Best Foreign Game". Eurogamer Germany awarded Hogwarts Legacy as "Best Fanservice" in its 2023 awards. At the PS Blog Game of the Year Awards 2023, it was nominated in seven categories. It won "PS4 Game of the Year" and placed as runner-up in the categories "Best Use of DualSense" (Gold Trophy) and "Best Audio Design" (Silver Trophy). Hardcore Gamer nominated Hogwarts Legacy for "Best Action Game", while IGN named it a runner-up for "Best Open-World Game". It appeared on several year-end lists of 2023, including Gamepressure, Der Spiegel, BBC, The Telegraph and the longlist for the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards.

Influence and future

In its release month, Hogwarts Legacy became the most successful game in the Wizarding World franchise. The franchise also experienced a boost in engagement, with a 300% increase in traffic on Wizarding World websites. The popularity of Hogwarts Legacy influenced Warner Bros. Discovery's strategy for the wider franchise. In August 2024, Warner Bros. stated it would plan to develop further Wizarding World games, such as Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.

In September 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery's Gunnar Wiedenfels stated that a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy would be one of the corporation's primary goals. The sequel is planned to be connected to the upcoming Harry Potter television series.