If you’ve ever stared out a rainy window on your 11th birthday, secretly hoping an owl might swoop in with your Hogwarts letter, Hogwarts Legacy is probably the game you’ve been waiting for your whole life. Developed by Avalanche Software, this open-world RPG finally lets fans go headfirst into the Wizarding World not as Harry or Hermione, but as their own custom witch or wizard in a story set long before the events of the books. It’s a magical experience, even if some elements feel a little dated or rough around the edges.
Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the 1890s, a full century before the Boy Who Lived made his first trip to Diagon Alley. You play as a mysterious fifth-year student who joins Hogwarts under rather unusual circumstances like arriving late, already capable of advanced magic, and somehow linked to a forgotten form of ancient magic that only you can wield. The setup is intentionally vague at first, but it quickly turns into an adventure with goblin rebellions, dark wizards, and buried secrets that even the Hogwarts library doesn’t know about.
Right from the beginning, the game does an excellent job of letting you in on this earlier version of the Wizarding World. The game’s content is fresh from the ornate architecture of the castle, to the soft flicker of floating candles in the Great Hall, to the eerie rustling of the Forbidden Forest. The sheer amount of care put into the world’s design is worthy of praise.
Before the journey begins, you will see a very deep character creator on the screen. You can change your character’s appearance in detail such as everything from face shape to voice tone, and pick between being a witch or wizard. It’s inclusive, customizable, and a great way to establish your identity in the game.
Once you’re sorted into a house (you can choose, but there’s also a quiz), your journey through Hogwarts begins and what a journey it was for me. Attending classes, sneaking into restricted areas, discovering ancient ruins, and building friendships all play a role in how your story unfolds. Though you do get to sit in on a few fun lessons in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology, the real meat of the game lies in exploration and combat.
The interesting character creator has plenty of options to create individual characters and customize them in a long way.
Hogwarts Legacy is huge; beyond the castle itself (which is dense with secrets, hidden doors, and lore), you can explore the surrounding Scottish Highlands, bustling wizarding hamlets, magical caves, and more. You’ll fly across the countryside on a broom, discover ancient trials connected to the main storyline, tame magical creatures, and get lost chasing glowing butterflies through mysterious glens. Fast travel via Floo Flames is thankfully plentiful, which helps offset the size of the map and while the game occasionally falls into typical open-world tropes—enemy camps, fetch quests, repetitive collectibles—it does so with enough personality and magic that it rarely feels like a chore. There’s always a sense of curiosity pulling you toward the next location.
Hogwarts Legacy has found a good balance between drama and fantasy. It’s not a school simulator but a role-playing game where you can evolve yourself in the magic world. There’s a sense of adventure and exploration as you explore every nook and cranny of the castle, meet fellow students and learn spells to use in combat or to identify objects around you. The classes in the game allow you to get to know the school’s many students and learn more about your professor’s past. Interacting with these characters is one of the most fun parts of the game as it allows you to connect with the world you’re in.
Hogwarts Legacy characters are very memorable and lovable, and I loved spending time with them. From Sebastian the charming Slytherin to Natsai the clever Gryffindor, each character seems real and alive. I especially loved doing quests with my friends as it brought a sense of camaraderie to my playthrough. Not only did this help me level up my magic but it made me feel like I belonged at Hogwarts. That sense of community is something I’ll treasure from my time as a student during gameplay. The visuals are great, the weirdness of the genre is still there and magic is at every moment of play to remind you you’re in a fantasy world.
But I’ve had some technical issues, pop-in when I move quickly through the map and strange pauses in motion and combat. Even professors and random side NPCs are more fleshed out than you’d expect. While the writing can be uneven and sometimes a bit too exposition-heavy, the world looked populated to me with real personalities, not just quest-givers.
Fighting is entertaining, mainly due to the incantations you’re sending forth and the sequences that go with them.
Combat in Hogwarts Legacy is more than waving your wand and shouting “Stupefy!” You’ll unlock a wide range of spells, from offensive ones like Expelliarmus and Incendio to support skills like Accio and Protego. Even the Unforgivable Curses are available, if you’re willing to walk a darker path. Fights are quick, flashy, and fun especially once you get the hang of spell combos, dodging, and breaking color-coded enemy shields with matching spells. It’s not the deepest combat system ever, but it’s satisfying and stylish. There’s something thrilling about disarming an enemy mid-spell, launching them into the air, then smashing them down with a thunderous slam. Magical duels are a real highlight of the experience.
The incantations and scenes add a lot to the fight. So far the enemies haven’t impressed me with their fancy attacks, and there’s not enough variety in the types of enemies. You’ll mostly fight goblins, poachers, spiders, trolls, and a few dark wizards. Their attack patterns don’t vary much, and after a while, combat encounters can start to blend. But you can still enjoy learning enemy weaknesses and exploiting them with the right spells. Color-coded shields can be broken with specific attacks, which brings more complexity.
It’s a lot interesting to do in-game quests and challenges to earn experience and new upgrades which unlock new levels. Plus the reward system with tangible rewards makes you appreciate the effort put into these tasks by giving functional progression and cosmetic changes that make your character look special. Further, getting new gear is great because of a clever system that lets you keep your functional upgrades separate from the cosmetic ones. While it can be overwhelming to find gear that’s not worthy or has any use, loot hungry like me find it a lot more fun than a boss fight to get our hands our every valuable goodie the game offers.
Legacy’s performance issues are a big letdown for the otherwise amazing journey through Harry’s world. I played the game on my beloved PS5 and I encountered framerate issues, lighting issues and pop-ins when moving around quickly. It’s clear that the console is struggling to keep up with Legacy’s content and loading screens are still present for most doors throughout Hogwarts, despite this being a gen that was supposed to be the end of loading screens. I get it, given the amount of content and magic in this game, but the performance issues do detract from the immersion.
Even ignoring the game’s technical issues, Legacy is a janky game. You’ll probably find yourself falling through the arena a time or two, or an entity stuck to the backdrop, or maybe even an NPC you’re talking to disappear while you’re still in conversation with them, leaving you talking to nothingness for around a minute or two. There are no game-breaking glitches and the frequency of these is not so bad as to be infuriating, but it’s still annoying. Legacy is a unique and fun experience that more than makes up for these minor inconveniences.
The unfortunate context surrounding Hogwarts Legacy is two fold. One is J.K. Rowling’s comments which cast a shadow over anything she’s been involved in. The other is the endless grind to progress through the game which is all too familiar to players who have already been through open-world titles with long lists of collectibles and complicated equipment setups. It can be disheartening even at the start of the Wizarding World as it’s hard to know what will matter in the endgame until after many, many hours have been spent exploring every nook and cranny of Hogwarts Castle and its grounds. Clearly, a lot of work has gone into this game and I hope it can overcome its current issues and be more fun for all Harry Potter fans.
Final Verdict
Hogwarts Legacy is the real Harry Potter RPG we’ve all been waiting for. Every aspect of the game respects the original world building, memorable characters, and challenging yet exciting combat. I was easily sucked in as I explored the open world and it took dozens of hours before any technical issues or boring story would pull me out of it. Even with those bugs, it doesn’t break the game spell and let me live the Hogwarts fantasy. Combat and student life mechanics are top-notch with interesting and complex elements that put a fresh spin on the old role-playing formula. I would recommend Hogwarts Legacy to anyone looking for an impressive and magical way explore the Wizarding World.