Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG based on the world of the Harry Potter novels. Enter Hogwarts and learn the arts of witchcraft and wizardry. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth your time and money.

Hogwarts Legacy Review Overview

Hogwarts Legacy Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Brings the Wonder of The Wizarding School to Life	Characters Are One-Dimensional or Lack Buildup

Hogwarts Legacy Overall - 74/100

Hogwarts Legacy is the most astounding visual experience a fan of Harry Potter could ask for, but unfortunately, that’s where most of its strengths lie. Its narrative is linear for an open-world RPG, and its characters lack the proper buildup to be established for sentimental purposes or as actual threats. Hogwarts Legacy all but seems to be a glorified whimsical ride through Hogwarts, from which comes its exceptional merits.

Hogwarts Legacy Story - 6/10

Though Hogwarts Legacy brings to life the worldbuilding of the novels, its narrative falls flat throughout with its one-dimensional characters that only seem to personify specific stereotypes meant to serve specific roles. A quirky teacher is nothing more but a quirky teacher and an eccentric classmate is nothing more but an eccentric classmate. Its overall story suffers as it seeks to impose too many high stakes and tries to build something grand, but falls flat and insignificant.

Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay - 7/10

Hogwarts Legacy sticks to the well-worn formula of modern open-world games, where a checklist of collectibles and side quests are abundant. Though its implementation is sound, it does nothing to stand out besides being in the setting of Hogwarts. Its magic-based combat is sound, with a plethora of spells to master and use, but the enemy variety is noticeably sparse, where you’ll find yourself using the same spells against the same enemies over and over again.

Hogwarts Legacy Visuals - 10/10

The world of Hogwarts Legacy is what a Harry Potter fan’s dreams are made of, and even more. The castle itself is a work of art, bringing to life all the grandeur and subtlety that enticed the minds of readers. Halls are populated with teachers, students, ghosts, poltergeists, and animals all around. Castle corridors are adorned with magical portraits, statues, decorations, and hidden knick-knacks. Hogwarts Legacy’s crowning achievement is bringing to life the complexity and beauty of Hogwarts Castle.

Hogwarts Legacy Audio - 8/10

The auditory adventure in Hogwarts Legacy is splendid, filled with magical and whimsical tones with great snappy sound effects(SFX) that further immerse you in the world. It also makes excellent use of the iconic leitmotif from Hedwig’s theme courtesy of John Williams. It does, however, fall short of a few with voice acting, where some characters have great performances, while others (most notably the main protagonists’ voices) are a bit flat and non-energetic.

Hogwarts Legacy Value for Money - 6/10

Hogwarts Legacy costing a whopping $69.99 is certainly understandable for the popularity of its franchise, but the game itself doesn’t justify the price. Though it’s certainly a spectacle for fans everywhere, for an open-world Harry Potter game, it lacks a cohesive story filled with charming characters that many can fall in love with and settles to be a mediocre open-world game released in 2023.

Hogwarts Legacy Review: An Interactive Universal Studios Ride

Alright, first thing’s first, Ravenclaw when I took the Pottermore test when I was 12 years old. I’ve read all the books (yes, even The Cursed Child) and watched all the movies numerous times. I even had a bootleg Deathly Hallows necklace (that I can’t find anymore). I admittedly fell out of love with the series the more I grew up, and of course largely due to the elephant in the room of the series author’s very questionable views that have arisen in recent times. I’m not here to talk about that, but rest assured I understand.

Too much of my recent thoughts, memories, and feelings toward the series have been clouded by very mixed and mostly negative emotions. To flip the script, I’d love to just talk about how Hogwarts Legacy brought about the feelings of adoration and love I had for Harry Potter that were locked away for the longest time.

To be honest, I didn’t feel anything from the opening sequence, as I was disappointed about the exclusion of the King’s Cross departure on the Hogwarts Express. The highlands sequence to the statue fights in trippy Gringotts were somewhat cool, but nothing really piqued my interest in terms of engagement. After it all settled down and we were teleported to a mysterious dark forest, Professor Fig reassured us that we were safe, AND the most iconic Hedwig’s Theme leitmotif rang, I felt a sudden rush of excitement. “Yeah, maybe this’ll be good.”

I did not expect to be so taken aback by Hogwarts itself. I go more into detail about how rich the castle was in terms of design and detail later, so all I’ll do now is speak of how nostalgic it got to me. I had played dozens of Harry Potter games, be it some of the lesser-known Game Boy Advanced ones, or even some of the 3D console games (iconic PS1 Hagrid here) emulated on the PC. All of them had a common theme of being able to explore Hogwarts, and I truly felt like Hogwarts Legacy was the culmination of every single one I played, and more.

It’s similar to how you would exaggerate the events from your memories from your childhood, and so when you revisit whatever made you happy or thought was great, it didn’t seem to age well? When I was booted up Hogwarts Legacy, I was ready to come to that realization – but once I got free rein to explore the castle, those feelings were washed away. Instead, I felt like the world I once imagined as a child was actually much greater, and I just never recalled it correctly.

My eyes were just glued to the environments as I wandered around the castle getting lost in all the winding hallways and the grand staircases. I tried not to use the floo powder fast-travel as much as possible just so I could adventure through the castle. I assume any fan would do the same because Hogwarts Legacy is full of fanservice and eye candy for any Harry Potter devotee.

I approached Hogwarts Legacy with a very wary mind, but I didn’t expect to be blown away by how, I daresay, missed the world of Harry Potter.

Pros of Hogwarts Legacy

Things Hogwarts Legacy Got Right
Brings the Wonder of The Wizarding School to Life

Brings the Wonder of The Wizarding School to Life

Hogwarts Legacy is a crowning achievement, bringing to life the world from the pages of its novels. The castle grounds are beautifully decorated with lush greenery and aging structures formed there through the hundreds of years of the castle’s establishment. Its halls are adorned with paintings, decorations, artifacts, memorabilia, and secrets left behind by students and staff alike from the past. The castle’s layout itself is complex and confusing, as originally described, which enhances the sense of wonder and adventure to be instilled for exploring its twists and turns throughout.

Students mingle with each other, school staff can be seen lecturing or giving advice, magical companions roam around, helpful ghosts gracefully greet, and devious poltergeists do their best to mess with everyone else. All of them litter the halls and go about their days in commonplaces as a lively school should, and it triumphs as a convincing setting in the world of Harry Potter.

Every thought, effort, and attention to detail needed to accurately portray the castle all serve to immerse the player into successfully feeling and BEING a student at Hogwarts. Hogwarts Legacy deserves all the praise it can get for such a monumental feat.

Cons of Hogwarts Legacy

Things Hogwarts Legacy Can Improve
Characters Are One-Dimensional or Lack Buildup

Characters Are One-Dimensional or Lack Buildup

Harry Potter, the titular character of the series, grew to be beloved by readers and moviegoers worldwide as the audience was able to accompany him through his growth. From the plucky and frail 11-year-old in The Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone, we accommodate everyone here), to the grizzled 18-year-old battle-worn fugitive in The Deathly Hallows. If not with Harry, the series still had a wondrous ensemble cast in Hermione, the Weasleys, the professors, and the other students in Hogwarts whom fans everywhere could get attached to.

In Hogwarts Legacy, there is a clear absence of such compelling characters for the players to get attached to. There are certainly a few who seem interesting or complex, but their entire character would never change or seem complex to feel like an actual person. Most characters, whether in the spotlight or in the background, only seem to be written and born from an archetype assigned to them.

The closest character to the player that we bond with would no doubt be Professor Fig, as he’s the one who guides the player throughout the game. We form a great mentor-apprentice relationship that is built throughout the game, and it pays off by the end. An extended character arc such as Professor Fig’s should have been made between some classmates. Most preferably with the game’s main antagonist as well, as their motivations and characterizations in the end fall flat besides “being the bad guy.”

Is Hogwarts Legacy Worth It?

It’s Worth it Yes, But With Plenty of Reservations

Hogwarts Legacy is an astonishing feat in terms of adapting a rich world of a series of novels. It is the culmination of the attempts that came before it, all the way from the original PS1 Harry Potter games. The world is rich and lush with fanservice that any fan of the series will love and adore.

The story however is a bit incohesive, filled with monotone and uninteresting characters that were not fleshed out or written to be engaging. The open-world gameplay is also somewhat lackluster, falling into the pitfalls of modern checklist-based quests and collectibles that doesn’t offer much depth to its world.

As great as the world of Hogwarts Legacy was constructed from the pages of the novels and the visuals of the Harry Potter movies, it feels more like a ride in Universal Studios made to awe and wow fans with the spectacle it certainly delivers. As a game, however, it lacks a feeling of overall interrelatedness to completely sell the feeling of an open-world RPG altogether.

Digital Storefronts
Steam	Epic	Playstation	Xbox	Switch
$69.99

Hogwarts Legacy Overview & Premise

Set in the late 1800s, you are a new student entering Hogwarts in their 5th year– a feat unusual for most students. While en route to the school being escorted by the Magical Theory Professor, Eleazar Fig, your carriage is attacked and both of you are whisked away to an unknown country highlands. On your quest for safety, Professor Fig realizes you can detect and harness an old forgotten form of magic, dubbed “Ancient Magic.”

Professor Fig safely escorts you to Hogwarts where you must take your classes normally and not draw attention nor speak of what happened to anyone. However, as you’ll soon discover throughout your school year, as much as you try to avoid trouble, trouble seems keen on finding you.

Hogwarts Legacy FAQ

What are Hogwarts Legacy’s System Requirements

Will Hogwarts Legacy Have DLC?

There is currently no official information about any DLC for the game, but fans worldwide have been waiting in heavy anticipation, speculating about what potential additional content may be added.

Is Hogwarts Legacy On The Switch?

Hogwarts Legacy was finally released for the Nintendo Switch on November 14, 2023, over 9 months after its initial release.

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Hogwarts Legacy Product Information

Title	HOGWARTS LEGACY
Release Date	February 10, 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S), May 5, 2023 (PS4, Xbox One), November 14, 2023 (Switch)
Developer	Avalanche Software
Publisher	Warner Bros. Games
Supported Platforms	PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre	RPG, Open-World
Number of Players	Single-Player(1)
ESRB Rating	ESRB T
Official Website	Hogwarts Legacy Official Website

Clark Jason Kong

Growing up playing all sorts of games, they love playing a little bit of everything, all of the time. Favorites include Counter-Strike, Life is Strange, Final Fantasy, Spiritfarer, and Devil May Cry.