Hogwarts Legacy is a forthcoming role-playing game set in the world of Harry Potter that will be released in early 2023 for console and PC.
Here’s everything we know about it so far.
What is Hogwarts Legacy?
Hogwarts Legacy was officially announced as part of the PlayStation 5 Showcase in September 2020. It is a single-player, open-world RPG set in the Wizarding World in the 1800s, long before Harry Potter and even Newt Scamander were born.
Players take the role of a new student attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There they will develop their character while undertaking a dangerous, extended journey through the game.
Abilities can be learned and enhanced, while companions can be enrolled to help fight enemies and creatures, plus solve the many mysteries that await.
It is being developed by Avalanche Software – best known for the Disney Infinity toys-to-life game series. It will be published by WB Games‘ label Portkey Games.
What platforms will Hogwarts Legacy be available for?
The game is planned for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
We know that it will have some extra features on PS5 thanks to the above trailer which showcases how it’ll use the excellent DualSense controller to the maximum, with advanced haptics and lighting. So, you’ve got that to look forward to if you have a PS5.
Hogwarts Legacy release date
Although the game was originally scheduled for a 2021 release, it was put back to 2022 due to the developer wanting more time to create “the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World.”
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) January 13, 2021
That was then put off even further, and we now have a new “final” release date: 10 February 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy will launch on February 10, 2023 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The Nintendo Switch launch date will be revealed soon. The team is excited for you to play, but we need a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience. pic.twitter.com/zh0EsOvDb7
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) August 12, 2022
That’s a bit of a delay, but at least we know it’ll be out in the first couple of months of 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy story
Along with gameplay reveals, the biggest trailer for the game yet (as you can see below) revealed certain key storyline elements.
As the game is set approximately 100 years before Harry Potter was born, and around 50 before the events in the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, it tells a completely new story set in JK Rowling’s Wizarding World.
A new threat comes to light, for example, with a rogue band of goblins and their leader Ranrok seemingly wanting to start a revolution. They also seem to partner with a mysterious human wizard, Victor Rookwood, who some fans believe to be the ancestor of a Death Eater who first appeared in the movie version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
VGC claims that Augustus Rookwood is mentioned in a flashback sequence in that film and, as the Potterverse rarely repeats names without purpose, it could be that Hogwarts Legacy leads into Fantastic Beasts (and then Harry Potter) as a definitive prequel.
Exciting stuff.
Hogwarts Legacy gameplay footage and details
A special edition PlayStation State of Play online stream was posted online in mid-March 2022. It included just over 14-minutes of previously unseen gameplay footage.
Another video followed with a behind-the-scenes look at the game, where we get to hear some of the developers talk about what to expect.