Hogwarts Legacy release date, gameplay, story and launch trailer

Hogwarts Legacy, the full-fledged, open-world RPG set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is out now.

Developed by Avalanche Software, Hogwarts Legacy offers Harry Potter fans the chance to craft their own adventure in familiar locations from the series, stepping away from the timeline of the books and films to tell an original story in the 1800s. 

Want to know more? Read on for everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy, including what you can expect from the gameplay and story. 

Hogwarts Legacy: cut to the chase

• What is it? A Harry Potter RPG set in the 1800s
• When did it come out? February 10, 2023 (later on older consoles)
• What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch
• Score? In our Hogwarts Legacy review, we gave the game 3.5/5 stars

Hogwarts Legacy trailers

Launch trailer

Ahead of the release of Hogwarts Legacy for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on February 10, 2023, a 4K launch trailer was released on February 1, 2023, which showcased what fans could expect from the Harry Potter RPG.

More trailers

We’ve included some key Hogwarts Legacy trailers throughout this article but you can find all the trailers that have been released to date on the official Hogwarts Legacy YouTube channel.

Hogwarts Legacy story and setting

Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world RPG set in the Harry Potter universe. Taking you to the wizarding world of the 1800s – long before Harry, Ron, and Hermione are born – Hogwarts Legacy sees you arriving late at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as a fifth year.

You’re not just a normal student, however. Instead, you have the ability to possess and master ancient magic that is the key to tearing apart the wizarding world – but how you wield that power is up to you. You can create your character from scratch and explore locations including the school itself (including themed common rooms), the Forbidden Forest, the neighboring village of Hogsmeade, and a smattering of other hamlets speckled throughout the countryside. These locations are populated with NPCs and side quests you can dig into at your leisure, with dynamic seasons and climates to really bring them to life.

Hogwarts Legacy gameplay

Hogwarts Legacy is an entirely single-player experience with no online or co-op modes. With that focus on the single-player experience, the game is about crafting your own personal adventure in the wizarding world. 

Once you’ve created your character and selected your house, there’ll be classes to catch up on and new friends (including beasts) to make. To add an extra layer to the social aspect of the story, you’ll nurture those connections, with your magical new pals able to teach you abilities and act as companions on quests and adventures.

During school hours, you’ll be learning and casting spells and charms, brewing potions, and attending a host of classes so you can graduate alongside your classmates. The new spells and abilities that you learn from your professors and fellow students will be useable in combat and in puzzles through the wider game world. The range of spells that you learn will allow for choice when it comes to combat styles. The spells you learn won’t necessarily just be the nice kind, either. Like any talented Hogwarts student, you’ll face the temptation of powerful dark magic and unforgivable curses.

In your downtime, you can explore the school, uncovering secret passageways that contain puzzles for you to solve. There will also be in-game challenges you can undertake to gain experience points and, ultimately, level up. Leveling up lets you upgrade certain abilities, talents, and spells, so you can hone your character to your own playstyle.

You’ll also have access to the Room of Requirement, where can grow plants for ingredients, brew potions, upgrade gear, and more. You even have your own House Elf to do your bidding. To top that all off, you’ll have a menagerie where you can keep the various magical creatures you’ll run into throughout the course of the game. 

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