Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world action RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, made by Avalanche Software. You play a student in the 19th century who joins Hogwarts straight into fifth year. The game came out on February 10, 2023 and today runs on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and, since June 5, 2025, Switch 2. In this review we tell you what the game does well, where it stumbles and whether it’s for you.
Review
Hogwarts Legacy
A Hogwarts faithful to the source, spell combat that stays fun to the end and dozens of hours of content. Points off for an open world stuffed with activities and messy progression and economy.
- Genre
- Action RPG, open world
- Developer
- Avalanche Software (published by Warner Bros. Games)
- Release
- February 10, 2023
- Platforms
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2
- Price
- €59.99 on Steam, in Game Pass and PS Plus Extra
- Players
- Single-player only
What works
- Hogwarts and Hogsmeade faithful to the source
- Spell combat with combos, shields and counters
- Huge amount of content: quests, the Room of Requirement, beasts, broom flying
- No microtransactions, in Game Pass and PS Plus Extra
What doesn’t
- An open world stuffed with repetitive activities
- GamesRadar+ calls progression and economy messy
- PCGamesN says it brings little new to the genre
- No co-op or online play
Rated on player and critic reception as of October 21, 2026 · Steam 89.7% positive (376,386 reviews) · Metacritic 84 (PS5, 96 reviews)
What Hogwarts Legacy is about
The story is set in the 19th century, long before Harry Potter. You join Hogwarts straight into fifth year, and in the prologue with Professor Fig you soon discover you can wield ancient magic. We won’t spoil more. You choose your house at the start; the Sorting Hat only suggests one. The main story is the same for every house; what differs is the common room and one exclusive quest. Details are in our houses and wand guide.
The game is single-player only, with no co-op or online play. It has no morality system either, though quests give you some hard choices.
Spells, combat and talents
You learn spells in classes and through professors’ assignments. In combat you cycle four spells in a set, block with Protego and counter with Stupefy, and talents unlock more spell sets. You get a talent point for every level from level 5, but you can’t unlock everything and have to choose. Since the summer update of June 5, 2024 you can reset talents. The Unforgivable Curses are optional. All spells and where to get them are in our spells list, and the talent trees in our talents guide.
Outside combat you solve puzzles, collect Field Guide pages, fly on a broom, tame magical beasts, and grow plants and brew potions in the Room of Requirement. You can’t play Quidditch.
What critics praise and what bothers players
On Metacritic the PS5 version has 84 from 96 reviews, Xbox Series X 85, PC 83 and Switch 2 82. PC Gamer gave it 83, calling it a great game that’s much larger than anyone anticipated: beyond an RPG with skill trees, combat, crafting, puzzles and sidequests, it’s also a home decorating game with a splash of zoo management. GamesRadar+ praises the faithful recreation of Hogwarts, thrilling spell-based combat and visual design, but criticizes messy progression and economy and bloated open-world systems. PCGamesN describes it as content-rich and competent; Potter fans will enjoy the faithful world, but it brings little novelty to the open-world RPG genre.
Players are happier than critics. On Steam the game has 89.7% positive out of 376,386 reviews, rated Very Positive, and Metacritic users give it 8.0 out of 10.
How long it lasts
According to reviewers the main story takes about 30 hours; if you want to do everything, expect 50 hours or more. There’s no New Game Plus, so for a different house you start a new game.
Price and platforms
On Steam the base game costs €59.99 and the Digital Deluxe Edition €69.99; the Nintendo eShop in Germany lists €59.99 and €69.99. The game is in Game Pass Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass, and on PlayStation in the PS Plus Extra catalog. It has no microtransactions. We compare the editions in our editions and price guide.
On PC you need at least a GTX 960 or RX 470 and 16 GB of RAM, with a GTX 1080 Ti or RX 5700 XT recommended; the game takes 85 GB. It’s Verified on Steam Deck. Details are in our system requirements guide. Since January 2025 the PC version has official mod support; see our mods guide.
In August 2026 Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that a second game is in the works. No title or date has been announced yet.
Who Hogwarts Legacy is for (and who it isn’t)
It’s for you if you love the Harry Potter world and finally want to walk around Hogwarts, pick a house, fly a broom and learn spells. The combat works even for people who don’t know Potter, and with Game Pass or PS Plus Extra you can try it at no extra cost.
Skip it if you can’t stand open worlds full of map icons and repetitive activities, or you want to play with a friend.
Verdict: Is Hogwarts Legacy worth it?
Yes, especially if you love the Harry Potter world and don’t mind a classic open world full of quests. We’re giving it 8/10.
Hogwarts Legacy rests on a faithfully built Hogwarts, spell combat and a huge amount of content. Players rate it very highly, critics a little more cautiously. Points come off for the bloated open world, messy progression and the fact that outside the wizarding world it brings nothing new to the genre.
Playing Hogwarts Legacy? All our guides are on the Hogwarts Legacy hub. Start with the beginner’s guide, and before your first duels check our spells list. You can also ask around on the GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
We’re giving it 8 out of 10. The score is based on player and critic reception: on Steam the game has 89.7% positive out of 376,386 reviews, and the PS5 version has 84 on Metacritic from 96 reviews. Praise goes to Hogwarts and the combat, criticism to the crowded open world and progression.
On Steam €59.99 for the base game and €69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition (regular prices as of October 21, 2026). The game is in Game Pass and PS Plus Extra.
About 30 hours for the main story, 50 hours or more for everything.
No. The game is single-player only, with no co-op or online mode.
Yes, on PC. A free update on January 30, 2025 added official mod support with an in-game mod manager. Consoles don’t support mods.
PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’s Verified on Steam Deck.
This review is based on player ratings on Steam and critic scores on Metacritic, on reviews from PC Gamer, GamesRadar+ and PCGamesN, and on official information from Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software. Information verified on October 21, 2026. All our guides to the game are on the Hogwarts Legacy hub.