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The wizarding world of Harry Potter has become one of the most important universes in recent memory. It started out as a hit book series, then became a legendary set of film adaptations, which spawned a theme park, all sorts of merchandise, and yes, loads of video games. While the games on this list aren’t all directly connected to the books or movies, they are set within the universe. So allow me to show you the best Harry Potter games of all time!
#10 Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
Platform : PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Release Date : September 3, 2024
Genre : Sports
When you read the books starring Harry Potter, did you ever wonder what it would be like to truly fly in a Quidditch match? Did you think about what it would be like to fly on a broomstick and work with your team to victory? If you’ve been wanting to play a video game centered solely around the wizarding sport, you’ll want to check out Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.
The game has you starting at the bottom of the Quidditch totem pole and working your way up to the World Cup! Or, if you just want to play with friends, you can start multiplayer matches with them and see who can come out on top!
#9 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Platform : iOS, Android
Release Date : 25 April 2018
Genre : Role-playing
Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of mobile titles within the Harry Potter universe. But 2018’s Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is important because it was the first title to allow gamers to make a customizable character and was the first title under Portkey Games. It plays just like a mobile RPG should regarding its options, choices, and fun.
In this case, you will become a student at Hogwarts and live your next “seven years” there while interacting with the many characters from the movies and books. The twist is that there will also be original characters that you can have fun with.
Your choices in the game matter as they affect how you do in classes and the relationships you can build. Yes, you can romance other students in the game, just like many other mobile RPGs you know.
Pretty much everything you’ve seen or read in the books or the movies is on display in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. There is a unique plot within it, but you’ll be too concerned with doing Quidditch, getting high scores in classes, and overall having fun with all the characters you meet.
It might not be the deepest game on this list, but it does nail the feeling of being in the Harry Potter universe.
#8 Book of Spells
Platform : PS3
Release Date : 13 November 2012
Genre : Augmented reality
These next two titles I will showcase aren’t “games” in the typical sense but are technically attached to the Harry Potter universe. The first one is called “Book of Spells” and was an augmented reality game that was made specifically for the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye. They play like certain mini-game titles you likely know of where you have to draw symbols or patterns to make the spell happen.
The “lore” of the game is that you’re a student from Hogwarts and are learning spells from an author’s book that was written over 200 years ago. The goal is to successfully cast the spell, and then you’ll learn a lesson about those who improperly used the spell as a kind of “teaching aide.” Like I said, it’s not a game in the traditional sense.
On the one hand, you can see how this game might entice people to try it out. The PlayStation Move was used as a type of “wand” for players to “wield,” and thus, it helped them feel like they were actually casting the spells in the AR title. However, as many critics noted, the game wasn’t that deep or long. If anything, it was more of a mini-game title than a true experience within the Harry Potter. However, it did do well enough to warrant a sequel named…
#7 Book of Potions
Platform : PS3
Release Date : 12 November 2013
Genre : Augmented reality
Yep, if you think you can pull off a sequel, you try and make it. To its credit, Book of Potions did try to mix things up while staying true to the augmented reality experience that the first game did. Plus, like before, it used the PlayStation Move and Eye to showcase and replicate movement, so if you like the first game, you know how this one will go.
The twist is that the sequel has a deeper story. In this case, you get a book from a late potions master known as Zygmunt Budge. He was once a student at Hogwarts and then left to further his potion making ways. You eventually come across his book five hundred years later, only to realize that he was alive…within the book itself. Those who are having Tom Riddle flashbacks need not worry, he will not possess you.
Instead, he’ll teach you the ways of potion making, and you’ll learn to make more and more complex items so that you can win a potions championship at Hogwarts. Along the way, you learn more about Budge and help him come to peace with his troubled past. So, while the game is short, it does have a happy ending.
#6 Harry Potter Movie Game Adaptations
This one will be fun to talk about because it highlights a key problem in the video game industry that is still going on today. The Harry Potter Movie Game Adaptations were numerous, varied, and complicated. To the point that I can’t tell you what they all played like because, with each new game, it could be something entirely different! From the first adaptation to the last, the games have had everything from RPG elements, stealth gameplay, fully open sections to explore, card games, boss fights, and almost everything in between.
In fact, when the first Harry Potter Movie Game Adaptation was made, five different studios made it in five different ways for the different systems they would be on. I personally played the Game Boy Color version of the first movie’s title, and it played very much like a pixel-style RPG. But if you played it elsewhere, it was more of a puzzle game.
So what went wrong? Well, while the first two adaptations were the most successful, including the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone titles selling a combined 11+ million units, by the time they got to The Deathly Hallows…it was like they weren’t even trying anymore.
They were just rushing them out without any caring about the quality, which is sadly something that still happens today.
#5 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Platform : Game Boy Advance, ,PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube
Release Date : 28 October 2003
Genre : Sports, action
There were numerous things that the Harry Potter books and movies made popular. But once people saw Quidditch on the big screen and how intense and fun it could be, they wanted to play it for themselves. That’s why you’ll see real-life Quidditch games at places like Comic-Con. Oh, they obviously don’t have actual flying broomsticks. However, with games like Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, players could enjoy a sports title within the Harry Potter world that focused just on the broomstick event.
The fun twist of the game was that you could compete in Quidditch on two different event levels. The first one is via Hogwarts, where you would pick your house and attempt to win the Quidditch Cup for your house. You start by playing a Chaser and attempt to score goals until the Snitch comes into place. Once you do, you switch to the Seeker role and attempt to catch it to get the win for your team. Then, once you get done with the House Cup, you can compete as one of several nations for the World Quidditch Cup!
For those who really loved Quidditch, this was their chance to let loose, and while it may not have been the most successful game of the lot, it did scratch many itches in the fanbase.
#4 Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4
Platform : Android, OS X, PC, Nintendo DS, Wii, PS3, PS4, PS Portable, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : 29 June 2010
OS X 22 February 2011 / PS4 21 October 2016 / Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 30 October 2018
Genre : Action-adventure
You had to know that the Lego universe would crossover with the Harry Potter universe once things got really big. Sure enough, in June 2010, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 came out, and it was honestly a big success all things considered. If you’ve played any of the previous Lego titles from other universes, you know what to expect here. The only real difference is that there’s “magic” to it.
In this case, you’ll play Harry, Ron, Hermione, and numerous other characters across “Lego-style” versions of the first books/movie plots. The team at Traveler’s Tales even upped their game dev style to ensure that the areas you traveled through were more in-depth and thus warranted exploring on an even deeper level.
As if that wasn’t enough, you would unlock spells and characters as you went through the game, ensuring that you always had something new to do or someone fun to play. Many praised the title for mimicking the movie/book plots so well, having an incredible sound design, and more.
It’s true that many, including myself at times, don’t always regard the Lego crossover titles as “high quality.” But the team knew that if they made them well enough, many people would buy them, and they were right! Which is why another game was made…
#3 Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7
Platform : Android, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, OS X, PS3, PS4, PS Portable, PS Vita, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : 11 November 2011
PS Vita 6 March 2012 / OS X 22 March 2012 / PS4 21 October 2016 / Nintendo Switch, Xbox One 30 October 2018
Genre : Action-adventure
If you were going to do a game based on the original four stories, you had to finish the tale by doing something with the last three stories, and that’s what Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 was. It was the sequel to what came before, and it played just how you think it would, with some additions to characters, new areas to explore, and so on.
Unsurprisingly, due to the title being released on multiple platforms at once, the quality dipped depending on which version you got. The PlayStation Vita version was the worst of the bunch, apparently. However, the title was viewed well overall, and many noted that the “Lego humor” that was prevalent throughout the franchise helped elevate the rather dark narrative at times.
Not so ironically, years later, the two Lego titles were combined to create the “Lego Harry Potter Collection” so that gamers could not only have the titles on their latest consoles but be able to play the entire franchise in one shot versus having to do it through two games. And that collection has over a million units, bringing the combined sales total of the three titles to nearly 15 million units. Not bad for some “Lego games,” right?
#2 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
Platform : Android, PC, iOS
Release Date : September 9, 2021
Genre : CCG
What would the Harry Potter gaming universe be without a title that focused on collecting cards, right? That’s what Harry Potter: Magic Awakened was, and it’s a game that’s still active now! The game is a mix of RPG gameplay and collectible card game battles. So, if you’re familiar with things like Gwent, you’ll feel right at home here.
One of the big twists is that the game is set ten years after the events of the Harry Potter films. You’ll still meet classic characters like Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, but you’ll be your own witch or wizard as you attempt to make a name for yourself at Hogwarts.
Along the way, you’ll attempt to do well in classes, duel other students, solve mysteries within the school, and gather more cards to build up your deck. The more cards you get, and the better you do, the more upgrades you can perform. The game is all about making the deck fit your playstyle, so don’t be afraid to look for the cards that help you win your way.
The game was such a hit that it was the biggest launch for a Harry Potter mobile game ever, and it’s already made over $350 million in revenue.
#1 Hogwarts Legacy
Release Date: 10 Feb 2023 | Platform: PC PS5 Xbox Series X|S
(PS4 Xbox One April 4, 2023) Switch (July 25, 2023)
Camera: Third Person
Multiplayer: No
Co-op: (Local: No | Online: No)
Genre: Open World, RPG, Fantasy, Action RPG
Steam | PlayStation | Xbox
There isn’t a better game to put at the top of this list, as crass as that might sound. Hogwarts Legacy isn’t just the newest game in the franchise; it’s the one that many Harry Potter fans have been dreaming about since the video games started to be made. It plays like a third-person adventure with powers such as Horizon or the Star Wars Jedi titles of recent years but adheres entirely to the Harry Potter universe.
In this case, you play as a completely original student who transfers into Hogwarts and has to learn to be the wizard or witch they desire. That means you’ll need to take classes, make friends, and go on adventures within the school and its surrounding areas.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was painstakingly recreated so that you can wander around it and explore its many wonders and secrets. Plus, the path you choose for your witch or wizard is entirely yours. You can fight monsters, break curses, and be a true hero of a student. Or, you can go down the path of the Dark Arts and use some more sinister spells against your enemies.
Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling title of 2023, and one can only imagine what the team will whip up for the sequel.
