Harry Potter is a beloved franchise. From the novels to the blockbuster movies, fans worldwide can’t get enough of this universe. We’ve even seen plenty of video game titles released into the market with fans itching to get their hands on Hogwarts Legacy. While Hogwarts Legacy was delayed out of 2021, this gives some fans a bit of time to replay or learn about other past Harry Potter video games to try out in the meantime.
#9 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
Plenty of video games have depicted the world of Harry Potter over the years. But how good they were varied on the game, the system they were on, and their gameplay focus.
But with Hogwarts Legacy, it’s easy to say this is the best game depicting the franchise. Why? Because it doesn’t focus on what happens in the books and movies!
Instead, it focuses on an original story set within the world and a character 100% guided by you. You’ll decide who they are, how they look, what house they’re in, the spells they use, etc.
This game lets you “live the unwritten,” so embrace that!
#8 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Platform : iOS, Android
Release Date : 25 April 2018
Genre : Role-playing
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is a smartphone title that had plenty of eager fans diving into the game. It’s a game that’s set between the events of Harry Potter’s birth and his first year at Hogwarts. In this game, players will see plenty of familiar faces from the staff facility as they embark on their journey of attending this prestigious school. We learn that our protagonist’s brother was previously expelled from the school after attempting to open up Cursed Vaults which are supposedly hidden somewhere within the Hogwarts grounds.
Meanwhile, players are going through the game completing different classes and activities while the storyline is based around the Cursed Vault. Unfortunately, this game had received quite a bit of flack for the number of paywalls there is featured throughout the game. It’s left players pretty limited in terms of what they can do in this game as you’re forced into some lengthy wait period if you don’t opt to pay for some in-app microtransactions that allow players to quickly bypass the wait. As a result, there’s a majority of fans that would suggest skipping this title otherwise you’re forced into paying quite a bit of money.
#7 Harry Potter Movie Game Adaptations
Instead of listing every game out, I’ve opted to just making this a broad point. If you’re reading this list then you’re a fan of novels, movies, or both. Likewise, I’m sure you’re familiar with the long line of video games based on the movie franchise as each Harry Potter film has a video game adaptation to enjoy. Each game is named with the corresponding film titles so you have Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, so on and so forth.
These games are based on the film so you’re going to see the narrative hit the big moments. Meanwhile, the gameplay is based around third-person action RPG elements so you’ll have the ability to cast magic with your wand, attend classes, and battle against the dark arts. However, it’s worth noting that the first few installments seemed to have a strong following, the video games continued to see a decline in ratings.
#6 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Platform : iOS, Android
Release Date : June 21, 2019
Genre : Augmented reality, location-based game
It wasn’t long after the success of Pokemon Go that we started to see some alternatives. One of those is Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a smartphone game that tasks witches and wizards all around the world to join together in a battle to keep muggles from finding out about magic. To do that, players can enable their GPS location services on their smartphone and venture outdoors for a stroll as you attempt to find locations pop up within the application. This is a game that’s quite a bit like Pokemon Go with different areas and icons popping up on the map for players to visit.
While Pokemon Go offers Pokemon for players to catch, this game is mainly centered around casting different spells to get rid of magical beasts and unusual sights from the public eye. Instead of flinging a ball to capture a Pokemon, players will have to mimic the wand motions on their screen to successfully cast the spell to clear the area up or to defeat the enemy boss. Meanwhile, there are different raid-like events that multiple players can join in and complete together.
#5 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Platform : Game Boy Advance, ,PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube
Release Date : 28 October 2003
Genre : Sports, action
Everyone’s favorite wizardry sport is featured in its own video game. Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is all about the game of quidditch as players fly around brooms and work their team to rack up points. This is a bit of an underrated gem as it’s just a fun game in general to play as you pass around the ball to your team, attempt to dodge out opponents and sink shots through the different goals.
Likewise, the game does feature the golden snitch which will pop up giving players a chance to fly through the course in an attempt to catch the small and incredibly fast-flying ball in midair. Honestly, there’s not much more we can say about this game, but the fans that enjoyed the title when it originally launched are likely hoping that Hogwarts Legacy can bring out a revamped minigame version of this title.
#4 Book of Spells
Platform : PS3
Release Date : 13 November 2012
Genre : Augmented reality
Book of Spells is a game made mainly for a young audience and it’s one of the PlayStation Camera games on our list. With Book of Spells, players are using the PlayStation Move controller along with the camera to go through an AR storybook type of game. This is a PlayStation 3 title that has players going through the fictional book of different spells which players can mimic with their PlayStation Move controller. Again, there’s not much depth here but for a young child, this is a thrilling AR game to dive into the Harry Potter universe.
#3 Book of Potions
Platform : PS3
Release Date : 12 November 2013
Genre : Augmented reality
Another game to make mention of is the Book of Spells sequel. This title came out a year later in 2013 with players receiving yet another AR book to play around with. Much like the previous title, players will need the PlayStation Camera alone with a PlayStation Move controller. This title may have a bit more content for players to enjoy as the developers brought out a storyline in which our protagonist discovers a mystical book that was written by a young Hogwarts student hundreds of years ago.
Through the use of this book, players can brew up some incredibly potent potions. Now with players finding themselves entered into the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. Furthermore, players will slowly learn more about Zygmunt Budge, the mysterious student who wrote the book all those years ago.
#2 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
Lego games are always a popular hit with fans. They are usually great games that offer a parody of the source material narrative while also providing some fun brawling style mechanics. Mixed in for good measure, players can usually expect some puzzles to solve as well and at this point, we have Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4. The title should be pretty obvious as to what you can expect for this game.
Here players are getting a recap of sorts for the Harry Potter franchise for the first four movies. This title does offer a two-player split-screen that allows players to work together, although that does mean that some of the storylines will get changed up to allow both players to play the game. For instance, rather than a section of the game is completely based around Harry Potter, a secondary character like Hermione might join in.
#1 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
To wrap up this list we have Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 which again picks up from the previous point. Here we have the finished Lego adaptation of the Harry Potter movies. Much of the same gameplay and mechanics are featured in this title as well while the developers helped give this title some slight enhancements.
For instance, there is the ability to use certain spells like Wingardium Leviosa without having to select that specific spell each time. Again, if you enjoyed the previous point and the game that offered some slight parody version of the iconic wizard storyline then you should have just as much fun here.