Image via Warner Bros. Games By Dawson Nyffenegger Published Jun 27, 2026, 12:08 AM EDT Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Hogwarts Legacy is a role-playing game released for PC and consoles in 2023. The game is based on the universe established in the wildly popular Harry Potter novels, which became a multi-billion-dollar movie series and a massive cultural phenomenon. It's also due to become an HBO series at the end of this year. Many know the story already: an orphaned boy is whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn how to use magic. That's the really short version of it, anyway. However, the game isn't based on any direct writings, but is rather a wholly original story set in the same world, just at a very different time .
The game received excellent reviews, especially from the fans. There are so many hidden references and Easter eggs that show just how much genuine love was poured into the project. The game can easily consume dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of your time with how much there is to see and do, and it allows players to explore their favourite wizarding school in a way that no other video game adaptation has allowed them to. Beyond being an enjoyable experience, the game also patched a massive hole in the original franchise , one that was sorely in need of mending.
Image via Warner Bros. Games Hogwarts Legacy lets players control a custom character, a new student beginning their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the early sequences of the game, players will customize their name and looks, be sorted into their house, and will even receive their very own wand, courtesy of Ollivander's wand shop. The game is set in the Victorian Era , roughly a century before the main events of Harry Potter. Throughout the narrative, players attend classes, make friends, enroll in clubs, learn spells, and try to save the world from a new rising threat. The goblin Ranrok is leading a vicious rebellion against wizardkind , and it's up to you to stop him and his nefarious allies.
Being an RPG , the game has loads of side quests tacked onto it, as well. Many of these involve learning the Dark Arts, delving into forgotten tombs, protecting magical wildlife from poachers, brewing potions, and creating a personal space via the Room of Requirement. The story isn't only set in Hogwarts ; rather, it is set throughout the entire Hogsmeade valley , including the town of Hogsmeade, and various other small hamlets and landmarks in the region. Some people didn't like how the game felt a bit sparse and unpopulated with how huge the map was, but on the other hand, many fans appreciated how it encouraged exploration and discovery , and how there's never a shortage of things to do. The vastness of its map is just one example of how the game improved on the setting of the original books and films, and how it only bettered the overall brand.
After careful deliberation, the Sorting Hat has made its decision. This is the house your values, your instincts, and your particular way of being in the world were made for.
You have nerve. Not the reckless kind, but the deep, quiet courage that shows up even when you're terrified — especially then.