Wands at the Ready: The New Harry Potter Game Lets You Live Out Your Hogwarts Dreams

Hogwarts Legacy was announced in 2020 but we’ve barely heard anything about it since. That’s all changed, though, because we finally got our first look at the game in today’s State of Play showcase. The official gameplay trailer shows over 14 minutes of Hogwarts Legacy captured on PS5, including wizard duals, the Sorting Hat, broomsticks, Hogsmeade and more.

Hogwarts Legacy is an RPG set hundreds of years before the Harry Potter books and movies. You’ll create your own witch or wizard who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you’ll uncover a dangerous, magical mystery — while attending all of your classes, of course. It’s a big game, with lots to do and plenty of mysteries to uncover. We’ll continue collecting information about Hogwarts Legacy as more details are announced, like the answer to the question on everyone’s lips: will Hogwarts Legacy have multiplayer?

Here’s everything we learned about Hogwarts Legacy from the official gameplay trailer.

You’ll Create Your Own Character and Be Sorted into a Hogwarts House

We didn’t get an in-depth look at the character creation in Hogwarts Legacy, but the gameplay trailer flicked through a few of the different faces that you’ll be able to create before showing your character putting on the Sorting Hat.

Each House Has Its Own Common Room

Each common room is unique to reflect its House. The Gryffindor common room is decorated in the House’s signature red and gold, with big windows and large tables. The Ravenclaw common room is well-suited for study and quiet, cosy conversations. Hufflepuff has decorated with lots of plants, and the Slytherin common room is dark and grand, with emerald drapes and sparse decorations.

You’ll Attend Classes like Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Herbology

It looks like each class will involve some kind of crafting mini-game or, in the case of Defence Against the Dark Arts, a friendly dual with another student.

Combat Will Involve Casting a Mix of Offensive and Defensive Spells

Combat in the gameplay trailer looks really interesting, involving a fast-paced mixture of spells you’ll cast to damage your opponents and to defend yourself against their attacks. It looks like you’ll be able to perform devastating combos, too. The trailer shows the player casting Accio to pull an opponent to them, and then another spell to slam them against the ground.

You Can Fly a Broom, But There’s No Sign of Quidditch

Brooms seem to act as mounts in Hogwarts Legacy, letting you fly around the large, open world map at speed. Interestingly, the trailer didn’t show Quidditch — but it also didn’t say the sport wouldn’t feature. We’ll have to wait and see if you can play Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy, then. We’re also interested to know if you can customise your broom, but we’ll have to wait for more details to be revealed to learn that, too.

You’ll Be Able to Freely Explore Hogwarts

In between classes, you’ll have free reign of the castle and its grounds. Hogwarts looks huge, and it’ll be interesting to see how big the map really is. There are also lots of hidden rooms and passageways to explore, some of which you’ll unlock by solving magical puzzles, and secrets around every corner.

The Room of Requirement Will Be Your Base

In Hogwarts Legacy, you’ll be able to upgrade the Room of Requirement to allow you to sow and harvest plants, brew potions and upgrade your gear. There’s also a magical vivarium, which you can enter to discover a grassy field where you can build a cottage, craft gear and nurture a menagerie of magical beasts.

You’ll Visit Hogsmeade

You can venture beyond the castle grounds to Hogsmeade Village, where you can buy supplies like potion ingredients and recipes, seeds for magical plants and new outfits. There’s a band of dark witches and wizards skulking around the village who you’ll have to look out for, though, or take them on directly with your newfound combat skills.

You’ll Spend the Whole Year at Hogwarts

The game will take place over the course of the entire school year, and the game will change with the seasons. Snow will cover the castle grounds in winter, leaves will fall to the ground in autumn, new leaves and flowers will bloom in spring, and dynamic weather will cycle through during each season.

You Can Cast Avada Kedavra

The story of Hogwarts Legacy will pit you against dark witches and wizards and other dangerous foes. How you deal with them, it appears, is up to you. Will you use the Killing Curse to stop a deadly threat, or find another way?

Is JK Rowling Involved in Hogwarts Legacy?

No, JK Rowling is not involved directly with Hogwarts Legacy. But as the creator of Harry Potter, Rowling will benefit from the sales and popularity of the game. Jessie Earl wrote an in-depth feature for Gamespot about Rowling’s history of spreading dangerous anti-trans misinformation and what that means for Hogwarts Legacy.

What Is the Release Date for Hogwarts Legacy?

The release window for Hogwarts Legacy is “Holiday 2022”. We don’t have an exact date yet, but the holiday release window is usually towards the end of the year.

Watch the Hogwarts Legacy Trailer Here

The official gameplay trailer shows more than 14 minutes of Hogwarts Legacy, including lots of details, characters and creatures that Harry Potter fans will love. It’s also got plenty for new fans and is shaping up to be a big, exciting RPG with something for everyone.

This piece has been updated with the link to Jessie Earl’s Gamespot feature.