TOP 6 Current and Upcoming Harry Potter Video Games

by Mike Alexander / Lists, Articles / 27 Jan 2022

The boy who lived has certainly left an impression on the world. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has sold well over 500 million copies, inspired a play, a film series and subsequent spinoff, and even an entire theme park. While the scope of the story has expanded to include many different time periods, characters, and events, it all started with the humble beginning of following a young orphan boy’s journey through childhood, into adulthood while learning to master his magical powers, and how even the most impossible task is made possible by surrounding yourself with good people working towards the same goal. The blockbuster film adaptations each got a video game that covered their events, and you can see a few of those in this list of the Top 6 Best Current and Upcoming Harry Potter Games.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

First up, we have Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This game is based on the first film and follows Harry through his discovery that he has magic within him, to meeting the cast we would grow to love over the years, and eventually attending Hogwarts. This first entry was developed by several different studios, with each platform being a different style of game with a slightly different order of events. For instance, The PC version (which I believe was the lead platform) was a third-person adventure game that saw you exploring Hogwarts, solving puzzles, and engaging in combat against various creatures and eventually Voldemort at the end of the game, while the Game Boy Color version was a turn-based RPG reminiscent of the Final Fantasy franchise, and featured random battles as you worked your way through the events of the film.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released in 2002 on the exact same day as the film, and closely follows its events. As with the first game, each platform had a slightly different version of the game with different mechanics, but they all featured major story beats like flying Ron’s parent’s car into the Whomping Willow, Harry learning about Tom Riddle, exploring the Forbidden Forest, and even encountering Aragog. Most versions only feature Harry as a playable character, but the Game Boy Color version of the game also has you playing as Ron, Hermione, Gilderoy Lockhart, and even Fawkes the phoenix.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The fourth entry in the Harry Potter video games was released in 2005 and was the turning point for the series. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire featured a huge jump in graphics quality, with the character models being so detailed that they actually resembled the actors now. It was the first Harry Potter game to feature a multiplayer mode, the first one to have a single version across all platforms, and the first to release on the PSP (the version I played!). It follows the events of the film, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione all being playable as they try to get Harry through the Tri-Wizard Tournament alive. Another new addition for this game was the collaborative spells you could cast when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all together. These spells would either be extra powerful in combat, or necessary for certain puzzles.

Lego Harry Potter

Traveller’s Tales’ series of Lego Harry Potter games are probably the definitive playable version of these stories. They cover the events of all the movies across two games, and were released in 2010 and 2011 (just as the film series was ending). Both games were lauded for adding their signature lego humor to the proceedings while accurately portraying the events of the films. The gameplay consists of lego puzzle-solving that utilizes the special abilities of almost every character in the Harry Potter cast, collecting special bricks to unlock extra content, and combat through spell casting. For younger fans of Harry Potter looking for a video game to play, these are probably the games you want.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The final film also brought with it the final video game adaptation with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The game was released just a few days before the film in 2011, and followed the film’s events of the epic conclusion to the Harry Potter story. It featured massive spectacles of wizard battles, and intense fights against death eaters and giants using many different spells that all had gun-like effects. Eight total playable characters allowed you to step into the shoes of the witches and wizards that surrounded Harry and experience the events from each of their perspectives. Each character you played as would also unlock a new spell for you to use throughout the game. The relative strength of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 allowed for the most high-quality graphics up to this point, with the high level of detail on the environments and characters being a huge selling point.

Hogwarts Legacy

The last game on this list is the highly anticipated video game return to the Harry Potter universe in Hogwarts Legacy by Avalanche Software. This game is an open-world, action role-playing adventure set in the 1800s, long before the events of the original series. You will create your own character, either a witch or wizard who is just starting their journey through the Hogwart experience. Attend classes to learn spells and other skills to increase your power. Freely explore well-known locations such as Hogsmeade and The Forbidden Forest to find secrets, useful items, and perhaps even side quests. Reportedly, you will be able to brew potions to buff your character in combat, and even tame magical beasts (the trailer shows a character riding a griffon). A morality system will allow you to choose to be a good or bad magic-user based on your actions within Hogwarts and the locations surrounding it. The whole experience is built on the Unreal Engine for next-gen consoles, and looks incredible from what has been shown so far. Hogwarts Legacy casts a spell on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series X/S, and PC in 2022.

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
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