Hogwarts Legacy Review Scores

The Hogwarts Legacy review scores are in! Is this trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as magical as advertised?

Hogwarts Legacy review scores are here! We take a look at the critical reception of what could be the biggest game to come out this Winter. Is Hogwarts Legacy worth it, or should you stay away for one reason or another? Let's see!

In this new semi-open-world action-adventure game with light RPG elements, players get to take on the role of a fifth-year transfer student to Hogwarts. The setting takes place decades before the film series, so don't expect to see most of the characters you know and love from the films show up here. Still, playing the game still makes you feel like you're in Hogwarts itself, and that's going to be a great treat to fans of the Harry Potter franchise.

Hogwarts Legacy came out on PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 on February 10, 2023, with pre-ordered deluxe edition copies opening access to the game as early as February 7, 2023. The game eventually came out on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on May 4, 2023, and the Nintendo Switch version came out on November 14, 2023.

But before we delve deeper into the review scores and critical reception to the game, we should first discuss the controversy surrounding the title. As a game coming from the Harry Potter franchise, series creator JK Rowling received payment for the use of her intellectual property, and will continue to receive royalties from the sales of the game. As such, many have called for the boycott of the game in support of the transgender community, asking players to pass on the title as Rowling has previously made anti-transgender comments and has a history of donating money to anti-transgender activities. While many fans and gamers have chosen to still consume the media, it's important to know at least how your money could end up harming a minority community.

Hogwarts Legacy Review Scores: Overwhelmingly Positive on Metacritic

Hogwarts Legacy has received an overwhelmingly positive critical reception across all platforms that it is out on right now. We might have to update this article when the game eventually comes out on previous-gen consoles and on the Nintendo Switch, but as of right now, critics say that Hogwarts Legacy is a great game on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Let's look at what the critics have to say about Hogwarts Legacy:

PC – 83, PS5 – 84, Xbox Series X – 85

Most of the reviews described Hogwarts Legacy as the quintessential Harry Potter RPG, the game you would imagine if you were asked to describe what an ideal Harry Potter game would be like. IGN described Hogwarts Legacy in their 9/10 review: “In nearly every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG I’ve always wanted to play. Its open-world adventure captures all the excitement and wonder of the Wizarding World with its memorable new characters, challenging and nuanced combat, and a wonderfully executed Hogwarts student fantasy that kept me glued to my controller for dozens of hours. It’s certainly weighed down by technical issues, a lackluster main story, and some poor enemy variety, but even those couldn’t come close to breaking its enchanting spell over me.”

The highest score for Hogwarts Legacy is a 9.6/10 review score from Xbox Tavern, in a review that says: “This is the most in-depth look into the wizarding world of Harry Potter we’ve ever seen and being able to explore with hours of content to discover, quest, and fight through. Hogwarts Legacy is worth the price point and is a well polished addition to the wizarding world.”

Gaming Age also gave the game a score of A+ in their review: “If you’ve ever wished you could get that acceptance letter to Hogwarts – or even if you want a fun fantasy game you can sink yourself into for hours and hours and hours – this is what you’ve always dreamed of. It’s hard to imagine another game topping this one in 2023.”

Fans will definitely find the Hogwarts they know and love here, with very detailed locations and environments that really bring out the magic of Hogwarts and the entirety of the Wizarding World.

The common criticisms about the game mostly revolve around the game's story, with weak dialogue and slow pacing, as well as the game's minor but numerous bugs and glitches at launch. Some critics also found Hogwarts Legacy to be just another open-world game that is dressed up with a Harry Potter skin.

Guardian gave Hogwarts Legacy 3 out of 5 stars, in a review that reads: “Hogwarts Legacy starts to feel like countless open-world games of the past decade once you’ve been playing it for more than 15 hours. However, you get to ride a Hippogriff. It’s those magical moments and the setting that rescue it from mediocrity, but only if the Wizarding World still has you under its spell.”

NME, on the other hand, gave Hogwarts Legacy a 3 out of 5 stars review score as well, saying: “Hogwarts Legacy is fun and manages to get a lot of things right, but it already feels somewhat dated, no doubt a hangover from the six-year development cycle. It’s a stunning way to experience Hogwarts and the surrounding area and is probably the best representation for fans of the universe, regardless of the medium. Honestly, this is an exceptional piece of fan service and a loving recreation that for performance reasons and dated design, doesn’t quite come together.”

Meanwhile, there are not enough reviews for the Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game to garner a consensus rating or a Metacritic score on the website. The little that there is on the website somewhat parrots what has already been said about the Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC versions of the games, although do expect weaker performance on the previous-gen consoles, especially for the Nintendo Switch.

Conclusion: Is Hogwarts Legacy every bit as magical as advertised? Is it worth your money and time?

For Harry Potter fans, Hogwarts Legacy is a dream come true. Fans have waited for this game for decades and it's finally here, and it's not your run-of-mill money-grab game that almost gives you what you wanted only to be bogged down by microtransactions and season pass nonsense. As far as the game is right now, there are no microtransactions – it's a full-blown single-player open-world experience that anyone could enjoy without worrying about FOMO and all other always online nonsense.

For non-fans, Hogwarts Legacy is a decent title that will give players a dozen or so hours worth of content, a good introduction to the Wizarding World, and a competent open-world action-adventure title that is still fun to play even if playing the game with little to no knowledge about the franchise. It is, however, not a definite buy for everyone, as it does not really break any glass ceilings or elevate the gaming industry to any new heights: it's just a good game that you'll get a good time from. For some, that might already be enough.

With the game now also available on Xbox One, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch, there are more ways to play the game now, even at a cheaper cost. However, it's clear that the game hasn't achieved Game of the Year standing, in spite of its critical accolades, as the game isn't at the forefront of any awards race this year, either in The Game Awards or the Golden Joystick Awards, thanks to games like Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3.

Maybe the rumored Hogwarts Legacy 2 will, though. We'll find out when the time comes, but for now, it's not the Wizarding World's year just yet.