With HBO’s Harry Potter reboot not scheduled to air until Christmas and Hogwarts Legacy 2 not having a release date, you might be wondering how you’re going to pass this wizardless time. Instead of planning a movie marathon or reading books that have been reread to the point of their spines falling apart, you might consider booting up some video games.
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Get into a magical mood by playing as a wizard, exploring a new world, or enjoying another story about a chosen one meant to play an important role. The magic comes from the wonder of the world you dive into, even if it’s not directly related to Harry Potter.
8
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
For When You Need Harry Potter in Mobile Form
Overall, I’ve seen that Harry Potter fans tend to view the mobile game, Hogwarts Mystery, favorably. You play as a Hogwarts student and get to customize your appearance and decorate your dorm room in the house you choose to be sorted into.
The majority of the game is focused on puzzle solving as you encounter mysteries during your years attending Hogwarts. As a downside, this is a mobile game and has the usual features that make you wait to continue unless you feel like using real money to speed up the process, and that can be annoying.
7
Wytchwood
A Story Inspired by Dark Fairy Tales
In Wytchwood, you’ve been a magic user for a long time before the game begins. Still, there’s a lot of charm in this setting that gives you a cozy, enchanting feeling similar to that of Harry Potter. At the beginning, you wake up from a long sleep to find that there are changes in your neck of the woods that you need to investigate.
You even get what feels like another mission to find and destroy Horcruxes, as your main goal in Wytchwood is finding and collecting 12 dark souls in order to break a curse. If you want to succeed, you’ll have to interact with characters that might be familiar if you’re a fan of classic fairy tales.
6
Book of Hours
Cozy Magic with a Touch of Eldritch Horror
From the creator of Cultist Simulator, you have Book of Hours. There’s no combat in this game and the focus is entirely on crafting and the story of the librarian you play as who’s been sent to restore Hush House in an alternative version of 1930s Britain.
By the alternative version of 1930s Britain, I mean that this world is governed by godlike creatures called “Hours” that remain largely mysterious in nature. As a result, the game has a cozy feeling with undertones of Lovecraftian vibes, since the Hours feel like Eldritch creatures that would appear in his stories.
5
Final Fantasy 14
In Case You’re Killing Time for More Hogwarts Legacy
The critically-acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 is always a solid choice to play when you want to pass time. You don’t even need to spend money on it thanks to the free trial that lets you play through Shadowbringers without a limit on playtime.
The setting is heavier in terms of fantasy than Harry Potter is, but you get to play as the equivalent of the Chosen One and work with powerful, loyal allies. There’s a lot to love about this game even if you wouldn’t normally play Final Fantasy.
4
The Witcher
If Hogwarts Prepared You to Only Kill Monsters
If you enjoy the combat sections of the Harry Potter games and fighting in Hogwarts Legacy, then it could be worth trying The Witcher trilogy. However, if you find the first two games a bit clunky, then you can skip to the third game, which is also the most popular.
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The world of The Witcher has a similar feel to the open-world map of Hogwarts Legacy, but with a lot more danger and content to explore. But fighting isn’t the only highlight, as your actions can influence the ending that you receive for the third game, and that means it’s worth replaying to see what other futures the characters could have.
3
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
A Sports Game Worth Playing
Considering sport-based games are popular enough to warrant new releases every year or two, it’s not that surprising that there’s a Harry Potter game dedicated to Quidditch. Since the focus here is a game that can be played repeatedly, it’s a great choice if you’re looking to pass time.
You might even find yourself surprised by the depth of the game and that paying attention to the in-game mechanics is crucial for strategizing and improving your team in order to win as often as possible. I expected a rather basic game for this one, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and found myself sucked into it.
2
The Original Harry Potter Games
Strange Memories of Another Age
These games are based on the books and movies, so they cover familiar content. However, they definitely show their age when you play them now, both in terms of graphics and gameplay. They’re still charming in their own way.
If you played these games when they came out, then you’ll understand how nostalgic a replay can be. While I understand why you might not want to try them if you have never played them before based on their age, they’re an entertaining option if only for how ridiculous they can be.
1
Hogwarts Legacy
The Closest We’ve Gotten to Being Students
I enjoyed Hogwarts Legacy for what it is, even if it’s not the experience I was hoping it would be. It still captures the essence of the Harry Potter universe and lets you take a look at this world before the days of Voldemort. You even get to see characters who are ancestors of well-known characters from Harry’s era.
The amount of content will keep you occupied for a while, and the attention to detail makes the world worth exploring carefully. If you want more customization options or entirely new dungeons added to your ancient magic journey, you could also look into the many mods available for HL.
There’s an entire generation for which Harry Potter as a franchise will always hold nostalgic value, and it seems that the HBO reboot could provide that same feeling for another generation. If you’re looking forward to the new show, then you might find yourself wanting a touch of magic through gaming before HBO’s return to Harry Potter in December.
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