The Harry Potter franchise has been around since 1997, when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released. In the United Kingdom, home of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, the first book is known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There are seven books in the main series in total. These were released over a ten-year period, ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Since then, tons of other media set in the wizarding world have been produced, including the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the spin-off book and movie series Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them — both of which were overseen by J.K. Rowling herself, though not written by her. On top of all of that, there is also a series of video games.
Harry Potter video games have been cropping up regularly since shortly after the book series began. The first one was based on the debut novel and movie of the same name, released in 2001 for Playstation 1 & 2, Xbox, and PC, with alternative versions for Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advanced. This series of title-based video games continued through the Deathly Hallows in 2010-2011, which was split into two parts like the movies. Unfortunately, many of those canonical titles turned out to be total squibs upon release, without so much as a spark of magic present in their development. There are still a few honorable mentions from the main series of video games, however.
At this point, the range of games has expanded far beyond the number of books, mostly spin-offs, largely focusing on other aspects of the series such as Quidditch or spell casting. And finally, there are two LEGO games that focus on books 1-4 and 5-7, respectively. So, when the selection is so great, how are you supposed to know the best games to play? Well, wonder no more, for here is a list of the greatest Harry Potter games we have seen through the years.
Updated October 10, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Harry Potter is one of the most legendary series of all time, defining an entire generation that grew up reading about this wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardly where children went to learn the magical arts. The story of Harry Potter as he survived Voldermort's initial onslaught before growing up and dealing with the Dark Lord for the final time was quite engaging indeed and is still a tale that many fans remember fondly to this day.
Given how massive the Harry Potter games were, it was only a matter of time before video games would release to help hype up these titles as well. The Harry Potter games have been graced with a litany of titles that might vary in quality but are pretty fun to play through regardless. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the best Harry Potter games ever made.
14 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1
There's no denying that many people were disappointed with the release of the game Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. It assumed the role of a third-person shooter that was too generic for its own good, but fans who didn't mind the shift in tone for these games certainly had a great time playing through the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.
Harry had access to a number of spells that were pretty entertaining to use in battle, and the game shone brightest when covering canon events from the novel. However, it does suffer from including too much filler content that didn't justify its existence and felt more like they were just padding out the runtime than anything else.
13 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
For what its worth, the developers of the first Deathly Hallows game heard the complaints of its audiences regarding its poor level design and repetitious combat. They strove to incorporate this criticism into Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which is definitely better that its predecessor despite having a few issues of its own.
The combat feels more robust and exciting, with certain spells being balanced so that players would use their full arsenal instead of sticking to a few moves over and over again. The final fight in Hogwarts is easily the best part of this game and more than makes up for the filler content that plagues this title. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 might not have reached its full potential as a video game, but is still a fun romp for fans of the series regardless.
12 Harry Potter And The Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) Stone
The first of the canonical game series is the basis on which many great fandom memes have been coined, largely due to its kitschy graphics, and admittedly its execution left a lot to be desired.
Nonetheless, this title marked the first time players got to role-play in experiencing Hogwarts for themselves during the game's multi-platform launch in 2001. Perhaps more importantly it served as a flagship, charting a course for the iconic series of movie-based games that were to follow.
11 Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery
This mobile RPG got some heat for its pay-to-play gimmicks and limited real-time play. Regardless, it recreates the magical nostalgia of the wizarding world while providing a new personalized experience in rediscovering the castle as a custom character with your own magical history and a grand mystery to solve, all set in a time before Harry Potter ever came to Hogwarts.
Despite the frustrating energy-based action system requiring you to wait real-time hours for the energy bar to refill in order to complete more magical endeavors, the game did a wonderful job of bringing the Wizarding World to life, even incorporating some new wizarding lore from Fantastic Beasts through a Care of Magical Creatures class and access to the Forbidden Forest.
10 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was an augmented reality mobile game from Niantic, the creators of Pokemon Go. The premise being Foundables (which are artifacts, creatures, people, and memories from the wizarding world) have begun to appear in the Muggle world.
Many mechanics were implemented to immerse players in the role of a special agent in the new Ministry of Magic Secrecy Task Force, where you're tasked with finding the missing items and culling the threats of exposing the wizarding world. The AR title immersed players further by allowing them to establish their personal identity as a witch or wizard and learn the ropes before setting out to defend the secrecy of the wizarding world. The game shows traces of magic to follow in order to locate Foundables.
An update back in 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, implemented the Knight Bus as a mechanic to participate in challenges, regardless of the player's location, granting them extra XP. This remote participation mechanic gave the mobile title more scope than ever to provide an enjoyable experience, even when they can't venture out.
Unfortunately, while the title had a great premise and delivered a strong sense of nostalgia for Harry Potter fans right off the bat, it also suffered many bugs and other setbacks with its later updates, leading to the company's decision to stop production efforts. Ultimately this led to the discontinuation of the game as of January 31st, 2022 with a statement from the company reading, "Not all games are meant to last forever." We sure had fun while the magic lasted, though!
9 Harry Potter Puzzles & Spells
This mobile title may not seem like the most engaging of Harry Potter games, but the Match-3 format offers a nice distraction and alternative to complex titles with the aesthetic pleasures of magical graphics.
Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells was released by Zynga, which has a firm handle on the Match-3 genre. The developer's expertise plays a key role in why the gameplay is so enjoyable, especially in short bursts. If you just want a quick puzzle game with a familiar setting, then this is the answer.
As you progress, you'll unlock different moments from the movies and follow the nostalgic storyline as you 'swish and flick' across your mobile device to make matches. Fans of other Match-3 games will love this Harry Potter twist on the format.
8 LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4
This 2010 multi-platform action-adventure game includes two great franchises, Harry Potter and Lego. The game’s narrative covers the first 4 books in the series, from The Sorcerer’s Stone up through The Goblet of Fire. The best part: it features the entire wizarding world from Harry's first four years at Hogwarts and all of your favorite characters as Lego figures.
As with all Lego video games, Lego Harry Potter focuses on collecting, exploring, and puzzle-solving. The nature of the game fits the storyline of the novels seamlessly. You can cast spells, make potions, and help fellow Hogwarts students out of sticky situations.
Everything about this game flows smoothly, and the attention to detail is amazing. There are some nice little touches, such as using Diagon Alley as a hub for gameplay. The game has some extremely comical moments as well, such as Hagrid nursing a Unicorn back to health with bed rest and a thermometer or running over Ron in a magical pumpkin. Overall, it's a perfect combination of wizarding nostalgia, witty references, and silly LEGO humor.
7 LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7
The 2011 Sequel to Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 is just as detailed and well-thought-out as its predecessor. This time around, the action-adventure game follows the same theme as before and covers the final three books, from The Order of the Phoenix up through The Deathly Hallows.
Despite being almost identical in style and gameplay, this Lego game is no less exciting or entertaining than the first. It simply picks up the storyline and follows it to its glorious conclusion. All the same exciting storylines, engaging gameplay, and cool Lego characters are present and correct. This is one sequel that was worth the wait—definitely a charmer.
6 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
While the debut Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone proved to be a squib-like start for the franchise, its immediate follow-up sequel significantly improved upon its predecessor. Like the first title, Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets is an action-adventure game that follows the storyline of the book and movie of the same name. However, the execution is much improved compared to the first game. The storyline flows nicely, and the extra classes you take fit naturally into the gameplay.
You will find the graphics dated since this was released in the GameCube and the PlayStation era, but it is still very playable and well worth checking out.
5 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
As with the previous games, Prisoner of Azkaban has different versions for various platforms. These include a role-playing version for the Game Boy Advance and an action-adventure platformer for the consoles. The PC version is also an action-adventure game but confusingly has a different storyline.
Each version of the game was mostly well-received. Although the game is quite short, it flows well and is easy to play. If you're an older gamer, you may find this installment too short and too easy, but it is still entertaining and follows the story well. Overall the game does justice to its material and is enjoyable to play. This one has earned a place of honor on a chocolate frog card.
4 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
As with so many of the games which follow the books and movies, The Goblet of Fire is an action-adventure game. Unlike its predecessors, however, there is only one uniform version across all available platforms.
The focus of this game is much more action-based rather than puzzle-based like many of its predecessors, bringing a slightly fresh dynamic and sense of danger to the gameplay. This is a fitting adjustment as the 4th installment of both books and movies is one of the most significant turning points of the entire franchise, so the videogame emulating this important shift feels rightly satisfying to a large portion of the player base.
This was also the first Harry Potter game to introduce multiplayer. This new feature allows you to combine forces with your friends to make even more powerful spells. Although you cannot roam freely around the castle anymore, this doesn’t harm the game, which closely follows the book's canonical storyline. Admittedly, some of the reviews were mixed. But regardless, we feel this one has earned its place at the Hogwarts Feast.
3 Book Of Spells
Also known as Wonderbook: Book of Spells, this augmented reality game for the PlayStation 3 uses the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye controllers to put you in the shoes of a Hogwarts student that's learning spells. It uses the technology of the controllers to enable you to cast spells using the move controller and have the results appear on the screen.
The game is based on the fictional book by Miranda Goshawk from the Harry Potter novels. You can choose your Hogwarts house or connect your Pottermore account to ensure the game reflects your personal style. This incredibly innovative game was described as “the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook” by J.K. Rowling, and she’s right. It’s absolutely spellbinding.
2 Book Of Potions
This second installment of Harry Potter-based augmented reality comes in the form of potion-making. Like its predecessor, Book of Spells, it uses the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye controllers to create an immersive experience for PlayStation 3 users. The PlayStation Move controller functions as a wand as well as a knife and spoon, allowing you to create a range of potions.
Based on the fictional book by Zygmunt Budge, Book of Potions requires you to brew a range of potions for a Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. You will find out more about each one before you collect ingredients and brew your potions. As you may expect, this experience is every bit as gratifying as that of the Book of Spells. If you’ve ever wanted to sit in a potions classroom, this game is for you. Just don’t forget your cauldron!
1 Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup
This game is very different from most Harry Potter video games in terms of content. Of course, it's a sports action game centered around Quidditch — the fictional sport from the wizarding world. You can play in the Hogwarts Inter-house Quidditch cup on any of the four house teams – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Alternatively, you can compete in the World Cup. If you prefer a quicker game, you can take part in one-off exhibition matches.
Some critics say the controls are sluggish, but overall, this is far from the worst. It's definitely worth a try, just for the experience of winning a Quidditch match. Go Hufflepuff! Go Ravenclaw! No matter what team you're cheering for, this game is definitely a keeper.
Still In Development: Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is a wizarding title currently in development, and from the information released so far, it looks amazing. Players will play the role of a student at Hogwarts in the 1800s, being able to choose their house and their classes. It's an open-world title that includes not only Hogwarts but also the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmead, all primed for exploration.
You will be able to cast spells, brew potions, and engage in magical duels. There are even magical beasts to tame. As an additional and fascinating twist, it seems you will also be able to choose whether to be an exemplary student or set yourself on a darker path. This time your destiny as a witch or wizard will be truly in your hands.
Hogwarts Legacy looks poised to be an immersive and engaging experience and the closest we'll ever get to living a life as a Hogwarts student — at least in this decade. After several delays ultimately leading to a setback in the original 2021 release date, the new release date is set for February 10, 2023. When it drops, Hogwarts Legacy will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.