‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Release Date, Early Access And Pre-Load Times, And Everything You Need To Know

Hogwarts Legacy is almost here, and fans of Harry Potter are practically bursting at the seems in their eagerness to get their hands on the game. It’s already the best-selling game of the year on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X despite calls for a boycott over author J.K. Rowling’s statements on the trans-rights debate (yet another unfortunate example of politics and the pop culture wars spilling over into something that’s supposed to be good clean fun).

Here’s everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy as we hurtle toward launch.

Launch Date And Platforms

Hogwarts Legacy releases on PC (via Steam and the Epic Game Store), PS5 and Xbox Series X on February 10th. The PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game come out on April 4th, while the Nintendo Switch version is currently slated for July 25th. Read below for information about Early Access.

What Is Hogwarts Legacy?

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG set in the world of Harry Potter. It takes place in and around the magical school for witches and wizards Hogwarts and will include spells, flying brooms, monsters and a school filled with students and professors. You play as a fifth-year student who is coming to Hogwarts for the first time—which is very unusual. The story is set a hundred years before the events of the Harry Potter books.

What Kind Of Stuff Can You Do?

Players will attend classes at Hogwarts where they’ll learn new spells and how to make potions as well as other abilities. You can fight magical beasts like dragons and trolls, take a break in the cozy Vivarium (see video below) and go to various nearby locations like the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade. You can fully customize your character’s appearance, gender and magical House, and interact with a wide array of NPCs.

Is There Multiplayer?

No, Hogwarts Legacy is a single-player game only.

Can You Play Quidditch?

No, at least not at launch. While you will be able to fly around on a broomstick, Quidditch is not in the game (though it would make a great DLC).

Who Is The Developer Of Hogwarts Legacy?

Avalanche Software has been working on this game for the past few years. The studio is most famous for the toys-to-life game Disney Infinity, though it’s developed dozens of games over the years beginning with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in 1996.

Early Access Explained

Pre-ordering Hogwarts Legacy’s Collector’s or Digital Deluxe Edition gets you early access to the game before its February 10th release date. Read all about that right here. The PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions of the game will not have Early Access.

To pre-order the game, go here.

When Can You Pre-Load?

Pre-loading is available now for PS5 and Xbox Series X if you have Early Access, or February 8th if you don’t. There is no pre-load for PC though it should be downloadable when Early Access begins.

What’s The Game’s File Size?

The game is roughly 77GB on Xbox Series X, 80GB on PS5 and 85GB on PC.

When Do Reviews Drop?

The review embargo lifts today, Monday February 6th. Not all reviewers got early codes, however, with many review codes going out today or this week. You should get a good sense of what early critics think of the game today, however. I’ll have my impressions out either this evening or this week prior to launch here on this blog and on my YouTube channel (so subscribe to both!)

What Are The Game’s PC System Requirements?

Read all about the PC requirements for Hogwarts Legacy right here.

Watch The Latest Trailer

Finally we come to the game’s launch trailer. This should get you in the mood for some good wholesome wizarding fun:

If you want to learn more about the controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy, I made a video discussing this very thing which you can watch right here. My best advice, however, is to try to separate the politics and the game as much as possible and just play and have fun.