There aren’t many franchises that have the staying power to resonate with fans from generation to generation, but some are so popular that they become ever-present in the cultural zeitgeist. Harry Potter may have been a book that dates all the way back to 1997, but new fans are choosing their Hogwarts house and getting to know the famous wizarding trio every day. And not just by reading books and watching movies, but by playing games too.
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Harry Potter is a franchise that has been the subject of many video games over the years, and while some were half-baked money grabs to cash in on the movies, some were incredible. So if you’re looking for a new way to immerse yourself in the wizarding world of Hogwarts and beyond, you might want to take a look at what we deem the best Harry Potter games of all time.
10Wonderbook: Book of Spells
Release Date
05 August 2025
London Studio
We begin proceedings with a game that made use of the now novel piece of tech, the PlayStation Move. This title would see you become a wizard or witch studying at Hogwarts, and through the guidance of Miranda Goshawk’s Book of Spells and the magic of augmented reality, you would be able to actively learn the famous spells featured in the Harry Potter series, and for those really interested, this would later be followed with a sequel in the same vain calledBook of Potions.
This effectively plays out like a literal study session where you need to learn and memorize different spells and the precise movements needed to cast them, and as there normally is in a school setting, you’ll be given a test to prove your skills. So you need to know your Flipendos from your Stupifys. It was a novelty of a game that made good use of the tech available, not to mention linked up nicely with Pottermore, but in the cold light of 2024, there isn’t much reason to return to this one now. So it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ sort of games.
9Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
10 July 2025
It’s fair to say that everyone and their mother remembers the insane popularity ofPokémon GO. I can still remember people who I knew had no interest inPokémonwandering into town after hearing rumors of a Charizard sighting. So it was only a matter of time before the Harry Potter series tried to muscle in and replicate the same formula, allowing potential players to explore the real world and uncover wizarding secrets hiding in plain sight from the muggle folk.
It’s a game that has all the trappings ofPokémon GObut felt like a forced imitation of its inspiration, maintaining all the known technical issues of Niantic’s breakout hit, but failing to offer the same addictive gameplay thatPokémon GOstill offers today. Sadly,Harry Potter Uniteis no longer a thing, but even if it wasn’t everything fans might have hoped for, it got more than a few wizards up and active, and that’s a positive if nothing else.
8Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire
17 July 2025
Electronic Arts
Next, we have the first inclusion of a mainline Harry Potter title that acts as a direct tie-in with the movies. Some of these were genuinely awful, and some were absolutely brilliant, but few were middle-of-the-road.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fireis one of the exceptions, as it offered a change of pace from the games that came before, opting for a party-based adventure game with more of a focus on action and bespoke levels rather than an open environment.
Many would think this would be poorly received, but it was a big swing that paid off in spells during the game. In the end, however, it turned out to be a mixed bag, as some aspects of the game felt like a breath of fresh air, whereas others fell flat, and when you consider that this movie, in particular, has so many standout action-packed moments thanks to the Tri-wizard tournament, it’s just a shame that this game couldn’t capitalize on this and achieve its true potential.
7Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
15th June 2007
After the mixed results ofGoblet of Fire, the series reverted to type, offering a game that allowed players to explore Hogwarts once again. There’s a lot to love about thisOrder of the Phoenixtie-in. There’s the inclusion of fun mini-games like Wizard Chess and Gobstones. There’s the precise spell-casting with the thumb sticks that mimic that of the aforementioned Book of Spells. And the leap to new hardware meant Hogwarts looked sharper than ever.
The main criticism that gets leveled at this game, however, and fair criticism, might I add, is that the game is just a bit boring. This is partly because, in terms of action, not a lot actually happens in this particular stage of the story. Which is perhaps why the game had to lean into mini-games, collectibles and spellcasting more than ever. It’s a novel game that does its best with the source material it had to work with, but when compared to other HP games, this one doesn’t quite have the quality to compete.
6Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup
15 July 2025
If you’ve played every Harry Potter game on this list, you’ll know that the opportunity to actually play a game of Quidditch is a rarity, to say the least. There was one game that decided to make this fictitious sport the primary focus, however, and we all lapped it up like a greedy Dudley Dursley on his birthday.
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cupis a game that allows you to play full-sized Quidditch matches. These matches boil down to three things: attacking with the chasers and scoring goals, defending with the Beaters and hindering your opponent, and if you may raise your seeker bar enough, entering the tussle to catch the Golden Snitch.
With the power of hindsight, it does have rather shallow gameplay in truth, but the novelty of playing Quidditch was enough of a draw to help us all overlook this at the time. But we cannot wait for the modern facelift thatHarry Potter: Quidditch Championswill bring.
5Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
16th November 2001
KnowWonder
Ah, PS1 Harry Potter. I can practically see PS1 Hagrid looking bewildered at me now. Those were the days. Before we get into this, yes, this placement is fueled by nostalgia, and yes, I am well aware that this game had loads of jarring, nonsensical moments. But I think that’s what made this game so interesting. This title was a blend of free-form exploration and standout moments to punctuate your frolicking around Hogwarts.
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Whether it’s the firecracker fight against Draco, the Mine Cart ride in Gringotts or one of the many run-ins with Peeves, there’s something that will spring to mind, reminding you how joyful and full of whimsy this game was. To be perfectly fair, however, due to the laughable graphics – even by PS1 standards – and the shoddy in-game camera, it’s fair to say it hasn’t aged well. But even still, it’s worth playing for the novelty of seeing where it can began as far as HP video games are concerned.
4LEGO Harry Potter
23 July 2025
OpenCritic Score
Traveller’s Tales
If there’s a huge franchise that appeals to the masses, then you can bet your bottom dollar that there’ll be a LEGO game companion already in existence or in the works. Harry Potter is a prime example of this, as the wizarding world got the LEGO treatment back in 2010, allowing fans to play through all the standout moments from each of Harry’s years at Hogwarts while collecting stubs and unlocking characters as you go.
It has that quintessential LEGO game charm with slapstick humor and whimsical mechanics that work in context with the wizarding world, and because of the bespoke level design for each story beat, it’s rare that one level plays out like the next. It’s pure, unadulterated fun and a game that can be played with friends. So, if you want to take a fellow witch or wizard along for the ride, LEGO Harry Potter is the way to do it.
3Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
21 July 2025
To give a little bit of context, movie tie-in games back in the 2000s were a common thing, as development times were shorter, meaning games could be made in tandem with movies. Just because they were common practice, however, did not mean these games were good. But there were exceptions to the rules and the Early-PS2 era Harry Potter games were games that exceeded expectations, offering a grand depiction of Hogwarts that rewarded exploration and captured the magic of the movies.
ThePrisoner of Azkabantie-in is a stellar example of this, as the player is able to explore the castle as they wish, uncover secret passages, enjoy all the high points of this portion of Harry’s story, and in this title, players would also be able to control all three of the famous trio, allowing for more unique spells, puzzle solutions and more. It was a rather short experience and one that perhaps failed to build on the game that came before. But more of the same was hardly a bad thing.
2Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
02 June 2025
The reason whyPrisoner of Azkabanwas so great was mainly due to the success of its predecessor.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretswas the game that mastered the formula as far as HP games are concerned. It offered free-form exploration with standout set-pieces, puzzles, magic lessons and mini-games to break up the experience, which culminated in a gaming experience that felt like the most authentic way to explore Hogwarts ever created, and that remained the case until recently.
There are just so many magical memories tied to this game, like tossing Gnomes at the Weasley’s place, to sneaking past prefects in the dead of night to get to Fred and George’s secret shop. It’s a game that found that perfect balance between fun, authenticity and player agency, and I believe that it served as inspiration for the game that tops our list.
1Hogwarts Legacy
02 August 2025
Avalanche Software
Due to the dated nature of most games on this list, there was only really going to be one winner. This game not only wins due to its age, however, but also on merit alone. Hogwarts Legacy is a game that provides the most awe-inspiring and authentic way to explore Hogwarts ever-made. This open-world adventure allows you to explore further than ever as players can take to Hogsmeade and beyond as they zoom around on their broom, cast a slew of unique spells and uncover new magical oddities as they go.
The game offers a unique story completely separate from the movies and existing lore, which is a welcome change in these games. The game still manages to do the source material justice, however, with plenty of subtle nods to the existing characters and established setting.
Plus, the game looks staggeringly pretty, there’s a laundry list of things to do within it, the combat feels surprisingly fluid and you even get the chance to create your own Room of Requirement with a built-in menagerie to keep all your Fantastic Beasts. It’s truly the Harry Potter game we all dreamed of as kids brought to fruition, and while it does fall off the longer you play due to the fact that it follows a traditional Ubisoft model, the initial 5–10 hours of it alone are worth the price of admission.
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