Whether you’re a hardcore Harry Potter fan or a devoted gamer, chances are Hogwarts Legacy has captured your attention in the past year or two. Not only was it the best-selling video game of 2023, but it reignited the flame in millions of Harry Potter fans, who finally got a first-hand experience at being a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Considering the huge success of the first game, it comes as no surprise that the team behind Hogwarts Legacy has been working hard to bring us a sequel, one that has great potential to be even better than the first installment. And although there hasn’t been much official news from the studio, the buzz and rumors surrounding the sequel are growing rapidly. Here’s what we know about Hogwarts Legacy 2 so far.
Where will the game take place?
With a new Harry Potter HBO series on the horizon, rumor has it that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will be set in a modern-day setting, potentially aligning with the setting of the upcoming series. And given that the new series is set to re-enact Harry Potter’s student years at Hogwarts, we might be in for a Hogwarts experience with The Boy Who Lived himself! Although it’s unlikely that he will be playing the Harry Potter character, we might be seeing him and his friends in the castle as we try to navigate our own student life at Hogwarts.
What can we expect from the sequel?
There are countless theories on what the next game will bring, along with an even greater number of wishes from devoted gamers who loved the game but found themselves missing certain aspects:
- Quidditch: Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the first game was the absence of Quidditch, which, at the time, seemed illogical to many. However, with the release of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions in 2024, the reason for its absence became clear: the studio wanted Quidditch to have its own game and including it in Hogwarts Legacy would make the game redundant. But this didn’t turn out to sit well the fans, who would much rather be able to battle other wizarding schools inside Hogwarts Legacy 2 than having to switch to a different game altogether. Given that this has been by far the biggest criticism of the first installment, chances are the studio will include some form of Quidditch in the next game to please the fans.
- New locations: While we managed to see several beloved locations from the original Harry Potter series throughout the first game, the Hogwarts castle took center place. In the second game, fans would love to explore everything from Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic to the possibility of visiting Azkaban regardless of the house chosen at the start of the game.
- Triwizard Tournament: Introduced in the fourth Harry Potter book, the Triwizard Tournament is another much-wanted feature, one that would undoubtedly set the second game apart from its predecessor–which is what the game desperately needs to stand out. There’s only one problem: According to the book, the last Triwizard Tournament took place almost one hundred years prior to the events of Hogwarts Legacy before being banned due to high death toll. Despite this issue, there are still many ways to incorporate the tournament into the story: The Ministry of Magic could push headmaster Black to restart it as a cover for investigating Ancient Magic, and by the end, the Ministry’s failure to control the event could result in a disaster without any winner, explaining why the fourth Harry Potter book fails to mention it.
What platforms will it support?
The single most important factor of Hogwarts Legacy’s success was undoubtedly its exposure to gamers all around the world. With PlayStation 5 still being too expensive for many gaming fans, it was the studio’s clever decision to make the game available on all gaming platforms–PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch–that made Hogwarts Legacy the best-seller that it was.
However, all rumors point towards the fact that due to the development requirements, Hogwarts Legacy 2 will not be available on older consoles like PlayStation 4. This means that unless PS4 users buy a newer PlayStation or use a different medium altogether, millions of gamers will not be able to play the upcoming sequel. The reason is simple: While games like Gates of Olympus demo require minimal graphic demands, making Hogwarts Legacy 2 available on PS4 would impose big restrictions on the developers, significantly limiting the game’s full potential.
This might seem like a rather risky move from the developers, given the immense number of PlayStation 4s still in active use today. However, considering that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is unlikely to launch before 2027—14 years after PlayStation 4 was first launched—it may be a logical choice: How long should developers support older platforms to ensure both compatibility and an optimal gaming experience with new titles?
When will Hogwarts Legacy 2 be released?
Although Avalanche has yet to release a trailer or announce a release date, we do know that the game is studio’s top priority. With the new HBO series set to release in 2026, three years after the release of Hogwarts Legacy, we expect Hogwarts Legacy sequel to release after the HBO series–late 2026, possibly 2027. This timeline allows the developers 3 to 4 years to finalize the game, which seems more than reasonable given that many of the most challenging elements, such as the Hogwarts castle, were already developed for the first game.
Director’s Cut
With Hogwarts Legacy 2 still being in early development, it gets a little frustrating knowing we won’t get the new game before late 2026. But there’s good news! An exciting Hogwarts Legacy: Director’s Cut is reportedly on the way, bringing an extra 10+ hours of gameplay, new missions, spells, a possible morality system, and much more. Set to be released in 2025, the future seems to be bright for Hogwarts Legacy–and we’re here for it!
