Harry Potter video games
The Harry Potter video games are a series of video games based on the Harry Potter novel and film series originally created by English author J. K. Rowling. Many of the Harry Potter-inspired video games are tie-ins to the film adaptations of the same name. There are multiple distinct versions for individual games.
After the success of the initial games, Warner Bros. Games expanded the series to include a pair of Lego video games and created the label Portkey Games. The games have sold over 90 million units, and grossed over $1.5 billion in video game sales and an additional $1 billion in mobile game sales; the main series received mixed reviews from critics, while the Lego games were both critically and commercially successful. Hogwarts Legacy, the latest release, has made $850 million in its first two weeks post-launch.
Development
Despite the games having a wide variety of developers, Electronic Arts developed all games from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.Novel adaptations
Generally, the video game adaptations of the Harry Potter series were designed to be released to coincide with the release schedule of the film series. The first game in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was developed by five different teams, each creating different versions for different consoles. The games were developed by Argonaut Games, Aspyr, Griptonite Games, and KnowWonder. Two years later, Warthog Games released versions for sixth generation consoles. The version was released after the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and used many of the same assets. The game featured puzzles aimed at "eight- to fourteen-year-olds" and aimed to capture the mood of the novel of the same name.During the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002, developer Eurocom was brought on board to create the sixth-generation console releases as well as the Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Color release. This version included new assets specifically for the Chamber of Secrets and free-roam flying on a broomstick on the PlayStation 2 release, which was not possible on any other release. This version removed many of the puzzle sections found in the first game and replaced them with action sections and boss fights. The PC version, however, used many of the same assets as those in Philosopher's Stone, and retained a more puzzle-oriented gameplay style.
In 2004, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released. The third instalment featured separate games for the PC version and a console release. Both of these versions made Harry, Hermione and Ron playable characters. In the PC release, Buckbeak and Hedwig were made playable as well. GameSpot likened the Game Boy Advance version of the game to Chrono Trigger and Pokémon.
In 2005, the PC compilation World of Harry Potter was released, containing the first three novel games and the Quiddich World Cup game. Following Prisoner of Azkaban, EA, specifically EA UK, took charge of creating all versions of the game. The PC and Mac releases were developed as ports of the console release. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the style from previous titles was reduced to a more linear, level-based system, as the character followed certain scenes from the film. Multiplayer components were factored into the game's release: up to three players from the same console. This was also the first game in the series to be released on Nintendo DS.
During the development of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the development team had more interaction with author J. K. Rowling when attempting to create playable card games for the series. The rules that were created were later revealed to be the official rules in canon. This release was the first in the series to include motion capture from actors in the film series, including Rupert Grint and Evanna Lynch. The release removed the multiplayer component of the previous two games; Fred and George Weasley were still playable, but only in certain locations. The game made a return to the free-roaming style of earlier games.
In 2009, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released after originally being planned for 2008. It was pushed back six months to be released with the film of the same name. Like with the previous game, the multiplayer component was removed; Ron and Ginny Weasley were still playable, but only in certain locations. The final two games in the main series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, take place away from Hogwarts, and features locations such as the Ministry of Magic. These games use a stealth and combat mechanic similar to those found in modern first-person shooters. Jonathan Bunney, head of Production at EA Bright Light, stated that the final two instalments would be "darker and more action-oriented game."
Other
The first retail release of a Harry Potter game outside of the film adaptations was for the Lego Creator, released in 2001 as Lego Creator: Harry Potter and the sequel, Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002. Following the release of Chamber of Secrets, EA Games engaged game developer Magic Pockets, who created the Game Boy Advance version, to produce a video game based on Quidditch.Due to the release schedule of the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, there was no main series release in 2003. Instead, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released in its place. Previous games had featured Quidditch but only focused on Potter as the Seeker; Quidditch World Cup puts players in control of the team's Chasers and the rest of the team's players via mini-games. The game featured both matches played at Hogwarts, and matches played internationally.
In 2010, following a release of a special Potter-themed Lego set, Lego Harry Potter, Traveller's Tales announced that a Lego Harry Potter video game would be released, similar to releases for Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The series was split into two: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 was released in 2010 followed by Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 in 2011.
In 2012 and 2013, three augmented reality games were created, titled Harry Potter for Kinect, Book of Spells and Book of Potions respectively. The first was released for the Xbox 360 and used the Kinect. The latter two were both released for PlayStation 3 and used the PlayStation Move controller as well as the Wonderbook accessory for the PlayStation Eye. The Wonderbook accessory was brought out in conjuncture with Book of Spells, allowing players to see an augmented reality version of real life books.
In 2017, two new themed character packs for a Toys-to-life console video game Lego Dimensions were released. One contained Lego figurines of Harry, Voldemort, mini Ford Anglia and mini Hogwarts Express, while the other one contained figurines of Hermione and Buckbeak. At the same time, Portkey Games partnered with Jam City to release Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in March 2018 for iOS and Android. The game was a spin off from the Harry Potter universe by setting the game before the book series, but still at Hogwarts. The game featured similar components to those of other freemium games, such as wait timers, and microtransactions.
Following the release of Pokémon Go, in 2019 Niantic announced Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a similar augmented reality game. The game allowed players to see the game world through a smartphone.
In 2020, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells by Zynga Inc. was released on App Store, Google Play, Amazon Kindle, and Facebook Gaming in 14 languages.
Hogwarts Legacy, an open-world, action role-playing video game and a prequel to the Harry Potter books, was released on February 10, 2023.
On April 17, 2023, it was announced that a new game, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, was in active development by Unbroken Studios. The game allows players to compete either in a single-player career mode, akin to a traditional sports game, or in multiplayer matches. A limited playtest was held in April of that year, with a full release in September 2024. A Nintendo Switch version was released in November of that year.
The collectible card game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened initially launched in China and Taiwan on September 9, 2021, followed by a worldwide launch on June 27, 2023. The game's American, European, and Oceanian servers were shut down for undisclosed reasons in October 2024.
Gameplay
In the novel video games, gameplay is featured around puzzle solving with some action-oriented scenes. Releases in the series generally followed the plot of the associated novel. The protagonist learns spells or other techniques from classes within Hogwarts school, which are often used to solve the puzzles at hand. While some are similar to those used in other Harry Potter media, other spells are unique to the video games.Earlier games in the series contained "secrets" which were a countable list of hidden extras. The games contained "beans", based on "Bertie Botts every flavour beans", used as currency, and Famous Witch or Wizard cards, used as collectables. However, in later games, entries employ first person shooter and stealth sections.
Releases
List of console, handheld and PC games
List of mobile games
| Title | Year | Publisher | Developer | Platforms | Metacritic score |
| Harry Potter: Find Scabbers | 2005 | Warner Bros. Digital Distribution | Handheld Games | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | 2007 | EA Mobile | EA Romania | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Harry Potter: Mastering Magic | 2007 | EA Mobile | EA Romania | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | 2009 | EA Mobile | EA Romania | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | 2010 | EA Mobile | EA Romania | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 | 2010 | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | TT Fusion | iOS Android | 87 |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | 2011 | Gameloft | Gameloft Chengdu | Mobile phone | N/A |
| Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 | 2012 | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | TT Fusion | iOS Android | 71 |
| Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery | 2018 | Jam City | Jam City | iOS Android | 43 |
| Harry Potter: Wizards Unite | 2019 | Portkey Games | Niantic WB Games San Francisco | iOS Android | 64 |
| Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells | 2019 | Zynga | Zynga | iOS Android Amazon Kindle | 70 |
| Harry Potter: Magic Awakened | 2021 | NetEase | Zen Studio | iOS Android | 78 |