Without a doubt, Hogwarts Legacy was one of the biggest games of 2023. The ubiquity of its source material, the richness of its content, and the beauty of its sprawling open-world all helped Hogwarts Legacy establish dominance in a year jam-packed with high-profile, well-reviewed releases, and the gaming community is eagerly awaiting the franchise's next steps.
For a while, it seemed like these next steps would be a so-called "director's cut" of the game, which was revealed by a 2024 Bloomberg report. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson went on to stoke the flames of speculation, reporting that this director's cut, which would be released as the "Definitive Edition" of the game, would contain around 10 to 15 hours of new content, including new quests and gear. This prospect seems fairly plausible, especially considering Hogwarts Legacy's wild success—why wouldn't Warner Bros. Attempt to capitalize on it further? But a more recent Bloomberg report claims that the Definitive Edition has been canceled due to budgetary concerns. This is disappointing, but it might be for the best in the long-term.
Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition reportedly would have been sold as a deluxe edition, or as a paid DLC for those who already own the base game.
Hogwarts Legacy Fans May Have the Perfect Game as They Wait For the Sequel
It could be a while before gamers get their hands on Hogwarts Legacy 2, but there could be a perfect stopgap option in the meantime.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Now Has Avalanche's Full Attention
Scrapped Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition Content Can Find Its Way Into the Sequel
The new content that was set to arrive with Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition might be delayed, but it probably won't be scrapped entirely. Even if Avalanche (and reported support studio Rocksteady) was only in the concept phase of this new content's development, there's little reason to believe that this would be a total waste; Hogwarts Legacy 2 is even more likely to be a robust and fleshed-out experience, now that the Definitive Edition's content can be transplanted into it.
Whatever the Definitive Edition was meant to entail—new outfits, new explorable areas in the overworld, new side quests, et cetera—can now theoretically be implemented into Hogwarts Legacy 2. Moreover, it's likely that Avalanche Software can make such content even more impactful and polished, as it will be given more time in the oven. At the risk of being overly optimistic, the development of this Definitive Edition content could even be viewed as something of a head-start for the sequel.
Hogwarts Legacy's Definitive Edition Additions Can Now Be Developed for the 'Right' Reasons
While it's very possible that Avalanche Software viewed Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition as an opportunity to meaningfully expand on the base game, one cannot ignore the more pragmatic motivations behind the project: Warner Bros. Suffered a historic flop in the form of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which followed the less disastrous, but still poorly received, Gotham Knights, so the company no doubt hoped that this upgrade to Hogwarts Legacy would polish its public image and raise its bottom line. Assuming that the Definitive Edition was indeed in development, it's highly probable that these business factors were its driving force.
But now that the project is seemingly scrapped, Avalanche Software can work on making its content available for a sequel, which could make for a smoother, more sensible integration. In other words, the new quests and narrative content of the rumored Definitive Edition wouldn't need to be rushed, and could be motivated by a desire to make the best Hogwarts Legacy sequel possible, not to course-correct in the wake of failures like Suicide Squad. This may seem like a small distinction, but a positive, productive motivation can foster a very different sort of creativity, opening the doors to novel game design and storytelling, ideally leading to a better Hogwarts Legacy 2 overall.
Hogwarts Legacy
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- February 10, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
- Cross Save
- you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
Explore an Open World
The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to be
Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World Adventure
Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- Franchise
- Harry Potter
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- February 10, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 10, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- February 10, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- November 14, 2023
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- June 5, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
