Hogwarts Legacy on Switch Isn't the Best Way to Play the…

Summary

Hogwarts Legacy is the best-selling game of 2023, selling over 15 million copies, thanks to multiple release waves on different platforms.
The Nintendo Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy has significant drawbacks, including long loading screens, inconsistent framerate, and numerous glitches.
The Steam Deck and PlayStation Portal offer better alternatives for playing Hogwarts Legacy on a handheld device, providing a smoother experience.

Hogwarts Legacy may not have been the most critically acclaimed game of 2023, and it may not even be nominated once for this year's Game Awards, but it's still somehow the best-selling game of the year, by quite a wide margin. Within just two weeks of launch, Hogwarts Legacy sold over 12 million copies, and at the start of May that number increased to 15 million. Hogwarts Legacy's sales have only continued to grow over the course of the year and a huge factor in that is its multiple release waves.

Hogwarts Legacy first hit store shelves in February for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Then, back in May, it received a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One port. As of a few weeks ago, Hogwarts Legacy is now fully playable on the Nintendo Switch. It's genuinely quite impressive to see such a massive AAA game come to so many platforms, but it doesn't mean that all ports are created equal. There are admittedly much better ways to play Hogwarts Legacy than on the Switch, including some other handheld devices.

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By William Carter

The Nintendo Switch Isn't the Best Way to Play Hogwarts Legacy Portably

Hogwarts Legacy Has Some Big Setbacks on Switch

As expected, Hogwarts Legacy has a number of pretty big drawbacks on the Nintendo Switch. While the game is technically feature-complete and fans can expect pretty much the same experience overall across all ports, Hogwarts Legacy's Switch version is definitely inferior to the rest. One of the biggest limitations is that the Nintendo Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy isn't technically open-world. While all console versions of Hogwarts Legacy allow players to seamlessly enter and exit most areas in the open-world, the Switch version puts a big loading screen between the player and just about every area, including individual shops in Hogsmeade.

It doesn't help that these loading screens are not only abundant but often painfully long. On top of that, Hogwarts Legacy's Switch version has a real problem with hitting a consistent framerate. Hogwarts Legacy is already downgraded to just 30fps on Switch, and it'll drop well below that in densely populated areas. Throw a disappointingly high number of glitches onto the pile and Hogwarts Legacy's Switch port is undeniably the worst way to play the game. The gimmick of it being on a handheld device only carries it so far.

Hogwarts Legacy Is Unabridged and Smooth on a Steam Deck

What makes Hogwarts Legacy's Nintendo Switch port even more redundant is that it isn't the only way to play the game on a handheld device. Valve's Steam Deck is essentially a portable gaming PC, packed with some truly remarkable hardware that can run even some of the most technically-impressive contemporary video games. One such game is Hogwarts Legacy. Receiving a "Verified" rating on Steam, Hogwarts Legacy runs exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, having been tested thoroughly by Valve itself. Playing Hogwarts Legacy on the Steam Deck is the real deal, and while it can be tough to actually obtain one at the minute, it's definitely the best way to play Hogwarts Legacy in a handheld mode.

The New PlayStation Portal Also Offers the Full Hogwarts Legacy Experience on a Handheld

If a Steam Deck is too expensive, then Hogwarts Legacy fans may want to look into a PlayStation Portal. Just released, the PlayStation Portal allows for seamless remote play to a dedicated device. Due to its nature, the PlayStation Portal's mileage is going to vary pretty wildly between gamers due to their internet speeds, but if the player's speed is good enough, the PlayStation Portal should be a great way to play Hogwarts Legacy on a handheld device.

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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy Tag Page Cover Art

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Action

RPG

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%

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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

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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.