10 Best Harry Potter Video Games, Ranked According To Metacritic

Hogwarts Legacy is the biggest Harry Potter video game ever, but it is far from the first digital foray into the Wizarding World.

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The Harry Potter franchise’s overall success is undeniable, with the popular books leading to the revolutionary movie series, and then so much more branching out from there. Naturally, video games were not only released for each of the Harry Potter movies but also covering other concepts and gimmicks within the Wizarding World.

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Harry Potter games vary in terms of story, gameplay, functionality, and general entertainment value. Most of the previous Harry Potter games were released in an earlier era when technological capabilities weren’t wowing audiences and players with every release. Many players still enjoyed these games to a certain degree, but the critics have generally been much harsher over the years, even to titles that are technically among the best Harry Potter games out there.

Updated on February 15th, 2023 by Tom Steel: There have been many Harry Potter games over the years, with varying levels of success in terms of their execution. Harry Potter video games don’t always capture the magic of the franchise as intended, but the 2023 release of Hogwarts Legacy has attempted to do just that, but on a grander scale than ever before. This list has been updated to rank and compare Hogwarts Legacy with the other best Harry Potter video games from over the years.

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10

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Metacritic Score: 66

The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game followed in the footsteps of Order of the Phoenix, which actually had plenty of fun and redeeming features. Yet, Half-Blood Prince offered little extra to stand out other than its various story beats taken from the movie.

Dueling and Quidditch are additional features and mini-games that help to bring this game together, but only real Harry Potter fans will stick around long enough to give it a proper chance. Anyone with even the slightest interest in Harry Potter will be happy that Hogwarts Legacy has blown this game out of the water in every department, presenting a major upgrade on the Hogwarts experience.

9

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Metacritic Score: 69

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a more risky and creative jump from its predecessor in terms of gameplay and more open exploration of Hogwarts. This sandbox style of play felt like a treat to Harry Potter fans at the time of release, with plenty of locations dotted around Hogwarts to interact with for a decent level of immersion.

Most of the main story beats from Order of the Phoenix are re-imagined and recreated in this game, like Fred and George’s Hogwarts farewell being represented as a fun mini-game. Hogwarts Legacy’s freedom in magical exploration harkens back to the days of this game, albeit on a much grander scale.

8

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Metacritic Score: 69

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released back in 2003 and offered players a more focused experience of the Wizarding World’s beloved sport. While it doesn’t hold up today in terms of graphics and seamless gameplay, it gives Quidditch more focus than the mainline games could ever manage.

Players can enjoy Quidditch from Hogwarts to the Quidditch World Cup itself, despite the gameplay that borders on a line of tedium and repetitiveness after a while. Quidditch World Cup still holds a niche in fantasy sports video games, and will always be there as a focused alternative to the other Harry Potter games.

7

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Metacritic Score: 70

Just as the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie was a turning point in the series, sending it on a dark path to bigger and better things, the video game for Prisoner of Azkaban played a similar role. Players would go on lengthy quests in the middle of a class to unlock new spells, but they generally involved fun puzzles to solve.

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For the first time in the Harry Potter game series, players could even take control of Ron and Hermione, which added some fun variety. The Prisoner of Azkaban game had several moments taken from the movie, but with plenty of extra substance to it. A Metacritic User Score of 8.4 speaks volumes to how enjoyable this game could be if comical facial expressions and voice clips were simply ignored.

6

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Metacritic Score: 71

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the only mainline Harry Potter game to be split into levels, accessed from a menu. The games before and after allowed players to explore Hogwarts and beyond in some cases. Yet, this change didn’t make Goblet of Fire worse by any means.

Goblet of Fire’s levels were focused, the graphics were generally better than previous iterations, and the handheld versions for GameBoy and PSP left fans and players relatively happy with the results. Goblet of Fire even presented players with a local cooperative option on the PlayStation 2, a first for the series.

5

LEGO Harry Potter Collection

Metacritic Score: 73

The LEGO Harry Potter games are generally considered the best Harry Potter games among critics, especially since LEGO games often have more license for goofy twists on their target for adaptation. LEGO Harry Potter Collection is an amalgamation of both LEGO Harry Potter games, Years 1-4 and Years 5-7, as one accessible game.

Despite the newfound ease of having the entire Harry Potter saga bundled into one game, a remaster isn’t always necessary for LEGO games. As such, critics didn’t quite see LEGO Harry Potter Collection in the same light as the two separate games, Years 1-4 and Years 5-7.

4

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Metacritic Score: 77

Many see Chamber of Secrets as the most successful and highly rated of all the non-LEGO Harry Potter games. At its core, Chamber of Secrets was similar to its predecessor in graphics and restricted exploration, but with new and improved mini-games to enhance the experience.

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Chamber of Secrets was much more refined and enjoyable on PlayStation2, XBOX, and GameCube. The PC version even received completely different treatment. There were so many different developers working on these different forms, but most of the results came out positive and left Chamber of the Secrets as a collective success.

3

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Metacritic Score: 80

While the 2016 game LEGO Harry Potter Collection served as a stellar remaster of the LEGO Harry Potter games, it could never quite live up to the originals. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 rounded off the LEGO Harry Potter journey, going through the darker movies and corners of the Wizarding World.

Years 5-7 picked up right where its predecessor left off. It features the classically comedic twist that LEGO adaptations bring while adding more problem-solving and intrigue to the main plot points of the latter stories. While it is still one of the best Harry Potter games, Years 1-4 is remembered more fondly, across most of its platforms.

2

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Metacritic Score: 87

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 was initially released back in 2010 across various platforms, becoming one of the best Harry Potter games of all time. The iOS version sits at a colossal 87 score by critics, even if Metacritic users don’t necessarily agree. However, from Wii to PlayStation 3, this game produced fond memories.

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The LEGO treatment of a franchise works perfectly for the more light-hearted moments from the first two Harry Potter movies,. Likewise, tutorial modes feeling more at home at the very beginning of a journey. Years 1-4 introduced LEGO Harry Potter as fun for the whole family, and set the precedent for Years 5-7 to pick up from.

1

Hogwarts Legacy

Metacritic Score: 90

Despite the controversy surrounding the game’s release, Hogwarts Legacy is undeniably the best Harry Potter game out there. For those who have always dreamed of being inserted into the world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts Legacy does just that. The attention to detail in bringing this experience to life has seen Hogwarts Legacy get unprecedented levels of positive reviews.

Players are thrust into life at Hogwarts as a fifth year. They can explore the castle and much further beyond, take lessons, get wrapped up in a compelling story, and so much more. There are even plenty of references, Easter eggs, and familiar names and faces for true Harry Potter fans. It has been a long time coming, but Hogwarts Legacy is undeniably the best Harry Potter game when considering the quality of the product itself.

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