One of the shining features of the Nintendo Switch is its portable nature. It offers the freedom to indulge in your favourite games anywhere you fancy, whether on your kitchen table, on a leisurely road trip or even at the beach — as long as your game of choice isn’t online only. However, if you’ve been itching to play the latest magical RPG sensation, Hogwarts Legacy, you’ve been out of luck. But don’t lose heart. Suppose you’re passionate about experiencing the Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch version. In that case, you can pre-order it from retailers like Amazon and GameStop or directly from the Nintendo Store.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other wizarding activities you can engage in while you eagerly await your copy of Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch. You could delve into the classic books and films again. Granted, they’re not directly tied into Hogwarts Legacy as the game unfolds in the Hogwarts of the 1800s. Still, you’ll find nods to familiar characters and events from the Harry Potter series scattered throughout the game.
Related: Hogwarts Legacy Sales, Explained
Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch Release Date
The game creators have verified that Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch version, one of the best games of 2023, will launch on November 14, 2023. Despite initial plans to release on July 25, 2023, the developers have clarified that they’ve had to postpone the game’s debut.
It’s a fact that will likely ring a bell for keen gamers and Harry Potter enthusiasts alike, given that the game’s releases on PS5 and Xbox One were also deferred earlier this year. This is a strategic move to ensure an optimal gaming experience when transitioning Hogwarts Legacy to a new console.
Historically, it’s been a well-known challenge to adapt a game from a PC or PS5 format to the Nintendo Switch. This is primarily due to the Switch’s modest 4GB DDR4 RAM. To give you an idea, the PS5 boasts 16GB of RAM, while the Xbox One X packs a respectable 12GB.
Related: Hogwarts Legacy Cheat Codes on PS5
RAM is akin to the portion of your brain that processes daily information, so adapting graphically demanding games like Hogwarts Legacy, with its extensive use of particle effects, is no mean feat.
The developers face the tricky task of ensuring they don’t compromise on visual quality or drastically alter the game, keeping it faithful to its original console versions.
We also must remember that Hogwarts Legacy tried a new different release schedule first released on PC and current gen like PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on February 10, 2023. Previous gen like the PS4 and Xbox One on May 5, 2023.
Related: An Honest Review About Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy Houses
You can start contemplating if you want a Wizard or a Sorceress in the game and also which Wizarding House you want to be a part of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. When the fun first starts and after an intro sequence, you get to the sorting ceremony and answer some questions the sorting hat is asking. Like in books and movies, the hat sorts you into a house based on those questions. If you don’t like the house you are sorted in, you can choose which house you want, like Harry in the actual books.
The impact of choosing one house over the other doesn’t change your gameplay too much, but there are some unique quests and locations based on which house you choose. Good thing there is some time until the Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch release so that you can decide which house you choose.
Related: Seven Things You Wish You Knew Before Playing Hogwarts Legacy
Visual Fidelity
One of the questions everyone has is how well the graphics will be in the Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch version. The answer to that comes from a game developer — Troy Johnson said: “The Switch version is going to be awesome, it sure will be. We are doing everything in our power to make sure that each version is beautiful, that it is well optimised and above all that it is faithful to the idea we had of the title. And in the end, it will be exactly the title we want.”
So we can only trust his word and wait for the best. We have seen some good and bad visual ports for the Nintendo Switch. But all the Hogwarts Legacy ports we’ve had so far have been excellent. We wait and trust the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Portkey Games a Good Studio?
Portkey Games is a unique studio owned by Warner Bros. that creates special, exclusive Harry Potter and wizarding games. So far, they have released the following games: Hogwarts Legacy, Harry Potter Magic Awakened, Hogwarts Mystery, Harry Potter Puzzles and Spells, and finally, Harry Potter Wizards Unite. All of those mentioned above, except Hogwarts Legacy, are mobile games. Harry Potter Wizards Unite is a Pokémon Go-like augmented reality game where players can walk around their towns and cast spells.
Whereas technically, Portkey Games is a label that publishes many games, they have their studio called Avalanche Software that focuses on making games like Hogwarts Legacy for the PC and consoles, and because of that one brilliant game, Portkey Games very well could be considered a good studio and a AAA studio in that matter.
Is Hogwarts Legacy a Good Game?
Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best and most successful games released in 2023. Hogwarts Legacy has sold over 1 billion Dollars and over 15 million copies. The notion of being a good game is subjective. However, almost 15 million players are playing this game. Around 30% of those players have finished the game (This number is calculated by the number of people who have received the Final Boss achievement in the game).
Hogwarts Legacy has an engaging storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the game, with many side quests and customisable options. All of these together form the recipe for a good game.
How Long Is Hogwarts Legacy?
Hogwarts Legacy is a narrative-driven, open-world game. There are many choices, starting with which typical houses you want to be a part of. Hogwarts Legacy also has many places to explore and a lot of optional side quests and fights. If you’re going to do everything in the game, that will roughly take 67 hours, almost three days. However, if your play style is more main story focused, you can finish the game in around 25/30 hours which is nearly a day and a slight change.
The good news is that the Game Director for Hogwarts Legacy said they had no plans to bring an expansion pack or DLC to the game yet. So, if you haven’t had a chance to explore Hogwarts in the 1800s yet, now is an excellent time to do so, and you can do it at your own pace without worrying about new content coming on.
Author Profile
- My journey into the world of video games began at four, when I was first introduced to arcade machines in 1996. Over the past decades, I've been fortunate enough to witness the incredible evolution of gaming, as it has grown from a niche hobby to a thriving art. Today, I'm dedicated to creating content that celebrates all genres of games. We will talk about them at Player.me.
