Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

What it is

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is an adventure and role-playing game from Jam City, released under the Portkey Games label of WBIE. It arrived on April 24, 2018, is free to download and is rated Teen. The last update was October 27, 2026.

You create your own witch or wizard, get sorted into a house and spend your years at the school.

What it does well

Story is the focus. The listing describes a new mystery about the Cursed Vaults and your brother’s disappearance, told in chapters and episodes, with choices that are said to matter.

There is a lot of school life in the description. You learn spells, brew potions, take part in events, play Quidditch, conjure a Patronus and befriend magical creatures. Classmates become friends or rivals, and the listing mentions romance as one of the paths.

Personalisation gets attention as well. You can customise your avatar with hair and clothing and design your own dorm, and the listing says new options keep being added.

The ratings are strong. With 2,979,447 ratings, the average is 4.56, and 76.6% are five stars. Only 3.9% are one star. It has been installed 50,000,000+ times.

Where it falls short

The listing is clear that real money can buy some in-game items, and it points parents to the device setting that turns off in-app purchases. It does not describe what is gated.

The listing does not give any figures about story length or whether you need an internet connection. It also does not say how fast progress is, so we cannot say if waiting is built in.

Because it is rated Teen and has romance in the plot, younger children may not be the right audience.

Who it suits

Anyone who enjoys reading, choosing and decorating more than fast action will feel at home. Fans of the books and films are the obvious audience.

The ratings back up the pitch. Apart from the 76.6% at five stars, another 12.6% give four, so close to nine in ten raters score it four or higher. Only 2.0% gave two stars and 4.9% gave three. That is a tidy, happy-looking spread for a game released in 2018 and still receiving updates this month.

Because the listing says you can buy in-game items, it is wise to agree on spending limits if a child is playing. The text does not say whether the story ends or keeps growing, only that new customisation options are always being added.