The old Harry Potter video game series was a huge part of every fan's childhood. With the recent release of the new Harry Potter game by Avalanche Software under the Portkey Games label (Hogwarts Legacy) and news about an HBO TV series, reliving what made that childhood magical is a must.

The Harry Potter games, produced by EA, is a series of games based on the Harry Potter franchise. They were the start of a series that would go on to have 21 games released between 2001-2023 set in the wizarding world. The franchise went through a lot of phases, releasing a total of 28 different games on over 20 different platforms between 2001-2013. In this list, we'll be following the evolution of Harry Potter games as we work our way through over a decade of releases.

Old Harry Potter Games | List & Timeline

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)

• Developers: Argonaut Games, KnowWonder, and Waslake Interactive
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and Aspyr
• Platforms: 2001 Release: PS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance. 2003 Release: PS2, Xbox, and GameCube

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US) was the first Harry Potter film to be made into a game. Released in 2001, this puzzle-based action-adventure game launched soon after the movie hit the big screens. Although the story varied slightly, the most important plot points were there, from Harry receiving a letter from Hagrid to facing off against Quirrell and Voldemort at the end.

The game was released across multiple platforms and the story and gameplay differ in each version. While both the PlayStation and PC versions were third-person, the story in the PC version wasn’t exactly the same as it was for the Playstation and the graphics were better. The game by the same title was released for the Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Color. The Gameboy Advance was a top down game with pixelated graphics.

The game was re-released in 2003 for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube and was criticized greatly for using the same map as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The game still kept its focus on puzzles and followed the same story. In the end, EA and Aspyr released five versions of the game across eight different platforms.

Lego Creator: Harry Potter (2001)

• Developers: Superscape
• Publishers: The Lego Group and Lego Interactive
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Lego Creator: Harry Potter was the first of the Lego Harry Potter games. Released in 2001, it was a computer game based on the first Harry Potter film. The player had the ability to explore Hogwarts and build with legos. Similar to the PC and console games, the player had to solve puzzles throughout the castle.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

• Developers: EA UK, KnowWonder, Euroco, Argonaut Games, Griptonite Games, and Westlake Interactive
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and Aspyr
• Platforms: Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, GameCube, PS, PS2, Windows, Mac OS X, and Xbox

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was also released on eight different platforms with five versions, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the best Harry Potter games. The second game by EA was based on the second Harry Potter book and movie. It follows the same plot as the other media. The game itself was less linear than its predecessor, giving the player the freedom to roam the castle, do side quests, and solve puzzles.

Just like the first game, the PC and console versions were 3D games while the Gameboy Advance version was 2D. It is still the highest praised game to date out of all the video game adaptations.

Lego Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

• Developers: Qube Software
• Publishers: Lego Interactive and Electronic Arts
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Lego Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the sequel to Lego Creator: Harry Potter and was released for PC only. The game was similar to its predecessor in that it focused heavily on creation and exploration within the world. However, this Lego video game also featured RPG elements that made it unique compared to the EA games.

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup (2003)

• Developers: EA UK and Magic Pockets
• Publishers: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and Gameboy Advance

EA released a Quidditch-focused game called Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, which broke from the video game franchise to bring something new and exciting. It was a sports video game revolving around the magical game within the Harry Potter universe. The rules follow that of a Quidditch game. Two teams with seven players were pitted against each other on flying broomsticks. The player could play in all positions, Chaser, Keeper, Beater, and Seeker, all while trying to catch or dodge the balls in the game, the Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers.

Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

• Developers: KnowWonder, Griptonite Games, and EA UK
• Publishers: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: Gameboy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PS2, Xbox, and GameCube

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released with three different versions. Once again, the PC and console versions were 3D and the Gameboy was 2D. The game introduced the ability to switch between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and followed the story pretty faithfully. Players faced dementors, met Sirius Black, and learned how to fly a hippogriff in Hagird’s Care of Magical Beasts class.

The character models improved in this game and the player had the ability to roam around the castle while solving puzzles and fighting unique creatures like Redcaps and Salamanders. New spells were also introduced that allowed the player to interact with the environment in order to advance the story.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

• Developers: EA UK and Magic Pockets
• Publishers: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, PS2, PS Portable, Xbox, and GameCube

The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire video game took a leap in a different direction. The game, while it followed the movie closely and even included screenshots from the movie, left behind the free roaming aspect that fans loved about the previous two games. While the graphics were better, the story and settings were broken into levels.
The puzzle based aspect of the game was also dropped. Luckily, the player still had the opportunity to explore never before seen parts of the castle and interact with plants and creatures with a wide range of spells. For the first time, the PC and Playstation versions were the same, while the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS had their own version.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

• Developers: EA UK, EA Mobile, Rebellion Developments, and Visual Impact
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and EA Mobile
• Platforms: Mobile devices, Nintendo DS, Wii, PS Portable, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Gameboy Advance, and Mac OS X

The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game made up for the fourth one by returning to its explorative roots making it even better than before. The story was very faithful to the movie and so was the castle, which the developers made sure to model after the movies. With this being the first in the series to be released on a new generation of consoles, like the PlayStation 3, the graphics were visibly better.

The game leaned more towards sandbox adventure gameplay and, along with exploring Hogwarts, the player could interact with objects, people, find secrets, and do side quests. Players had the opportunity to play a game of wizard's chess, gobstones, and fight as Dumbledore and Sirius during key story moments. There was a single version released across all platforms and, despite the player having the most free reign, it was one of the most poorly rated games.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

• Developers: EA Bright Light and EA Mobile
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and EA Mobile
• Platforms: Mobile devices, Nintendo DS, Wii, PS Portable, PS2, PS3, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Xbox 360

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was very similar to the fifth installment in the series. Players were still allowed to explore a movie replica of Hogwarts with added features like Quidditch and Potions. With Harry as Quidditch captain, parts of the story revolved around competing for the Quidditch Cup. Classes also had more engagement, especially Potions, which featured a mini-game where the player could add ingredients to perfect their potion. The players even had the option to join the dueling club. There was one version released across all platforms.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)

• Developers: EA Bright Light, Full Fat,and EA Mobile
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and EA Mobile
• Platforms: Mobile devices, Nintendo DS, Wii, PS3, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 followed the same story as the movie while also tastefully including bits of the book that were left out in some areas. However, away from Hogwarts, the story became linear once again and the combat system replicated that of the third-person shooter. Developers released a version of the game for Nintendo as well, which took an alternative route and returned to the puzzle based style that the series originally started out with.

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (2010)

• Developers: Traveller’s Tales, TT Fusion, Double Eleven
• Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Feral Interactive
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, PS Portable, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 followed the first four books and movies in the series in a fun and comedic way. The game used Lego versions of the characters to tell the story and it relied heavily on facial expressions and grunts since there was no dialogue. The game had an array of Harry Potter characters that the player can pick from at any given time. Players could also interact with the world around them in order to find secrets and attend classes to learn new spells.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

• Developers: EA Bright Light, Full Fat, and Gameloft
• Publishers: Electronic Arts and Gameloft
• Platforms: Mobile devices, Nintendo DS, Wii, Microsoft Windows, PS3, and Xbox 360

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last game in the main Harry Potter series, was nearly an exact replica of the previous game, except players got the chance to return to Hogwarts. The gameplay was still linear and similar to a third-person shooter. The player could switch between multiple characters like Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and more.

The Nintendo version, just like the last one, also stayed the same and kept its 2D puzzle style. This concluded the end of the EA games based on the Harry Potter story.

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (2011)

• Developers: Traveller’s Tales, TT Fusion, Double Eleven
• Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Feral Interactive
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, PS Portable, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 followed Harry and his friends through their last few years at Hogwarts. Like the other Lego games, it told the story through actions and expressions in a fun and creative way. The gameplay was the same as Harry Potter Years 1-4, but new lessons, spells, and enemies were introduced. The game also offered a co-op feature for family and friends to play together.

Harry Potter for Kinect (2012)

• Developers: Eurocom
• Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: Xbox 360 Kinect

Harry Potter for Kinect was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 Kinect. Players could create their own avatar, use voice recognition, and they didn't need a controller. But how will they play? Well, for the Kinect, YOU are the controller! The player got to experience what it was like to be a switch or wizard going to Hogwarts for the first time, such as getting a wand from Ollivanders and participating in classes at Hogwarts.

Wonderbook: Book of Spells (2012)

• Developers: London Studio
• Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Platforms: PS3

Wonderbook: Book of Spells used the PlayStation Eye Camera and Wonderbook to take the player through the events of the book as if they were actually happening around them. The book was based on a textbook that Hogwarts students studied in the wizarding world and it took the player on a magical adventure to learn all the different spells.

Wonderbook: Book of Potions (2013)

• Developers: London Studio
• Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Platforms: PS3

Wonderbook: Book of Potions was the sequel to Book of Spells and it followed the same premise. Players were immersed in a world that seemingly unfolded around them as they learned to brew a variety of potions that allowed them to overcome obstacles and challenges. It was a fun game to play on by oneself or with family and friends.