Hogwarts Legacy is already looking to be an early contender for game of the year, delivering a triple AAA experience to consoles and PC with the Harry Potter brand in hand. The vast open world, detailed recreation of Hogwarts, and juicy fanservice are incredibly appealing. But where does this leave Android users? It seems like a tall order to find AAA games that deliver on a budget but still provide a quality experience, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have fantastic Android games that share an uncanny resemblance to Hogwarts Legacy, which is why we’ve rounded up the best Android titles that offer similar themes. Don’t forget to bring our trusty Android gaming phone along for the ride!
1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Part of the fascination of playing through Hogwarts Legacy is experiencing the life of a Hogwarts student — not through the eyes of Harry Potter. You can do precisely that with Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery game. The title starts you off by creating your student representation, choosing your own House, and then giving you complete control over how you wish your Hogwarts tale unfolds. Friendships you make are entirely up to you, and you get to learn the magical secrets of spells while attending classes. The Hogwarts life is simply at the palm of your hand in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery — no need to plug in your console or hook up your PC to get it.
2 Old School RuneScape
RuneScape was revolutionary as a “choose-your-own-adventure” style game, especially in the MMO space; you ultimately decided your path, whether you honed skills through fighting and quests or explored the medieval fantasy realm of Gielinor. And similar to the glory days of RuneScape, Hogwarts Legacy gives you absolute freedom for how you want to carry out your adventures in the Harry Potter universe. Both games share a love for fantasy elements; Old School RuneScape doesn’t leave out the fantastical creatures like dwarves, fairies, gnomes, goblins, and trolls. So even if how both games play out differently, returning to the original roots of custom fantasy adventuring is never a bad idea.
3 Switchcraft: Magical Match 3
A previous winner for “Best Pick Up & Play” on the Google Play Store in 2021. You’re sent to a witch academy while exploiting the inner workings and secret behind the academy’s legacy. Each choice made impacts how the story and environment unfold around you. Switchcraft: Magical Match 3 centralizes gameplay around the social sim element, a heavy inclusion in Hogwarts Legacy; nothing like experiencing witch/wizardry companionship in your own story. Of course, both games drive home the point that you’re a witch (or wizard) in training so that you can explore the world of magic from an unexposed point of view. It’s truly an unforgettable (magical) journey when venturing into the unknown.
4 Witches & Wizards
Witches & Wizards is best described as a mashup between Harry Potter and an old-school Elder Scrolls game. You create your character in Witches & Wizards, but you always play in the first-person perspective (think of Morrowind and Oblivion). You still undergo the same ordeals as you would if you’re a student of Hogwarts: join (via invitation) an exclusive academy for the gifted, and move into your dorms while mingling and befriending the other witches/wizards. Hogwarts Legacy includes mounts and the capability to fly on your broomstick, which the Witches & Wizards app doesn’t fail to include.
5 The Academy: The First Riddle
Exploring the history behind Hogwarts and all of its discoverable secrets is one of the highlights of Hogwarts Legacy. While The Academy: The First Riddle won’t provide those answers about Hogwarts, at the very least, it’s an appetizer to satiate your puzzle-solving hunger while quenching your thirst for uncovering answers — the perfect app to load up when you need to scratch that detective-work itch. Plus, The First Riddle clearly takes inspiration from Harry Potter (seeing that it’s set in a school) and other popular puzzle games, such as the Professor Layton games, so fans of either one won’t have trouble digging into this 200-puzzle-course meal.
6 Minecraft
It’s a tough task to re-emulate a AAA open-world game on mobile, but it doesn’t stop fans from trying by relying on high-profile sandbox apps like Minecraft. And now, with modding, Android users can go beyond the vanilla features and acquire the tools they need to realize their dream creations in the Minecraft realm. Several mods already exist on the Play Store, like “Harry Potter Hogwarts MOD MCPE” and “Maps Hogwarts for MCPE,” but sadly, downloading someone else’s mods may result in an ad-intrusive experience. Thankfully the Minecraft modding community is exceptionally supportive and will help you collect the suitable texture packs and resources you need to start your open-world Harry Potter universe sandbox project. Also, if you ever happen to grab access to the Minecraft Java Edition, check out Floo Network, a group of modders that worked tirelessly to recreate the Harry Potter universe from the ground up.
7 Guild of Heroes: Adventure RPG
Suppose you are interested in Hogwarts Legacy from a mechanical standpoint, where spell and skill customization takes priority for your gaming experience. In that case, Guild of Heroes: Adventure RPG might be right up your alley. Guild of Heroes: Adventure RPG does away with dressing up in school robes to take up arms but instead returns you to the old-school RPG mechanics of fighting against classic fantasy monsters like dwarves and trolls — and other players, which means you won’t be able to Expelliarmus your way out of this one. So if you’re here for a challenge and ready to embrace another take on dark fantasy, load up Guild of Heroes.
8 Genshin Impact
Now if you’re trying to find time to sink similar to Hogwarts Legacy’s breathtaking world and love exploring more than anything else — Genshin Impact is unparalleled in its theme for open-world exploration. Both games make adventuring feel like a triple AAA experience. And if you inspect closer, Genshin Impact shares more in common with Hogwarts Legacy than one might think. For example, vision holders in Genshin Impact are like chosen ones, similar to wizards and witches in Hogwarts; sadly, not everyone is gifted in the arts of magic. And thanks to the self-insertion (on the protagonists), both games deliver well on the power fantasy front.
9 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (honorable mention)
It’s a great shame that Harry Potter: Magic Awakened’s release was delayed, as it’s one of the most anticipated games coming to Android. Nevertheless, the beta was impressively polished, looking like an actual Harry Potter AAA game in bite-sized form, from discovering the hidden lore-filled easter eggs to experiencing the slick animations with the card battler. If Magic Awakened had already seen a release closer to Hogwarts Legacy, it would have been a fantastic app to tide fans over. However, it is still a worthy title to check out when it launches, which is why we’ve included the pre-registration link below.
The impact of Hogwarts Legacy on Android
Many mobile games deliver PC and console-quality experiences to our phones/tablets. However, the games on today’s list serve as a great stepping stone to Hogwarts Legacy. And the advantage of playing games on Android is how easily accessible your library is when you are away from your gaming rig or console; it’s just a matter of finding those gems that match your tastes. So hopefully, the entries on this roundup are more than enough to get you started in the world of Harry Potter.
