Hogwarts Legacy Switch release date: Latest news & details

Set approximately 100 years before the events of Harry Potter, players attend Hogwarts as a fifth-year student as they embark on a dangerous journey to unearth the hidden truth of the magical world.

Designed as an open-world action RPG that includes the ability to fly brooms, explore Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learn magic, this is the game many have dreamt of for years.

That said, questions have loomed for months since Hogwarts Legacy's next-gen release on PlayStation, Xbox and PC: How will this perform on Switch? Can it even run on the console at all?

A fair concern considering just how underpowered the Nintendo system is in comparison. Now we know the answer with plenty of screenshots, gameplay and hands-on experience telling all.

So, here's everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy on Switch, including its release date, where to get the game cheap and how the game performs on the Nintendo platform.

Will Hogwarts Legacy come to Switch?

Yes, Hogwarts Legacy is now available on Nintendo Switch.

After first releasing on PlayStation, Xbox and PC, the developers made this clear early on by including the Switch on the list of confirmed platforms on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the game's official website.

The game was delayed late on in development and arrived nine months after its competitors.

Hogwarts Legacy Switch release date

Hogwarts Legacy was released on Nintendo Switch on 14th November 2023. The Switch port was previously expected to roll out in July before being hit by a delay one month out from launch.

This is nine months after other platforms received the game, with the title launching on PC and current-gen consoles in February before then making its way to PS4 and Xbox One in April.

Where to buy Hogwarts Legacy on Switch

You can now pick up Hogwarts Legacy on Switch from Argos for £49.99, or get the Deluxe Edition with the Dark Arts Pack from GAME for £59.99.

On top of this, if you're keen for more Harry Potter action on Switch, don't forget that the LEGO Harry Potter games are available right now on Nintendo's handy hybrid console.

You can buy them for £30 or less from a wide range of retailers, if you check out the current deals in our magical widget below.

Will Hogwarts Legacy on Switch be a cloud version?

A cloud version of Hogwarts Legacy will not be coming to Nintendo Switch.

The game has been developed by Avalanche Games specifically for the platform, with many changes being implemented to make sure Hogwarts Legacy can run on Nintendo Switch.

An extra nine months of development time was allocated after the title arrived on next-gen in February 2023.

Hitman 3 and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy game, for example, were only available on Switch through the cloud — in other words, you had to be online if you wanted to play them.

While many third-party studies have opted for cloud releases of their biggest games, there is no indication that Hogwarts Legacy will do the same.

How does Hogwarts Legacy perform on Switch?

One of the biggest questions surrounding Hogwarts Legacy on Switch is how it performs. From early hands-on experiences now that the game has launched, the general consensus is that it works - but sacrifices a lot in return.

The tech analysis experts at Digital Foundry described the port of Hogwarts Legacy as "one of the most comprehensively downgraded games I've seen in the modern era".

Most notably, Avalanche has remodelled a lot of the environments and added several loading screens that were previously not present. One of these is found at the entry to Hogsmeade Village, taking close to 45 seconds to load in.

In general, loading is looking to take about 15 to 30 seconds.

Lighting has been stripped back, which affects the colour tone, while object details like statues, furniture and books have lost fidelity.

There are fewer assets/different ones implemented, as well - one instance has one wall closed off entirely instead of offering a view of the land.

The outdoor environment around Hogwarts features fewer trees, branches and scaled-back greenery. Additionally, draw distance has been pulled back, with the difference in water quality showing the last-gen to next-gen difference more than most.

The good news is that the game is fully playable, and the experience between handheld to docked is not that different. We'd personally recommend playing the game on another platform for how much you lose in return, but at least the option is there for those that want it.

The full Digital Foundry analysis can be watched below:

You can buy the game from Amazon or the retailer of your choice, or read more with the links below:

• Hogwarts Legacy review - our full verdict
• Hogwarts Legacy potions - all recipes to know
• Hogwarts Legacy plants - what do they do?
• Hogwarts Legacy level cap - how to spent talent points
• Hogwarts Legacy trophies - the achievements you need
• Hogwarts Legacy release date - staggered launch explained
• Hogwarts Legacy cast - Simon Pegg and more
• Hogwarts Legacy house sorting quiz - take the text
• Hogwarts Legacy character creator - customisation revealed
• Hogwarts Legacy common rooms - tour all four
• Who is Phineas Nigellus Black? Sirius ancestor explained
• Hogwarts Legacy year - when is it set?
• Hogwarts Legacy multiplayer - is it co-op?
• Hogwarts Legacy Switch - handheld version explained
• Hogwarts Legacy PC requirements - the specs you need
• Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition - all perks

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