Hogwarts Legacy Age Rating – Should Children Play Hogwarts Legacy?

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While Harry Potter The book series was loved by tweens, teenagers and even adults in the early ’90s, with some wondering if its most recent spin-off, Hogwarts Legacy, caters to all of these audiences. Prior to release, there were hints that the game might feature mature themes. It’s possible that one of the ratings was changed shortly before release. Here’s what you should know.

What is the age rating of Hogwarts Legacy?

There are several organizations that provide age ratings for games. In North America, Hogwarts Legacy is rated by the ESRB. It was rated T (Teen 13+) by this organization. The Australian Classification Board rated the game M (Mature 15+).

The PEGI rating for Hogwarts Legacy may have changed before the games launched. PEGI is the rating system widely used in Europe. Originally, Hogwarts Legacy was listed in online stores with a preliminary PEGI rating of 16. Around November 2022, this rating was officially listed as PEGI 12.

In general, Hogwarts Legacy received these ratings with content warnings for blood, fantasy violence, mild language, alcohol consumption, and in-game purchases. The ESRB Review Summary goes into a bit more detail, describing fights as “at times frenetic, with explosions, screams of pain and crashing noises”. They also say, “A handful of plot sequences feature characters being killed by a Killing Curse.”

Related: Should you open the Hogwarts Legacy repository?

Should kids play Hogwarts Legacy?

As a parent, I know how complicated these decisions can be. Informed decisions are generally best. My suggestion if you’re concerned about the content is to play the game either with or before the game to decide for yourself if it’s appropriate.

If you don’t want to play Hogwarts Legacy I can tell you that there are certainly some mature themes, particularly in the story sequences. To give you a few examples, the Killing Curse is used to prevent a teacher from using an intense and unknown power on her own students. It is also used by a student, Sebastian, to kill his uncle and guardian. He feels it is necessary to continue his work to heal his sister from a painful curse. There’s also an intense scene where Sebastian uses a separate but almost equally horrific curse to force an attacking goblin to kill himself just before he’s about to reach his sister.

Most adult content revolves around these curses, known as unforgivable curses. Your player character can choose to learn these curses and use them in combat. Their use generally has little to no consequences. There are some consequences for Sebastian in the story for his actions. The player can influence the extent of these consequences at the end of the quest line.

There are also some quests that use fear and horrific situations as mechanics. The PS5 exclusive Mind Your Own Business quest is a good example of this.

Hopefully this information will help you make your own decision about Hogwarts Legacy. If you want to read more of our opinions, check out Hogwarts Legacy Review: A Glamorous Illusion here at Pro Game Guides.