"Hogwarts Legacy" is free in the Epic Games Store

Epic Games is currently offering "Hogwarts Legacy" for free. The open-world game, released in 2023, can be added to your library for free in the Epic Games Store. Once it's in your library, you can play it permanently. The only requirement is an Epic Games account – and a bit of luck. Because currently, Epic Games' servers seem to be overloaded. It may take several attempts to successfully add the game to your library. At least you have a week to do so.

Epic Games regularly gives away games to convince users to use its store. However, it's rare for such prominent games like "Hogwarts Legacy" to be offered for free just a few years after their market launch. The "Harry Potter" game has sold over 34 million copies, making it one of the most successful video games of recent years. "Hogwarts Legacy" normally costs 60 euros, but it has been offered on sale for as little as 9 euros.

25 to 70 hours of gameplay

The quality of "Hogwarts Legacy" is solid: it combines typical open-world busywork with linear missions that tell a new story long before the "Harry Potter" films. In between, you have to collect items, solve puzzles, and explore the open game world. If you only play the story, you can expect about 26 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.com. All collectible tasks and side missions, along with the main story, take about 70 hours.

An originally planned "Definitive Edition" and DLC for "Hogwarts Legacy" were canceled due to a restructuring plan, Bloomberg reported. How "Hogwarts Legacy" and potential successors will proceed is currently unclear. The studio responsible for the game, Avalanche Software, is part of Warner Bros., whose takeover is currently being contested by Paramount and Netflix. The fact that Warner's game studios are not even mentioned in the media giants' announcements suggests that potential buyers do not place the highest priority on the game studios.

(dahe)