Hogwarts Legacy Rating Confirms It'll Be Darker Than We First Thought
Avalanche Software is firmly putting the dark in Dark Arts, as Hogwarts Legacy sounds like it'll be a grim and grisly affair worthy of Lord Voldemort himself. The Hogwarts Legacy rating confirms that the open-world Harry Potter outing won't skimp on the serious themes.
While the Harry Potter books started off with Chocolate Frogs and jokes from Peeves, they ended up being pretty miserable by the end (RIP Fred Weasley). The video games were much the same, and although playing with pixelated Hagrid on the PS1 was a lot of fun, things soon went dark. When it comes to Hogwarts Legacy, we're back to being bleak.
What Is The Hogwarts Legacy Rating?
As revealed on the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit, the macabre magic adventure currently boasts a PEGI 16 rating. Although it's since been removed, the forum moderators were able to confirm it still exists in the back end of the official Hogwarts Legacy site. But what does this mean?
If you head over to the PEGI site, a PEGI 16 rating is given to a game "once the depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. The use of bad language in games with a PEGI 16 rating can be more extreme, while the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs can also be present." Looks like some students could be getting tanked up on Butterbeer.
One of the big talking points of Hogwarts Legacy is the morality system and the fact you'll be able to use dark magic. Even though it started as a rumour, the recent Hogwarts Legacy gameplay trailer confirmed you'll be able to use Unforgiving Curses on your foes. You wannabe Tom Riddles are in luck.
What Is The Hogwarts Legacy Release Date?
It should be noted that other recent releases with a PEGI 16 rating are Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, and Horizon Forbidden West, which we think we agree most people would be happy with their kids playing. Games including Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, and The Quarry earned the lucrative PEGI 18, and we doubt Hogwarts Legacy will be anything about them.
Ratings are all well and good, but we're still no closer to figuring out when it'll actually release. Despite repeated rumours it'll slip again and land in 2023, we've been promised Hogwarts Legacy will be out before the end of the year. Still, there are worries it could lose its PS4 and Xbox One versions. Given that it was first revealed at the PlayStation 5 event in 2020, many expect a future Sony showcase will finally give us a concrete date. Until then, we know we'll be stepping back into the Wizarding World in the fourth quarter.