Hogwarts Legacy 2 is officially in development. Warner Bros. confirmed it in early June, along with hints that the sequel may go beyond Hogwarts itself. Great news for fans of Avalanche’s first outing. Less great news if you already finished the original three times and want something new to play tonight.
The magic-heavy open-world RPG lane is more crowded than it looks. These seven Hogwarts Legacy alternatives cover the range: story-forward classics, tactical spellcasters, cozy exploration, and even one recent remaster that scratches the wizard-school itch through a different door. All run on PC, several on macOS or Linux via Proton.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyrim Special Edition | Longest content runway with mods | Free demo | $39.99 | Twelve years of community mods |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | Deepest spellcasting system | Free demo | $59.99 | Turn-based tactical magic |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Best narrative in the genre | Free demo | $39.99 | Signs cast like Hogwarts spells |
| Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Modern action-RPG combat | Free demo | $59.99 | Newest magic-heavy open world |
| Oblivion Remastered | Freeform magic spellcrafting | Free demo | $49.99 | Custom spells return |
| Enshrouded | Wizard-tower survival crafting | Free demo | $29.99 | Coziest magic sandbox on PC |
| Avowed | First-person Obsidian RPG | Free demo | $69.99 | Envoy-of-Aedyr take on Hogwarts |
Why players hunt for Hogwarts Legacy alternatives
Three things come up over and over on r/HogwartsLegacyGaming and the Steam discussion forums. First, replay value falls off a cliff after one full playthrough because there is only one house-quest branch of consequence and combat gets repetitive by chapter three. Second, the world feels smaller than it looked at launch. Hogsmeade is charming for six hours; the surrounding countryside stops rewarding exploration around hour twenty. Third, the wait for the sequel. Even best-case, Hogwarts Legacy 2 is at least two years out.
Every game on this list solves at least one of those three problems, and a few solve all three.
The alternatives
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — Best for years of magical content
Skyrim is still the game the whole genre gets compared to. The base game gives you five schools of magic, six-hundred-plus quests, and a world that rewards climbing every mountain to see what’s on the other side. The mod scene has kept the game alive for over a decade: Hogwarts-themed overhauls exist for players who want to explicitly transplant the wizard-school experience.
Where it falls short: Combat is dated even with mods. Some quest lines age poorly, and vanilla character models look their age. Bethesda’s radiant quest system generates a lot of fetch quests.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $39.99 base game, Anniversary Edition upgrade around $19.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Zero friction. If you enjoyed exploration and spell-slinging, Skyrim delivers both at a much bigger scale.
Bottom line: Get Skyrim if you want a game that will still have new mods to install five years from now.
Baldur’s Gate 3 — Best for tactical, decision-heavy magic
Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian is the best pure spellcaster game of the last decade. Turn-based combat lets you actually plan a Fireball, a wall of ice, and a stealth escape as a coordinated set. The story reacts to nearly every decision in a way Hogwarts Legacy could only gesture at.
Where it falls short: Turn-based combat is a hard sell for anyone who wanted the twitchy action feel of Legacy. Party management adds cognitive load. Full runs push a hundred hours.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $59.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Big mental shift. Real-time to turn-based is a wall for some players. If you can push past the first act, the payoff is huge.
Bottom line: Pick Baldur’s Gate 3 if the spell-list depth of Legacy is what pulled you in.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Best for story-first magical adventure
The Witcher 3 is the game that redefined what an open-world RPG can be. Geralt’s Signs (Aard, Igni, Yrden, Quen, Axii) are the closest thing another RPG has to Hogwarts Legacy’s basic combat spells, and the writing is on a completely different level. Blood and Wine, the second expansion, contains one of the best-designed regions in any RPG.
Where it falls short: Combat is stiff by 2026 standards. The interface has not aged well. Some chapters feel padded.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $39.99 for the Complete Edition, frequently discounted to under $15
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Casting Signs feels similar enough to Legacy’s basic-cast rotation. Everything else is a level up.
Bottom line: Play Witcher 3 for the writing, the world design, and a cast that Hogwarts Legacy could only dream of.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard — Best modern take on the genre
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is BioWare’s return to the Dragon Age universe, and it is the newest big-budget answer to “an open-world RPG with a lot of magic.” Combat is closer to Hogwarts Legacy than any other game on this list, real-time with rotating spell sets, party companions, and enemy weaknesses. Character creation is deep enough to feel like your character.
Where it falls short: Story tone lands lighter than earlier Dragon Age entries. Some longtime fans found the writing uneven. Not currently available on Mac natively.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $59.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Cleanest jump on the list. Same real-time spell-rotation feel with more party depth.
Bottom line: Get Veilguard if you want the closest modern equivalent to Hogwarts Legacy’s combat and pacing.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered — Best for freeform spellcrafting
Oblivion Remastered brought back the game that Skyrim later replaced, with fully rebuilt visuals, updated character models, and rebalanced mechanics. The killer feature: Oblivion still has spellcrafting, the ability to compose your own spells from magical effects. Nothing else on this list gives you that.
Where it falls short: The main quest is shorter than Skyrim’s. Some UI decisions from 2006 survived the remaster. Level scaling can feel weird once you break the meta.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $49.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Cast fireball, then decide the fireball should also freeze the target, then decide to add area-of-effect damage. Legacy players will love the tinkering.
Bottom line: Grab Oblivion Remastered if you want to build your own spells, not just cast someone else’s.
Enshrouded — Best cozy magic sandbox
Enshrouded is the wild card. It is a survival crafting game with a huge focus on wizard-tower construction, magic combat, and co-op exploration. The world is genuinely gorgeous, the base-building is deep enough to swallow entire weekends, and the magic system rewards experimentation over grinding.
Where it falls short: Story is thin compared to any RPG on this list. Late-game bosses can feel repetitive. Solo play works but co-op is where it shines.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $29.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Different genre, similar emotional register. If you loved exploring Hogsmeade and building your Room of Requirement, Enshrouded is the closest thing.
Bottom line: Play Enshrouded with friends if the cozy exploration of Hogwarts Legacy is what you keep coming back for.
Avowed — Best first-person magical RPG
Avowed is Obsidian’s first-person action RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe. Combat is fast, dual-wielding a wand and a sword feels great, and the writing is strong in the way only Obsidian delivers. Companions have real personalities and the choice-and-consequence system is heavier than Hogwarts Legacy’s.
Where it falls short: The open world is more a collection of zones than a single continuous map. First-person perspective is not everyone’s preference.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $69.99
Migrating from Hogwarts Legacy: Perspective change is the main hurdle. Combat feel is closer than most players expect.
Bottom line: Try Avowed if you want Obsidian’s writing quality on top of magic combat.
How to choose
Pick Skyrim if you want a game to install mods on for years. Pick Baldur’s Gate 3 if the deep spellcasting is what you cared about. Pick The Witcher 3 if the writing in Legacy left you wanting more. Pick Dragon Age: The Veilguard for the closest modern real-time analog. Pick Oblivion Remastered for freeform spellcrafting. Pick Enshrouded if you loved building your Room of Requirement and want more of that. Pick Avowed if you want an Obsidian RPG with wand-and-sword combat.
Stay on Hogwarts Legacy if the specific Wizarding World aesthetic is non-negotiable. Nothing on this list replaces that.
FAQ
When does Hogwarts Legacy 2 release? Warner Bros. confirmed development in June 2026 without committing to a date. Two years is the low end of realistic estimates.
Which alternative feels the most like Hogwarts Legacy? Dragon Age: The Veilguard has the closest real-time combat rotation. Enshrouded matches the cozy exploration mood best.
Are any of these games free? None of the seven are free-to-play, but Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Nier: Automata are frequently deeply discounted on Steam sales.
Which one runs on Steam Deck? Skyrim, Witcher 3, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Oblivion Remastered all have Verified or Playable ratings. Veilguard and Avowed are Playable but not Verified. Enshrouded runs but wants tinkering.
Are there any games actually set in the Harry Potter universe besides Hogwarts Legacy? There is a small library of older Harry Potter games, but Hogwarts Legacy remains the only recent AAA title set in the Wizarding World. Everything else on this list borrows the emotional register, not the IP.
