Can you explore outside of Hogwarts in Hogwarts Legacy?

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Hogwarts Legacy looks like a Harry Potter fan’s dream video game. Developer Avalanche Studios has taken the Wizarding World that’s captivated so many people over the years and turned it into a virtual playground, with players right at the center of it. The recent gameplay trailer shows players can master spells, battle others with their wands, customize their own cottage via the Room of Requirement and more.

However, most of the trailer showed players within the confines of Hogwarts and its surrounding areas. Will the full game allow for players to venture outside of the grounds?

Going outside of the castle in Hogwarts Legacy

In short, yes, you will be able to go far beyond the castle walls in Hogwarts Legacy. This was made abundantly clear in the gameplay trailer, where players were seen talking to NPCs on the streets of London to the many shops in Hogsmeade.

It’s unclear exactly how players will gain the opportunity to go outside the castle. Presumably, this progression is tied to the main story. The more players advance the story, the more chances they’ll get to go outside of Hogwarts. The game is confirmed to be an open-world experience, so once you can visit places beyond the castle, you can likely do so as much as you wish.

So far, we know that Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake will all be explorable in some way. These are technically still within the confines of Hogwarts, though. Areas fully outside of Hogwarts include going to merchants on the streets of London and going to an unknown location to customize your own house. You get to the merchants by flying your broom and you customize your cottage through the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts.

For now, that’s all we know in terms of areas explorable outside of the castle grounds. However, it would seem likely Avalanche Studios has more up its sleeves. Players will have to wait to see more of these secrets as Hogwarts Legacy’s release date draws closer.