The South Hogwarts Region is the geographical area immediately surrounding Hogwarts Castle to the south. While the landscape is implicitly present in the original novels as the countryside the Hogwarts Express travels through, the specific name and detailed layout are defined in the Hogwarts Legacy video game. In the context of the game, which is set in the 1890s, the region serves as the first major explorable area outside of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. It is a vast and verdant landscape bordered by the Black Lake to the north and other regions like the Hogsmeade Valley and Feldcroft Region to the east and west, respectively. (Hogwarts Legacy) The region's geography includes the iconic railway viaduct over a large loch, which the Hogwarts Express crosses on its journey. It is also home to the small, peaceful hamlet of Lower Hogsfield. The landscape is scattered with remnants of ancient magic, including puzzle sites known as Merlin Trials, as well as dangers such as encampments of rogue Dark Wizards and lairs of creatures like Dugbogs and Mooncalves. (Hogwarts Legacy) From the perspective of the original novels, this area is largely unnamed wilderness. It contains the path that connects Hogsmeade Station to the road leading to Hogwarts, which first-year students traverse via boats across the Black Lake and older students travel via Thestral-drawn carriages.
The South Hogwarts Region's primary role exists within the narrative of the Hogwarts Legacy video game. It acts as a starting point for the player's exploration of the wider Wizarding World and is the setting for numerous early-game quests and challenges. It establishes the game's open-world nature, introducing the player to combat, exploration mechanics, and side-quests involving the local inhabitants and mysteries. In the original book series, the area has no distinct role or name. It is simply part of the scenery and the grounds surrounding Hogwarts, significant only as the landscape through which students arrive and depart from the school at the beginning and end of each term.
The “South Hogwarts Region” is a geographical designation created specifically for the video game Hogwarts Legacy (2023) to delineate a map zone for gameplay purposes. In the original seven novels by J.K. Rowling, this area is never given a formal name. The game's developers expanded upon the few geographical details provided in the books—such as the presence of a great lake, a nearby train station, and vast grounds—to create a fully realized and explorable landscape. The inclusion of hamlets like Lower Hogsfield and specific challenges like the Merlin Trials are inventions for the game to populate the world and provide content for the player.