Hogwarts Mystery

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is a role-playing video game that allows players to experience life as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The game's story is set in the 1980s, prior to the events of the Harry Potter novels. All information presented in this entry is sourced from the game itself (video game) and is not part of the primary book canon.

• Type: Mobile Role-Playing Video Game (Portkey Games)
• Location: The primary setting is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with other visitable locations including Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Forbidden Forest (video game).
• Owner/Residents: Key original characters include the player character (referred to as Jacob's sibling), Rowan Khanna, Penny Haywood, Ben Copper, and the main rival, Merula Snyde. The game also features younger versions of canon characters such as Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, and Nymphadora Tonks as students, and Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape as faculty (video game).
• Key Features: A narrative-driven plot focused on uncovering the mystery of the Cursed Vaults, a prequel setting exploring the wizarding world between the First and Second Wizarding War, and gameplay mechanics involving lessons, duelling, and building friendships (video game).

The story begins in 1984, when the player character receives their acceptance letter to Hogwarts. The player's older brother, Jacob, was previously expelled from Hogwarts for breaking school rules while searching for the fabled Cursed Vaults and has since gone missing. The player character's primary motivation throughout their Hogwarts years is to clear their family name, find their brother, and solve the mystery of the vaults themselves (video game). The plot unfolds over the player's seven years at Hogwarts. Alongside attending classes like Potions, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts, the player forms a core group of friends to aid in their investigation. They frequently clash with Merula Snyde, a talented but cruel Slytherin student who also seeks the vaults. The investigation leads the player to uncover and break the curses on several vaults hidden throughout the castle and its grounds, each protected by powerful magic and dangerous guardians. Throughout this journey, the player must also contend with a shadowy organization known as 'R', which has its own sinister interest in the vaults' power (video game).

As a licensed product under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Mystery serves to expand the wizarding world by exploring a previously detailed but largely unseen era. It populates the 1980s at Hogwarts with a new cast of characters and provides a glimpse into the student lives of several canon characters before Harry Potter's arrival. The central plot of the Cursed Vaults introduces new lore and history specific to Hogwarts Castle. While it operates within the timeline of the established universe, its events are self-contained and do not directly impact the narrative of the original seven novels (video game).

The core of the game's plot revolves around several key mysteries and locations, referred to in-game as the Cursed Vaults.

• The Cursed Vaults: A series of five hidden vaults within Hogwarts, each sealed with a unique and powerful curse (video game).
  • Vault of Ice: The first vault, hidden behind a locked door in the castle. Its curse manifests as an aggressive, spreading ice that freezes its victims.
  • Vault of Fear: The second vault, located in the Restricted Section of the library. It is guarded by boggarts and its curse causes victims to be trapped by visions of their greatest fears.
  • Vault of Forest: The third vault, found deep within the Forbidden Forest and guarded by an Acromantula. Its curse causes a sleepwalking-like state.
  • Vault of Portrait: The fourth vault, concealed within a portrait. Its curse traps people inside painted landscapes.
  • Vault of Statue: The fifth and final vault, whose curse petrifies its victims, requiring them to be sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• 'R': A mysterious and dangerous secret organization that serves as the primary antagonist. They are actively seeking to control the Cursed Vaults for their own purposes and frequently try to sabotage the player's efforts (video game).

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was developed by Jam City and is the first game to be released under the Portkey Games label from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a brand dedicated to new wizarding world experiences. The game was released worldwide on April 25, 2018, for iOS and Android devices (video game). Upon release, the game received criticism for its heavy reliance on an “energy” system, a freemium mechanic that limits the pace of gameplay unless players make in-app purchases. The canonicity of the game's story and characters is a subject of fan discussion; while it is an officially licensed product, its narrative was not created by J.K. Rowling and is generally considered to be outside the primary canon of the seven books.