Last year, Avalanche Studios released Hogwarts Legacy, a record-breaking RPG set in the Harry Potter universe. The title shattered sales records, but dedicated fans of the wizarding world noticed something was missing: Quidditch, the Harry Potter equivalent of rugby.
Enter Unbroken Studios and Warner Bros. Games with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, designed to fill the gap left by Hogwarts Legacy. Quidditch Champions delivers all the action and strategy fans expect from the Quidditch pitch, presenting a high-octane, unpredictable magical sport. Though it’s often described as “brutal,” no one has died in years.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions begins by immersing the player in a detailed tutorial, covering the essentials of the sport beloved by witches and wizards, including the actions of each position. For newcomers, there are four positions on a Quidditch pitch: Chaser, Beater, Keeper, and Seeker. Each role, as seen in the books and films, has its own responsibilities, similar to other sports, and the gameplay reflects these differences.
“Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions demonstrates careful thought in its design, and developing a successful scoring strategy is deeply satisfying.”
To simplify, if Quidditch were soccer, Chasers would be strikers or midfielders, Beaters would be defenders, and Keepers would remain Keepers. The Seeker position is what sets Quidditch apart from other sports. The Seeker’s job is to catch a small, lightning-fast ball called the Golden Snitch (bonus points for guessing its colour). While in traditional Quidditch the game ends when a Seeker catches the Snitch, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions balances this by awarding only 30 points toward the 100 needed to win. Additionally, there are multiple Snitches to catch.
Although it may seem straightforward, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is more complex than it appears. Chasers must track down the Quaffle and score by throwing it through one of the three goalposts on either side of the pitch. Beaters target Chasers, Seekers, and even the Keeper with Bludgers to injure or temporarily sideline them. Chasers can pass, shoot, tackle opponents to gain control of the Quaffle, and dodge. Think of Chasers as your point guards, while Beaters aim to disrupt play and prevent scoring by damaging other players. Each position on the pitch has a boost meter, simulating the stamina gauge found in other sports games.
While Chasers and Beaters are the action-oriented roles, the Keeper, similar to soccer, is restricted to a small area (defined by invisible borders) and must stop opposing Chasers from scoring. Keepers can also generate rings—similar to Superman 64—that replenish the boost meters of teammates, adding another strategic element to Quidditch. Overall, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions demonstrates careful thought in its design, and developing a successful scoring strategy is deeply satisfying.
The Seeker gameplay in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is reduced to battling the opposing team’s Seeker to grab the Golden Snitch while dodging Bludgers, hazards, and even the other Seeker, who can push into you, much like Draco Malfoy did to Harry Potter in the films. Although this can be fun in online play, the core mechanic boils down to flying through golden rings until a gauge fills, then pressing ‘A’ when in range of the Snitch. Unfortunately, the Snitch follows a fixed flight pattern on every Quidditch pitch, flying in the same oval repeatedly. This repetitive motion, akin to watching paint dry, makes the Seeker’s role feel uninspired and difficult to recommend.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions aims to evoke nostalgia for the well-received Quidditch World Cup game for GameCube, released in 2003, but several issues arise in comparison. Unlike its predecessor, Quidditch Champions is a live service game that requires a constant internet connection for all modes, whether you’re playing the campaign, online, or simply practicing.
This puzzling design choice is compounded by the removal of the option for two players to share the same screen. While these decisions aren’t game-breaking, they do dampen the Quidditch nostalgia and may mislead those expecting a sequel to Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, as the title might suggest. The original GameCube title did not require an always-on internet connection and allowed fans to enjoy split-screen gameplay.
“One of the best feelings in sports is scoring, but in Quidditch Champions, the real highlight is when you execute a well-placed Quaffle pass to a teammate.”
Despite these shortcomings, the fast-paced, high-energy online gameplay remains engaging. Players can choose two separate roles, such as Keeper/Chaser, Seeker/Chaser, or Beater/Chaser, which helps keep roles balanced and the games fun. This is a smart design choice, as playing the Keeper alone can feel less engaging than one of the more action-packed roles, and the ability to swap between roles works seamlessly online. The Chaser position is the most enjoyable, and with online matches being 3v3, everyone gets a chance to play.
During a game—my favourite secondary position being the Beater—I was able to seamlessly switch between playing defence as a Beater and chasing the Quaffle as a Chaser, all while avoiding the Superman 64-like ring threading that characterizes Seeker gameplay. Swapping to Beater, throwing a Bludger at an opposing Chaser, causing them to drop the Quaffle, and then quickly switching back to scoop up the fumble feels incredibly precise and satisfying to pull off.
One of the best feelings in sports is scoring, but in Quidditch Champions, the real highlight is when you execute a well-placed Quaffle pass to a teammate in a better position, and they score off the assist. This is where Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions shines—a full Quidditch match with real-life players, all working together to outmaneuver the opposing team. When conditions are right, Quidditch Champions is an incredibly fun game that compels players to play just one more match. The game even allows teams to stay together if there’s good chemistry.
However, it’s worth mentioning that while playing as the Seeker, the golden rings you must fly through sometimes spawn outside the invisible arena barriers, making them impossible to collect. Another issue occurs when you get too close to the scoring rings—on occasion, the Keeper automatically blocks your shot, even if they’re not nearby. In a game where the primary strength is fun, competitive online play must be fair, and this particular issue feels frustratingly unfair.
One final note is that fans can customize their players as they wish. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions allows you to create your own team (for campaign mode) and outfit them however you like. I made my character wear a snake-mascot hat—go Slytherin!—and while it looked ridiculous, it was also awesome.
As a fun nod to Luna Lovegood in the films, you can even wear her quirky Gryffindor mascot mask. Perhaps the biggest surprise—and laugh-out-loud moment—I’ve seen in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a customization option that lets you look like the infamous meme of Hagrid from the PS1 game. Now, at least in Quidditch Champions, you can feel and look like PS1 Hagrid.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a solid return to the sporting side of the Wizarding World. While disappointing issues like the lack of split-screen, unreachable ring mechanics, and occasional glitches make the gameplay inconsistent, Quidditch Champions is genuinely fun to play. It feels like a game that prioritizes fun above all else, with polish coming second.
At the time of this review, Quidditch Champions suffers from a lack of content, making the price tag somewhat questionable. It raises the question of why Quidditch wasn’t included as a DLC for Hogwarts Legacy instead of being released as a standalone game.
That said, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a solid first entry in the Quidditch genre’s return, and it’s sure to satisfy fans who have that “Quidditch itch”—especially when the only alternative is dusting off your GameCube and broomstick from 2003.
