'Hogwarts Legacy' Rating Hints At A Darker Game Than We Were Expecting

The current rating for Hogwarts Legacy suggests that the long-awaited Harry Potter RPG could be a little darker than we were expecting.

When Hogwarts Legacy was first announced, it looked like we were getting a pretty standard open-world RPG that finally allowed players to live out their dreams of attending Hogwarts. However, subsequent trailers and gameplay details have made it pretty clear that the adventure has some pretty mature undertones.

Earlier this year, for example, it was confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy will let players embrace their dark side and use some of the more unsavory spells seen in Harry Potter lore. While it's unlikely you'll be able to walk down school corridors pinging off unforgivable curses in the faces of first-year students, the inclusion of spells that can kill people suggest bad things are afoot.

Sure enough, as recently pointed out on the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit, the game's official website currently boasts a provisional PEGI 16 rating. While this could change between now and release, I have to admit that PEGI 16 (the second-highest age rating) is not what I was expecting for a Harry Potter game.

As per PEGI's website, the 16 rating is applied "once the depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. The use of bad language in games with a PEGI 16 rating can be more extreme, while the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs can also be present."

I should stress this absolutely doesn't mean Hogwarts Legacy is going to be full of drugs and sex, but it's interesting to note the part on violence.

Of course, it's also worth pointing out that many PEGI 16 games aren't actually that shocking in terms of their content at all. Both Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Spider-Man earned 16 ratings for their depictions of violence, and neither could exactly be described as visceral or gory.

For now, I'd probably advise any concerned parents out there to simply wait and see what Hogwarts Legacy has in store for us when it launches in December.