Author: Game Infliction

How to Watch the Harry Potter Movies in Chronological Order

Although there are many folks out there who think the books were better than their film adaptations, the Harry Potter movies have become an essential part of the franchise. The film universe has even extended beyond the original series with 3 addtional Fantastic Beast prequels that introduced us to a new part of the wizarding world. Now that Hogwarts Legacy has arrived as well, it’s a good time to revisit the Potter timeline to see where everything fits.

Whether you’re new to the series or have just forgotten the proper order of the films, we’ve got you covered with our guides below. Take a look at how to watch the Harry Potter movies in chronological order or by release date.

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How Many Harry Potter Movies are There?

Although there were only 7 books in the original series, there are a total of 11 movies in the Harry Potter franchise. This includes 8 films based on the books (2 parts for the Deathly Hallows) and 3 Fantastic Beasts prequels. Outside of the films there is a Broadway play called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well as quite a lot of Harry Potter games — including the newest one, Hogwarts Legacy.

Where Does Hogwarts Legacy Fit in the Harry Potter Timeline?

Hogwarts Legacy takes place before any of the mainline movies sometime around the 1890s. For context, the Fantastic Beasts movies begin in the 1920s and the Harry Potter films start in the 1990s. And although it takes place before the films, there are quite a few last names in Hogwarts Legacy you’ll recognize from the books and movies and Hogwarts Castle is pretty much exactly the same.

The Harry Potter Movies in Chronological Order

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Set all the way back in 1926, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the first Harry Potter spin-off prequel to hit theaters. Considering it takes place around 70 years before Harry starts school at Hogwarts, it is the first film you’ll want to watch if you’re going by chronological order. The first Fantastic Beasts film focuses on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he navigates his way through New York and the magical underpinnings of the United States.

Read our review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Just a few months after the end of the first prequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald takes us back to England and features even more tie-ins to the original Harry Potter Movies. We get a look at a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and even get introduced to a youthful Minderva McGonagall (Fiona Glascott). The film itself largely focuses on the villain revealed in the first movie, Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

Read our review of The Crimes of Grindelwald

3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the first film in the Fantastic Beasts series that sees a true time jump. Set 5 years after the events of The Crimes of Grindelwald, the third film in the Fantastic Beasts series largely focuses on Grindelwald himself once again — who is actually played by Mads Mikkelsen this time. There are a few time jumps due to a creature named Qilin, but most of the movie is set in the 1930s.

Read our review of The Secrets of Dumbledore.

4. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone is the first film in the original series. And while the majority of the film takes place in 1991, the true start of the film is technically 1980 — the year when Harry was born and Hagrid drops him of at the Dursley residence. Since this is the first Harry Potter movie released, it gives us our first look at Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) as well as our initial forray into wizarding world through a Muggle lens.

See more about The Sorcerer’s Stone.

5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second film released in the franchise and thus follows Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. This places the movie between 1992 and 1993 as Harry uncovers truths of the past from giant spiders and a young ghost-like Voldemort. It also gives us our first indroduction to Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) and Dobby the House Elf.

See more about The Chamber of Secrets.

6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third film in the original series and coincides with Harry’s third year of classes at Hogwarts — taking place in 1993. This is the first film where we start to truly see the darker side of the wizarding world as we get introduced to the likes of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall). We also get an introduction to werewolves from the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), and of course the creepy soul-sucking Dementors of Azkaban.

Read our review of The Prisoner of Azkaban.

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth movie in the original series and coincides with Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. Taking place in 1994, The Goblet of Fire breathes new life into Hogwarts with the addition of the Triwizard Tournament and the Yule Ball. We get introduced to new important characters like Mad Eye Moody (Brendand Gleeson) and Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson). We also get our first look at a professional Quidditch tournament as well as members and faculty from other wizarding schools. This also the first film Harry comes face to face with a fully alive Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

Read our review of The Goblet of Fire.

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth film in the original series and takes place in 1995. Harry starts his fifth year of Hogwarts with a newfound family of sorts and we get our first look at some of the other members of The Order of the Phoenix like the shapeshifting Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena). We also get our first introduction to Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), who plays an important role in the coming films. There is also a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with a penchant for cruelty that everyone gets to hate, Delores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton).

Read our review of The Order of the Phoenix.

9. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the sixth film to be released and takes place in 1996. As Harry enters his sixth year at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry, he is starting to truly grow up after being faced with even more death. In this film we get our first true look into the motives of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). We also get to see Voldemort and the Deatheaters fully on the loose as Dumbledore reveals more secrets about the prophecy Harry is a part of. Although this film starts to get pretty dark, it’s also where we see more of Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) and expand her relationship with Harry.

Read our review of The Half Blood Prince.

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 takes place in 1997 and coincides with the seventh and final book in the series. This is the first film that breaks up the story of a single book into two movies, and for good reason as there’s a lot of story to unpack. In what would have been Harry’s seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Ron instead set out into the real world to find and destroy Horcruxes. With quite a bit of action and deep character growth between Harry, Ron, and Hermione it’s clear the franchise is reaching it’s climax here. We also get a deeper look at the relationships between Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters.

Read our review of The Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the final movie in the Harry Potter series chronologically. Set in 1998, this film is a continuation of part 1 starting right where the previous film left off. As Harry and his friends reveal more information about the prophecy Harry is part of, they eventually make their way back to Hogwarts for a final showdown against Voldemort and the Deatheaters. It’s an emotional battle that ends in the death of a some fan favorite Harry Potter characters, but we do get to see the true heroics of Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) and a rather definitive end to story.

Read our review of The Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

How to Watch Harry Potter Movies By Release Date

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
  • Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Looking for more movie timelines? Check out our guide on how to watch Lord of the Rings in order as well as our guide to Star Wars in order. And if you’re looking for merch, check out our collection of Harry Potter Merchandise from the IGN store.

Soapbox: Alone In The Dark On GBC Is A Bizarre Relic You Should Play At Least Once

Be afraid?

Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Ollie sits down with the least loved entry in the current Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy library and finds an odd, twisted version of a game he loves…

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare for the PlayStation is no masterpiece.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Feature: Hyrule Fields, Ranked – The Best Grassy Plains In The Zelda Franchise

Perfect for a picnic?

There’s no greater feeling in a Legend of Zelda game than when you first step out onto Hyrule Field, is there? It’s the moment when the games shake off the training wheels and let’s you loose in the world of Hyrule, free to go in whichever direction you like.

Where on earth do you start? What’s that settlement over there? Oh god, why are skeletons sprouting from the ground? Whether you’re galloping with Epona or simply slogging it in your trusty brown boots, cruising around Hyrule Field truly encapsulates the adventurous spirit of the Zelda series.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Countdown: Wii U eShop Spotlight – Pushmo World

#2 – Pull or push?

For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we’re going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it’s too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good soon and, for one reason or another, these eShop-exclusives are close to our hearts.

Today, Alana nominates the delightful Pushmo World, the sequel to the original 3DS puzzle game.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Sons of the Forest Sells 2 Million Copies in 24 Hours After Entering Early Access

After only 24 hours in Early Access, Sons of the Forest has already sold over two million copies.

Sons of the Forest developer Endnight Games shared the news on Twitter alongside promising some exciting things to come in the near future.

“Thanks to those who have joined us in our Early Access journey into Sons of the Forest,” Endnight Games wrote. “We have sold over 2 million copies in the first 24 hours, and are very excited for what we have in store for players in the coming weeks.”

Sons of the Forest, which is an open-world survival horror game that sends players to a remote island filled with cannibals and other dangers to find a missing billionaire, also rose up the concurrent player charts on Steam, with over 350,100 users playing the game at once.

As of this writing, Sons of the Forest is at 255,134 concurrent players and sits only behind Dota 2’s 271,407 players and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s 563,954 players on Steam. For comparison, the original game – The Forest – had an all-time peak of 76,226.

We’ll have much more on Sons of the Forest in the future, but you can check out our preview of the game, where we said it, “appears to evolve and build on every aspect of its predecessor with a focused goal of realism and developing a flexible ecosystem, and it feels like the building blocks are there to create something truly special. But its killer feature is the addition of impressively sophisticated and smarter AI enemies and companions that could not only provide a huge leap forward for the series, but the survival game genre as a whole.”

For more, check out five developer tips for surviving your first night in Sons of the Forest, five things you need to know about the game, and our explainer of the story of The Forest to catch you up for this new adventure.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Dragon Age: Origins Writer Calls for Remaster With ‘PS5-Era Bells and Whistles’

We’re in an age of remasters and remakes. In the first few months of 2023 alone, we’re seeing relreases of high-profile games like Dead Space, Metroid Prime, and Resident Evil 4. With 2000s nostalgia at an all-time high right now, video game writer David Gaider is calling for a remaster of 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins.

Gaider was the lead writer and setting creator for BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, and would go on to work on both Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition. On Twitter, Gaider wrote, “If we’re on a kick re-mastering games from the aughts, what about Dragon Age Origins? Its graphics were behind the curve even at the time of release… can you imagine it with brand new PS5-era bells and whistles?”

Replying to some other Twitter users, Gaider played down the likelihood of a Dragon Age remaster happening, saying “I suspect EA would only do it if they thought it would sell like *gold-plated* hotcakes. They’ve… never really gotten DA, or understood why it sold better than Mass Effect, was my impression.”

The writer also said he’d even be satisfied with “Inquisition-level graphics” and just wants “Morrigan to not have the shoulders of a linebacker and for the sex scenes to not look like someone bashing marionettes together and shouting ‘now kiss!'”

Dragon Age: Origins released to critical acclaim in 2009, and the game made IGN’s list of the best modern RPGs. Recently, Origins’ lead technical artist revealed some of the biggest “what-ifs” from the first game’s development.

We haven’t seen a new Dragon Age game released since Inquisition in 2014, but BioWare is currently working on the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. There’s still a long ways to go in development, but the studio recently confirmed that the game is now playable from start to finish. However, the project recently lost its production designer when Mac Walters left BioWare after nearly 20 years.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.