Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch trailer revealed: Gameplay, release date and more

After much anticipation, Nintendo Switch fans finally get a look at Hogwarts Legacy running on actual hardware. Publisher Warner Bros. Games has revealed the debut trailer for the acclaimed open-world RPG featuring footage captured from on Nintendo's hybrid console. This offers fans a sneak peek at the visuals and performance on the portable device.

With the game's Nintendo Switch launch around the corner, here's everything players need to know.

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Hogwarts Legacy gets a brand new trailer showcasing impressive visuals on Nintendo Switch

First off, this is a native console port and not a cloud rendition like many gamers would think. This is fairly obvious, with aliasing visible on character models as well as low-quality textures. Given that Nintendo's latest console only boasts 4 GB of total system RAM, this was to be expected. However, the developers at Avalanche Software have made cuts where needed while retaining the bells and whistles where required.

To point out some highlights of this upcoming port, the character models look stunning, especially during cutscenes. The level of core character model detailing also seems identical to other versions, with the crisp lighting also being retained.

That said, there are some points of concern that might dissuade players, especially the lackluster textures, which stick out like a sore thumb. That said, this isn't really something that can be helped, given the spec profile of the system.

The bigger deal will be performance. We have yet to see an official look at the uncut open-world gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch. The closest we have come is official screenshots from the Nintendo eShop that were revealed last month. But that does not really give an idea of what players can expect. However, looking at the in-engine cutscene performance from the latest trailer, it does seem promising.

Hogwarts Legacy is compromised but still works on Nintendo Switch (Image via Warner Bros. Games)

Having said that, Hogwarts Legacy was and still is a demanding game. Players noticed performance drops on older PS4 and Xbox One consoles in CPU-bound scenarios. As such, it would not be unreasonable to expect Hogwarts Legacy's Nintendo Switch port to have similar performance levels.

On that note, the game's visual compromises also make sense when taking its file size footprint into consideration.

At just 6.8 GB, it is about three times smaller than the Xbox One's 22 GB install size, which in turn was dwarfed by the massive 73 GB file size for PC. This makes the Nintendo Switch rendition 10.5 times smaller than the current-gen renditions. Despite that, however, Nintendo fans are not missing out on anything, as Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch is the complete package in terms of content.

Players still get to create a custom avatar chosen to attend the esteemed fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and explore the outdoors of the Wizarding World to learn more about the ancient magic they harness.

Learning new spells, making new friends, and fighting powerful foes are still the main objectives — only portable this time around. Like other versions, players can opt for the Standard Edition or the Deluxe Edition, which features bonus content.

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Hogwarts Legacy arrives on Nintendo Switch on November 14, 2023. The game is already available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.