Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch release date delayed to November 2023

Hogwarts Legacy's tryst with delays continues, as the release of the title's Nintendo Switch port has been delayed by around four months. The initial launch date for the handheld platform was July 2023. The latest announcement from WB Games and Avalanche sees it pushed to November of this year. Given the hardware capabilities of Nintendo Switch, fans have been quick to speculate about the port's current condition.

After years of anticipation and hype, Hogwarts Legacy was released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S in February. With a few months left to launch, WB Games Avalanche announced in December 2022 that the wizarding world RPG would have a delayed launch on last-gen consoles and Nintendo Switch.

It was mentioned that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players would get to dive into the game on April 4, and Nintendo Switch would get it on July 25. The last-gen console's release date was further pushed back when the developers announced in March that they were releasing it on May 5.

While the console ports did indeed come out in May, Nintendo Switch's release date followed similar suit and got delayed.

---

Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch: Further four months of wait and an uncertainty

Hogwarts Legacy's new Nintendo Switch release date is November 14, later this year. The developers acknowledged that the fans eagerly await the game to arrive on the platform and that "creating the best possible experience is [their] top priority."

While the sentiment expressed is of the same tune as those that accompanied previous delay announcements, it is better to delay a title's release than push out a broken one on the set deadline. Fans have recently been treated to a slew of AAA games with terrible technical issues and optimization, albeit on PC. Even Hogwarts Legacy was panned for its PC performances upon launch.

Furthermore, fans have always been vocal about their uncertainty regarding how the graphically intensive wizarding world RPG will run on Nintendo Switch. The conversation surrounding the underpowered nature of the Switch has been occurring for some time, and everyone will agree that the console needs an upgrade.

When the game was announced for Nintendo Switch, fans quickly asked whether the title would run natively or a cloud version. While the Switch's hardware and Hogwarts Legacy's impressive visuals raise questions about the former, the latter will require a steady internet connection to play the game.

Given that the official FAQ page for the game does not mention a cloud version, one can hope it will run natively on Nintendo Switch. The present delay will be spent optimizing the game to its best possible state to run on the hybrid video game console. With the recent success of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports, WB Games Avalanche will surely pull it off.