When does Hogwarts Legacy take place? Harry Potter timeline explained

Zackerie Fairfax
Harry Potter beside the Hogwarts castle

Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t quite take place as close to the Harry Potter timeline as you’d think, but you may be wondering how it fits into the greater lore of the Wizarding World. Here’s everything you need to know about the Hogwarts Legacy timeline.

Hogwarts Legacy allows players to live out their fantasies of enrolling at Hogwarts and exploring the magical wizarding world. The world in which the game takes place was, of course, made famous by the Harry Potter books and films that chronicled the journey of the young wizard.

Before they start learning spells, taming beasts, and discovering all sorts of familiar locations, fans may be wondering when exactly Hogwarts Legacy takes place.

Here’s everything you need to know about whether Hogwarts Legacy is set before or after the adventures of the famous ‘boy who lived’.

When does Hogwarts Legacy take place?

Hogwarts Legacy is set in the 1800s to give players enough distance from the events of the Boy Who Lived saga.

More specifically, Hogwarts Legacy is set in 1890, 100 years before Harry joined the wizarding academy in 1991, and 30 years before the Fantastic Beasts series. This puts players in the center of their own adventure, even before Tom Riddle was born.

hogwarts legacy wandHogwarts Legacy players will visit Olivander’s to get their wands.

What age are players in Hogwarts Legacy?

Players start Hogwarts Legacy as 5th-year students, putting them around the ages of 15-16.

However, since Hogwarts Legacy offers a new storyline outside of the Wizarding World J. K. Rowling created, players can’t use The Order of the Phoenix to foretell what will come later in the game.

hogwarts legacy broomHogwarts Legacy students can ride their brooms on and off campus.

How does the time period affect Hogwarts Legacy?

Hogwarts Legacy does not have all the technological advancement fans have seen in Harry Potter. For one, while players can purchase different brooms to ride on, they won’t find any Nimbus 2000s on store shelves, as brooms are relatively new tech in Hogwarts Legacy.

However, it doesn’t seem like a completely different world than the ones Harry, Hermione, and Ron explored. Fashions are a little different, but it doesn’t feel like an archaic wizard experience. Players will even encounter familiar characters or some new ones that come from known families.

How old was Dumbledore when Hogwarts Legacy took place?

As mentioned above, Hogwarts Legacy takes place in 1890. According to J.K. Rowling, Albus Dumbledore was born nine years earlier in Mould-on-the-Wold, England. That means Dumbledore was not only alive when the events of Hogwarts Legacy took place, but he was nine years old, just two years away from getting his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

Because of that, Dumbledore does not appear in Hogwarts Legacy, nor is he mentioned, simply because he hasn’t arrived at the grand old castle yet. As we all know, Dumbledore would not only go on to study at the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry but go on to become headmaster, where he would preside over thousands of pupils, including one Harry Potter.

And that’s everything players need to know about when Hogwarts Legacy takes place. For more Hogwarts Legacy guides, check out the articles listed below:

Which classic Harry Potter characters are in Hogwarts Legacy? | What is the Vivarium in Hogwarts Legacy? | Hogwarts Legacy Trophy list | Is Hogwarts Legacy coming to Xbox Game Pass? | How to get Thestral mount in Hogwarts Legacy | Hogwarts Legacy voice actors for all characters | All confirmed mounts in Hogwarts Legacy | PC requirements & specs for Hogwarts Legacy | Will Hogwarts Legacy be on Steam Deck? | How to play Hogwarts Legacy early | How to get sorted into your House & pick your wand in Hogwarts Legacy | All confirmed classes & professors in Hogwarts Legacy | Can you play Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy? | Will Hogwarts Legacy have microtransactions?