History VideoGame / HarryPotter

Creator/WarnerBros didn't stop at turning the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books into [[Film/HarryPotter a series of movies]]. They also adapted the series to video games, originally via movie-tie games developed by Creator/ElectronicArts.

The earlier ''Harry Potter'' games were realized as typical ActionAdventure games with the usual tropes of InexplicableTreasureChests, RewardingVandalism, BottomlessPits, FloatingPlatforms, and so forth. Almost exclusively playing as Harry, you learn spells from the teachers to get through the MalevolentArchitecture of Hogwarts and win {{Boss Battle}}s. Along the way, you collect goodies -- mainly Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and collectible wizard cards -- while vaguely drifting through the canon storyline. Rather cartoony animation and cheesy voice acting also figured in.

As the series went along, the graphics became more photo-realistic until they reached the point where they started using digital scans of the actors. Hogwarts as well gradually evolved from not particularly looking anything like the castle of the films to being a seamless duplication of it. Some of the actors from the movies, mostly the cheaper ones (though Creator/RalphFiennes is a notable exception), were eventually brought in to voice their characters for the games. Out of the central trio, Creator/RupertGrint has voiced his character for the games, but Creator/DanielRadcliffe and Creator/EmmaWatson have not. The format also changed into more of a WideOpenSandbox with various {{Mini Game}}s such as dueling other students, playing Quidditch, and brewing potions.

The format changed again with the ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' games (two to go with the two movies), which shifted the gameplay into more of a ThirdPersonShooter. The ''Hallows'' games do continue with basically the same "look" as the fifth and sixth games, however.

There are also four Franchise/{{LEGO}} games; Two ''LEGO Creator'' games, as well as ''VideoGame/LEGOHarryPotter: Years 1-4'' and ''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7''. After WB had smashing success developing video games based on some of their other IP in house (including ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkham Batman]]'') throughout the 2010s, they decided to stop licensing. In 2017, they created a subsidiary called Creator/PortkeyGames solely dedicated to this franchise. Its projects include [[MobilePhoneGame mobile games]] like ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' and an upcoming open world RPG called ''Hogwarts Legacy''. And there's the unofficial parody game, ''VideoGame/{{Warthogs}}''.

Creator/WarnerBros didn't stop at turning the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books into [[Film/HarryPotter a series of movies]]. They also decided to release a video game adaptation in conjunction with each film and Creator/ElectronicArts obliged.

!!The EA game series:

* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' (2001)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'' (2002)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterQuidditchWorldCup'' (2003)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' (2004)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' (2005)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' (2007)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'' (2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2]]'' (2010, 2011)

!!Other ''Potter'' video games:
* ''VideoGame/LEGOHarryPotter'' (2010, 2011)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' (2018)
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterWizardsUnite'' (2019)
* ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy'' (2022)

There are also four Franchise/{{LEGO}} games; Two ''LEGO Creator'' games, as well as ''VideoGame/LEGOHarryPotter: Years 1-4'' and ''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7''. After WB had smashing success developing video games based on some of their other IP in house (including ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkham Batman]]'') throughout the 2010s, they decided to stop licensing. In 2017, they created a subsidiary called Creator/PortkeyGames solely dedicated to this franchise. Its projects include [[MobilePhoneGame mobile games]] like ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' and an upcoming open world RPG called ''Hogwarts Legacy''. This page, however, is dedicated strictly to the [=EA-produced=] ''Harry Potter'' games. And there's the unofficial parody game, ''VideoGame/{{Warthogs}}''.

* ThisIsReality: "All nonsense, of course. [[HypocrisyNod Now, back to magic reality.]]"
* TruerToTheText: Some of the games contain elements from the books that were not in the films. Considering these games were intended as film tie-ins, this is probably the unintentional result of the fact that the games and films were in production at the same time, and the game developers may not have known exactly what would and wouldn't be in the film version. Notably, the earlier games contain more book-only material, with the game series hewing closer and closer to the movie canon as it goes along.
** The first three games include Peeves fairly prominently, despite him being AdaptedOut of the films.

* SimonSaysMinigame: In the first GBA game, Harry learns spells by copying his professor's wand movements. The ''Chamber of Secrets'' GBC game has a ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''-style minigame with this sort of gameplay featuring Harry and Professor Flickwick, resulting in the amusing images of Harry doing things like shaking his tush at the screen or breakdancing on his head.

* RewardingVandalism: Played straight in most games, where shattering vases, boxes, shrubs, etc. gave you chocolate frogs, Every Flavor Beans and other goodies. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in the home console version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', where pots, vases, etc. didn't shatter when hit by spells. Instead, there was a minute-long delay before the beans regenerated to discourage milking them.

* CaptainObvious:
** "Oh, no! The door closed!"
** "Ow, that plant has spikes!" "And I imagine they're quite sharp?"

* ArtEvolution: Compare the [[http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Harry_790screen003.jpg cartoony look of the early games]] to the [[http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Confringo!.jpg realistic look of the latter games]].

* FinalBoss: If you've read the books or seen the films, you can probably guess:
** ''Stone'': Quirrell/Voldemort.
** ''Chamber'': The basilisk.
** ''Azkaban'': Not really one - closest are the Dementors (the GBA version has [[spoiler:Draco Malfoy]] jump you at the very end. PC version has final version of Peeves, who will attack Harry and his friends at the Entrance Hall first time they enter after saving Sirius).
** ''Goblet'': Voldemort.
** ''Phoenix'': Voldemort (you play as Dumbledore.)
** ''Prince'': Bellatrix, kind of. You fight a series of Death Eaters, ending with her. Harry ''tries'' to fight Snape in the concluding {{cutscene}}, but [[CutsceneIncompetence fails]] as per the plot.
** ''Hallows, Part 1'': A group fight, you vs. most of the evil cast at Malfoy Manor.
** ''Hallows, Part 2'': Come on, do we really have to tell you which two characters fight to the death?

%%* WelcomeToCorneria

* CaptainObvious: Some gems:
** "This leads to the dungeons". The best part of this is the fact that Harry says this ''every single time you enter the dungeons'' -- and the first time, that is, is when Hermione is explicating leading you to the dungeons.
** "We could change Harry into a Slytherin. No one would realize it was really Harry."

** "That's a phoenix!"
** "It bursts into flames!" (Admittedly, the fire effect was really shoddy and might not have been identifiable as fire without the dialogue.)

* ShapedLikeItself:
-->'''Goyle:''' Hey! You losers from the Gryffindor team of... losers.\\
'''Katie Bell:''' [[DeadpanSnarker That's imaginative. Did you think of that or did Malfoy?]]

!!The game series:

* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: Before the showdown with Quirrell in the first game and Tom Riddle in the second. Also, before the climax of the sixth game begins, Dumbledore directs you to make a Wiggenweld Potion for yourself and he won't take you to the Horcrux cave until you have it.

* RewardingVandalism:
** Played straight in most games, where shattering vases, boxes, shrubs, etc. gave you chocolate frogs, Every Flavor Beans and other goodies. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in the home console version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', where pots, vases, etc. didn't shatter when hit by spells. Instead, there was a minute-long delay before the beans regenerated to discourage milking them.

* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: The Game Boy Color version of the second game has a brief moment where the player can choose actions for Lockhart and the DS version of the fifth game has Lupin also playable during the Department of Mysteries battle.

* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent:
** The second and seventh games allow you to play as Harry when disguised as Gregory Goyle and Albert Runcorn.
** The Game Boy Color version of the second game has a brief moment where the player can choose actions for Lockhart and the DS version of the fifth game has Lupin also playable during the Department of Mysteries battle.

* SupernaturalIsGreen: Ectoplasm left by ghosts, which can be cleared with the Skurge Charm, is coloured green.

* YouALLLookFamiliar:
** The background students in the earlier games. They had one or two pairs of male and female students per house duplicated endlessly. And everyone looks like they're the same age as Harry -- older students only exist when they're named characters.

* AdaptationNameChange: In the ''Quidditch World Cup'' game, Slytherin's Keeper is named Kevin Bletchley. In the novels his first name is Miles.

* ArtificialStupidity: In the ''Quidditch World Cup'' game, one of the requirements for unlocking Germany's Team Special is to [[WeWinBecauseYouDidnt win when the other team catches the Snitch]]. Sound easy? It is, but the "best" part is actually letting the other team catch the Snitch. Long story short, they take FOREVER to catch it.

* EndlessGame: In a way, the Quidditch World Cup can be this. You cannot end the game until you catch the Snitch, and you cannot catch the Snitch until the Snitch bar at the top of the screen meets, which progresses according to how many times you pass the Quaffle. So if you play without passing, it can take forever to ever get to the Snitch-catching itself. And when you get a Bludger or Team Special Move, you can significantly ''reverse'' the progress of the Snitch bar…

* AdaptationalBadass: Gilderoy Lockhart in the [=PS1=] version. Rather than being incompetent at magic, he's a fairly challenging boss with unique spells and acts as something of a FinalExamBoss for the game's dueling mechanic. He’s even able to teach Harry a couple of useful spells. The latter is also true for PC version, where he also teaches the player how to fight enemies at the beginning of the game.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Ron gets a bit of this in the [=PS1=] adaptation of ''Philosopher's Stone''. In the book and the movie, he complained about Hermione to some of his friends, not knowing she could hear him. But in this game, he openly insults her while introducing her to Harry.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Professor Quirrell in the PC version of ''Philosopher's Stone''. He teaches Harry Flipendo and Lumos and helps him practice those spells; additionally, he awards Harry house points if he follows the patterns well enough and if he collects all the Challenge Stars. Kind of qualifies in the [=PS1=] version too; he teaches Harry the Verdimillious spell and if you get to class late he apologizes that he must take points from Gryffindor.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the books and films, Aragog never harmed Harry or Ron himself out of respect for Hagrid. In the ''Chamber of Secrets'' games besides the GBA one, he's a boss.

* AllMythsAreTrue: In the third game, the Chocolate Frog cards include [[DavidVsGoliath an Israelite boy]] [[Literature/TheBible who killed a Giant]], [[Literature/JackTheGiantKiller another Giant who lived atop a beanstalk by the time of his death]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory a vampire who bathed in blood]]. All games also have [[KingArthur Merlin]].

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: While more of a puzzle stage than a battlefield, the GBA version of ''Chamber of Secrets''' [[https://youtu.be/IYV2pdBi9pk?t=3m20s bean challenge rooms]] have backgrounds so colorful and wildly animated that some players become too nauseous to complete them.
* AndIMustScream: At the end of the PC version of ''Chamber of Secrets'', [[spoiler:Hermione]] states that "being petrified was awful, but I've learned a great deal from it", indicating that those who are petrified are, in fact, ''aware'' in this state. The petrification was only temporary, but still... some of the students were in this state for months. And what happened to those who were petrified by [[spoiler:Basilisks]] [[FridgeHorror before the mandrakes were discovered?]]

** The fifth game allowed you to briefly control Fred and George, Sirius Black, and even Dumbledore!

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' for home consoles ([=PS2=], Xbox, [=GameCube=]), pots, vases, shrubs, etc. would typically spawn Every Flavor Beans when hit by Flipendo (primary attack) spell. However, there was a chance of them spawning healing snacks to provide minor healing if your character was wounded.

* ArtificialStupidity:
** The Quidditch matches in the second PC game, where Gryffindor will almost always go 0-110 down... or even more, and rely on you to catch the Snitch. In the home console game, though, there will only be ten or twenty points separating either side before the snitch is caught.
** The home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game had over-zealously friendly AI, which would always shoot at the enemy as often as possible, regardless of whether or not you're standing in between them. At least they apologize if they hit you.
** In the ''Quidditch World Cup'' game, one of the requirements for unlocking Germany's Team Special is to [[WeWinBecauseYouDidnt win when the other team catches the Snitch]]. Sound easy? It is, but the "best" part is actually letting the other team catch the Snitch. Long story short, they take FOREVER to catch it.
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' features a Greek phrase on many tapestries -- it's completely meaningless. (τηε τηα χρ ωψν τηε τηπα χμαρ -- transliterated ''tēe tēa chr ōpsn tēe tēpa chmar'')
* AttackReflector: The ''"Expelliarmus!"'' spell fulfills this function in the dueling portions in ''Chamber of Secrets'' and the games that followed, instead of its canonical role as the disarming spell (and despite still being referred to as such in those instances). Eventually has Protego take its place proper as of the fifth game.
* BagOfSpilling: Downplayed; the second PC game carried over most of the spells from the first one, except it dropped Wingardium Leviosa and Incendio (the latter of which was replaced with the functionally near-identical Diffindo).

* BenevolentArchitecture: ''Deathly Hallows'' games, being cover shooters, are filled with chest-high walls.
* BigNo: In the PC version of the second game:
** When Harry is chased by a giant boulder, he lets out a completely unnecessary "Noooooooo!".
** After you defeat the Basilisk, [[CriticalExistenceFailure the Diary is destroyed]] and Tom Riddle goes "Noooooooooooooooo!".
* BodyHorror: In the final battle of the PC version of Philosopher's Stone [[spoiler:Quirrell grabs his head and ''[[AbnormalLimbRotationRange literally rotates it 180 degrees on his neck]]'' so Voldemort can see Harry face to face - and also presumably so Voldemort is facing forwards, as realising it in the same way as the book and the film did would mean he spent the ensuing BossBattle walking around backwards.]]
* BonusBoss: In the second Game Boy Color game, Lockhart's Dueling Club can count as this. You can fight a student from every year up to 7th, the latter ones being [[SNKBoss much, much harder than the final boss]].

* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the second game:
** The character known in the books and films as "The Fat Lady" is instead called "The Pink Lady". {{Lampshaded}} in the fifth game, in which she is outraged at being called "The Fat Lady". This particular change is only present in the American version of the game, presumably due to [[SeparatedByACommonLanguage the word "fat" being considered more offensive in America than in Britain.]] But even then, it seems pretty unnecessary considering that the American version of the ''books'' left the term "Fat Lady" intact...
** Ron's line after the Ford Anglia leaves for the Forbidden Forest in the book and film are respectively "Dad'll kill me" and "Dad's gonna kill me". In the game, it becomes "Great. My dad won't be happy that I lost his flying car." You know, in case people might get confused and think Ron's father would actually kill him.

** "Oh look, a bean!" [[LampshadeHanging "Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Ronald."]] "Will you stop going on about beans, Ron!"

* ChainOfDeals: There are several of these in the GBC version of ''Chamber of Secrets''.

* ChestMonster: During the Skurge challenge in the PC version of ''Chamber of Secrets'', Peeves is hiding in a chest near the end. Be prepared for a JumpScare as he's basically absent from the game (contrary to the previous game) until this point. He also hides in a couple of other chests in the game. [[ParanoiaFuel There's no way of knowing which chests he'll jump out of the first time…]]
* ColonCancer: ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows: Part 1: The Video Game''
* ComeOutComeOutWhereverYouAre: Said by Filch in the first game, at the part when you're sneaking with the invisibility cloak.
* CompositeCharacter: In most versions of the second game, Lucius Malfoy takes over Cornelius Fudge's brief role in the story, making Lucius both the one who sends Hagrid to Azkaban and suspends Dumbledore. Also, Flitwick takes Binns's lecture on the Chamber, much as [=McGonagall=] did in the film.
* CycleOfHurting: In the GBC version of ''Sorcerer's Stone'', if you fail to defeat the troll you get thrown back to just before the fight. Without any valuable healing items you may have used in the process, leaving you to get thrashed by the troll again and again and again.

* DemBones: The third PC game (and on GBA, which carries over the RPG element from the GBC releases) had you fight skeletons in the tunnels underneath the Shrieking Shack. Besides simply clawing at you, they could also throw their own bones, which did a surprising amount of damage.

* DevelopersForesight:
** In the console version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', Hermione can enter the boys' dormitory, but Harry and Ron can't enter the girls', just like in the books. [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix It's a pity the stairs don't fold into a slide if you try it, though.]]
** On the first day in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', the fourth floor is supposed to be locked. If you take a secret passage located on the seventh floor down to the fourth floor and then exit, one of the prefects will question how you got there.
** In ''Chamber of Secrets'', getting caught by prefects while disguised as Goyle will cause house points to be deducted from Slytherin instead of Gryffindor.
* DummiedOut:
** The GBA version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' has remnants of a ''VideoGame/{{Tapper}}'' clone [[http://tcrf.net/Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban_%28Game_Boy_Advance%29#Unused_Minigame floating about]] in the data. You can cheat your way into it, but its {{Unwinnable}}, as the "catch the mug" routine was either removed or never finished.
** The PC version of ''Chamber of Secrets'' has a hidden challenge level in the Gryffindor common room that can only be accessed by enabling the debug mode.
** The first game was to feature a spell [Flintifors] for turning small objects into matchboxes. If you happen to come across the Transfiguration classroom, [=McGonagall=] briefly mentions this spell [[note]]In this case, ''Flintifore''[[/note]].
** In PC version of Philosopher's Stone, you were supposed to learn Avifors, like in [=PS1=] and [=PS2=] versions, but it was cut out.

* FailedASpotCheck: In the Sneak levels of the first PC game, Filch can hear Harry's footsteps on wood and stone, as well as doors opening and closing and vases smashing, but he seemingly ''can't'' hear Harry climbing up or falling down bookcases, or the noise made when Harry tries but fails to cast a spell. (There are also certain times when he is oblivious to Harry's footsteps unless you deliberately walk right into him, such as when he's crossing the bridge at the beginning of the Sneak Down level.)

* FixedDamageAttack: In the ''Chamber of Secrets'' Game Boy Color game, Aragog's attacks always do 80 damage exactly regardless of your defense.
* ForegoneVictory:
** In the fifth game's Dumbledore vs. Voldemort duel, Dumbledore is unaffected by any curses which hit him. The duel can only end with Voldemort's defeat. In the sixth game, Crabbe and Goyle attack Harry after he takes the Felix Felicis, and in the ensuing duel, they are unable to hit him. Also while under Felix Felicis, you brew a potion which is impossible to screw up.
** In the second PC game, it is impossible to lose the House Cup. Even if Slytherin has the most points, they will get disqualified.
** In the first PC game, Slytherin always has the most points at the end of actual game play. In the concluding cutscene, Dumbledore gives the Cup to Gryffindor in the same way he does at the end of the book/film.
* GameBreakingBug: The first GBC game can have a glitch during Potions class that can prevent one of the needed ingredients from spawning, which will force you to restart your file.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** In the PC version of ''Chamber of Secrets'', the polyjuice potion level ends with a sequence where Harry has to sneak out of the Slytherin common room undetected. However, it's almost impossible to get out without at least one student spotting you, so the more common scenario is [[EveryoneChasingYou Harry bolting for the door with a horde of angry Slytherins on his tail]]. No matter how many students see him, Harry will only get expelled if one of them catches up to him.
** When the time for the ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' comes to be freed, he does so thanks to Buckbeak who also escapes execution. That doesn't prevent the players from revisiting Hagrid afterwards and have the hippogriff flight as many times as they like.

* GangUpOnTheHuman: In the [=PS2=] version of ''Chamber of Secrets'', prefects, gnomes, and gytrashes are found on the Hogwarts grounds at night. Prefects, despite the fact that they're supposed to protect Hogwarts from intruders, completely ignore the dangerous creatures roaming the grounds and are simply hellbent on chasing Harry to catch for being out of bed.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: In the GBA version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', the FinalBoss is [[spoiler:Draco Malfoy]], who has absolutely no context for his presence in the final dungeon and is basically placed there solely for the purpose of giving Harry and Hermione someone to fight.

* GoshDarnItToHeck:
** In the PC version of ''Chamber'', Harry's response to the Sorting Hat's "You would have done well in Slytherin" speech is "Oh my gosh!" Apparently the canon response of "You're wrong" was [[PlayedforLaughs just too subtle]].
** Surprisingly averted in the [=PS1=] version of ''Sorcerer's Stone'', when Professor Quirrell exclaims "Damn you, Potter!"

* GroundPound: A flaming-pot-and-lantern mecha boss in the home console Prisoner of Azkaban game can do these.
* {{Hammerspace}}: This is apparently where Harry has put Norbert during the first part of The Sneak in the first PC game.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: After you fight off a bunch of Dementors, it turns to a cutscene where Harry is failing and has to be saved by his [[spoiler:future self]], just like in the book/film.

* HeroicMime: Harry hardly has any dialogue at all in the first PC game, [[CallingYourAttacks except when he's casting spells]] and during a cutscene while climbing the tower at night. Even more so in the [=PS1=] game, where Harry only speaks when he casts spells.
* HesitationEqualsDishonesty: Many examples, especially when Harry-as-Goyle tells Malfoy he has to go the hospital wing in the second game.
* HopelessBossFight: When the Room of Requirement is discovered in the fifth game, Harry has to fight the entire Inquisitorial Squad. The fight is unwinnable -- you will lose (if not, run out of time) and Harry will be brought to Dumbledore's Office as per the plot.
* HurricaneOfPuns:
** Professor Sprout in the second [=PC=] game: "Let's dig right in, shall we?", "Harry Potter, would you like to plant your feet in front of class?", "We've planted a seed of greatness here today".
** The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor games, being much more humorous than the others, contain a lot of puns.

* HypocriticalHumor: In the PC version of Philosopher's Stone we are introduced to Peeves, and informed that "he's always causing trouble" - this is said by Fred and George Weasley!
* IceCrystals: The Glacius spells are represented with these, and even are visually shown to be crystals in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'''s GBA game.
* IndyEscape: In the second PC game, the Chamber of Secrets level includes being pursued by a perfectly spherical boulder. Weirdly, it also has a marking on one area that looks useable for the Flipendo spell, but it doesn't work.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: In the second GBC game, some of the things the people in Diagon Alley can say are very on-the-nose. One person tells you that your parents must be very proud of you; one woman comments that you look very pale and asks if you spent your summer in the cupboard.

** The second game has the most hilarious instance of this. Harry and Ron follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest and encounter a pile of logs blocking the way in. Ron responds a little too cheerfully, "I'll give you a leg up -- you'll have to brave the Forbidden Forest alone. Good luck, Harry!" Absolutely justified here, as even in the original story Ron's scared of spiders.
** In the fifth game, Hermione's recurrent excuse is that she and Ron are prefects and shouldn't really be breaking rules.
** In the 6th game, the Burrow is attacked by Death Eaters and while you (as Harry) fight, Ron and Hermione hang back and do absolutely nothing except yell pointless advice at you.

** In most versions of the second game, Ron and Hermione just assume Harry is willing to drink the polyjuice potion and risk everything by sneaking into the Slytherin common room on his own. ''And'' look for all the ingredients. However, it's pleasantly averted in the Playstation version for a change: Harry, Ron and Hermione all drink the potion, and all agree to find a few ingredients each. Harry's list is longer, but it’s established that Hermione's ingredient is the hardest one to find.

* LastLousyPoint: In the Spongify Challenge in the PC version of ''Chamber of Secrets'', one of the secret areas is unlocked by casting Alohomora on an owl that flies by. This is the ''only'' secret in the entire game that is hidden in such a way, it is not a given you will even see the owl at all, and there is no indication you need to do anything with it even if you do.
* LethalLavaLand: The [=PlayStation=] version of ''Philosopher's Stone'' has [[https://youtu.be/HSe5rilAd2Q?t=354 lava in the Forbidden Forest]].

* MasterOfUnlocking:
** Hermione in the ''Hallows, Part 2'' game.
** Ron has this gift in the home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game, where he can easily find false walls along with the treasures they contain.
* {{Metroidvania}}: The PC version of Chamber qualifies, as you gain new abilities and can explore more of the castle grounds. In addition collecting wizard cards also gains you life points.

* MissingSecret: In the second PC game, the number of secret areas unlocked is shown in the pause menu. The final segment leading up to the Chamber of Secrets indicates there are four secret areas to be found when there are really only three. Then again, [[FridgeBrilliance perhaps the final secret area is the Chamber itself]]. On the other hand, one said secrets is actually two rooms on opposite sides of a corridor. It's possible the developers just missed an event flag for one of them.
** There are several Lumos gargoyles in the same game which don't appear to serve any purpose (casting Lumos on them doesn't reveal any secret areas or hidden objects).
* MonsterCompendium:
** Lupin gives you a textbook which serves as this in home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban''. However, it only has one page at the beginning and you need to collect the rest, typically from InexplicableTreasureChests.
** The Folio Bruti in the second Game Boy Color Game contains the weaknesses and resistances of each monster as well as a one-sentence description.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The opening for the Chamber of Secrets console games includes many scenes that don't appear in the game or original story: Harry, Ron and Hermione crossing a crumbling stone bridge (nothing close to this happens at any point); Malfoy attacking Harry with a Beater's club (Malfoy is a Seeker, and is no more aggressive than the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Seekers); and Harry preparing to fire a spell at the Basilisk (the battle with the Basilisk is fought entirely with Godric Gryffindor's sword).[[note]]The latter only occurs in the Game Boy Advance adaptation, where Harry doesn't even use the sword[[/note]]

* NoFlowInCGI: Presumably why Ginny Weasley and Lucius Malfoy have short hair in the second game while otherwise duplicating the general look of their filmic counterparts. Hermione got her (badly animated) long hair, though.
* NobodyPoops: In ''Half-Blood Prince'', the boys' restroom is full of urinals but has no stalls.
* NoblewomansLaugh: The [=PS1=] version of Philosopher's Stone has the Queen pieces in the Chess scene perform one during their capture animation.

* NonStandardGameOver:
** Occurs in the second PC game should Harry be caught attempting escape from the Slytherin common room.
--->'''Snape:''' Ah, Potter, I do believe your expulsion is in order.
** Getting caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris in the PC version of Sorcerer's Stone (although what exactly happens to Harry after he's caught isn't specified). More bizarre, perhaps, is that getting caught by Snape (or any prefect) in the sneaking sections of its GBA cousin will only lose you some points and force you to restart the area.

* NotHisSled: In the GBC version of ''Philosopher's Stone'', you can't one-shot the troll with Wingardium Leviosa like Ron did in the books. Quite the opposite, in fact -- it's completely immune to that spell.
* OminousLatinChanting:
** When Harry fights the basilisk in the second game.
** It's in the third PC game during the intro and on the menu screen.
* PercentDamageAttack: The ''Chamber of Secrets'' Game Boy Color game has Ron's wand [[CriticalFailure backfiring]] as a game mechanic that deals damage equal to a quarter of Ron's current health rounded down to the nearest one.
* PerfectPlayAI: In the Dueling Club section of the second game, the spell "Mimblewimble" works on ''you'', causing you to mess up the next spell you cast. When you do that to your computer-controlled opponent, they almost instantly shake it off by quickly using a random spell (which fails due to the "Mimblewimble" effect) and then start preparing a new charm (which works correctly).
* PermanentlyMissableContent: Because you are unable to revisit past areas in the first PC game, any Famous Wizard Cards you failed to acquire are permanently lost to you.

* {{Procrastination}}: In the ''Chamber of Secrets'' video game, the reason why Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express is because the Weasley family made the extremely poor decision of not shopping at Diagon Alley until the same day as when they were supposed to go to King's Cross Station. Not that it stops the others from somehow reaching the train on time.

* RecordNeedleScratch: Used in the ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' game when Harry and Ginny start to have a "moment", but then Ginny mentions she's going to Hogsmeade with Dean. [[MoodWhiplash Yes, really.]]
* RecurringBoss:
** Peeves, oddly enough, since he wasn't in the films.
** A gargoyle boss makes various appearances in the Chamber of Secrets console game.
** The ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' home console game has enchanted books as mini-boss encounters. The first one is ostensibly the same ''Care for Magical Creatures'' textbook that featured in the novel, but later ones will also spit out spells at you.

** Inverted in the fifth game, which rewards tidying up Hogwarts. Oddly, this is the one game which actually [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] this trope, as there's a whole section of the game where you go around vandalizing the school in defiance of Umbridge's takeover. And, yes, you can still get points from tidying up Hogwarts while you're wrecking everything for Umbridge.
** ''Chamber of Secrets'':
*** Hilariously, the game has a {{Cutscene}} in which Filch mistakes Harry for breaking a vase when Harry spends the whole game breaking vases open to get the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans inside. Figures Filch had to catch him the one time it actually wasn't his fault.
*** You're sent up to Dumbledore's office, facing potential expulsion. What do you do while waiting for the headmaster to arrive? Why, raid his office for Bertie Bott's Beans and wizard cards, of course! [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong What could possibly]] [[WhatAnIdiot make him more inclined to keep you in school?]]
* RocketFist: Early boss monster in the third home console game can detach one of its torch arms and fire them at you. This hurts a lot if it hits, but the only way to defeat it is to freeze and then shatter these.

* ShieldBearingMook: The Red Caps from the home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game, equipped with daggers and rough metal shields. However, the shields are useless in this case, since you're blasting them with spells.

* SlideLevel: Some parts of the Glacius challenge from the third game feature this kind of gameplay, by using the Glacius spell to freeze the water Harry is going to slide down. You can collect goodies like Beans and Cauldron Cake, but if you fall, you have to restart this part of the challenge.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The ''Chamber of Secrets'' Game Boy Color game brings us the Venomous Tentacula''r''.
* StandardFPSGuns: The second ''Deadly Hallows'' game essentially converts all attack spells to this, ignoring their canonical effects for the sake of (relative) balance. The Expeliarmus spell is equivalent to a pistol, Petrificus Totalus is an overpowered sniper rifle, etc. with one spell even acting as ''self-guiding missile launcher'' that can break through (some) walls. One wonders why the Death Eaters even bother with Avada Kedavra …
* StupidityIsTheOnlyOption: In the GBC version of ''Sorcerer's Stone'', after Harry and Hermione send off Norbert at the top of the Astronomy Tower, the player can see that they are no longer wearing the Invisibility Cloak as they head back down. But there's no option to find it and pick it up, [[ButThouMust and no way to avoid getting caught by Filch as a result]].
* SuperDrowningSkills: In the third home console game, even slightly touching the lake or any other water body will kick you back to the spawning area. Characters will actually ''sneeze'' right after that happens!

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: One of the things Percy says if you bump into him in the second game: "I don't wanna hear any more rubbish about me having a secret girlfriend!"

* SwordBeam: How Harry fights the FinalBoss of ''Chamber of Secrets'' contrary to both the book and movie.
* TacticalSuicideBoss: In the ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' home console game, there's a boss monster in one level that assembles itself from the metal pots and torch casings lying around. It can stomp for shockwaves and fire self-guiding fireballs, but it's only vulnerable after launching one of its torch arms at you, which can then be frozen and shattered.
* {{Tagline}}: "Dare you return to Hogwarts?" for ''Chamber of Secrets''.
* TakeCover: ''Deathly Hallows'' games have conveniently placed chest-high-walls all over the place.
* TakeThat: One of the wizard cards you earn in the third game is of Amarillo Lestoat, a "flamboyant American vampire" who wrote a book called ''A Vampire's Monologue'', which is "intended to bore the reader into a stupor, making him/her easier prey for vampires." If that isn't a parody of ''Literature/TheVampireChronicles''…

* TennisBoss:
** In the first game:
*** Malfoy ambushes you on your way to Herbology class and begins to throw Wizard Crackers at you. The only way to defeat him is to pick them up once they fall to the floor and throw them back before they explode.
*** You reflect Voldemort's magical bursts back at him in order to defeat him.
** In the second PC game, Dueling Club typically degenerates into a game of tennis with Rictusempra as the ball and Expelliarmus as the racket.
* ThirdPersonShooter: The ''Deathly Hallows'' games are essentially this with wands in place of guns, leading to {{Fan Nickname}}s like ''[[VideoGame/GearsOfWar Gears of Potter]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDuty Call of Potter]]: [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Modern Wizardry]]''. ''Part 1'' also had three kinds of exploding potion bottles in place of hand grenades, though they were removed from the sequel for balancing reasons.

** In the first film, it's simply stated in dialogue that Norbert was sent away to Romania. The game version includes the part from the book in which Norbert is snuck to the top of the Astronomy Tower at night so that he can be taken away by Charlie Weasley's friends.
** The first film pares down the obstacles to the Philosopher's Stone, cutting the potions challenge and a troll that was already knocked out by Quirrell. The game adds the potions challenge back in, playing it as a ShellGame. Additionally, Fluffy is defeated by Harry playing a flute, which is true to the book, whereas the film featured Fluffy already put to sleep by a self-playing harp that Quirrell left behind.
** In ''Chamber Of Secrets'', after being blinded, it's stated that the basilisk now uses its sense of smell to find Harry instead of its hearing.
** The third game portrays Dementors as simply floating above the ground, which is how they're described in the books. The films portray them as outright flying.

* UnwinnableByMistake: The first GBC game has a GameBreakingBug that can trigger if you get the ingredients for Potions class in the wrong order; the one that's supposed to be in Snape's office will never spawn, forcing you to restart your file.
* VainSorceress: In the first PC game, there's a background Slytherin girl, who, if you run into her, will ask "I wonder if there's a spell to make me even MORE beautiful!"

** In the fifth game, you can hex random students in the hallways. Most will just run away, but some fight back. Fred and George even encourage you to practice your curses on "any passing Slytherin", though you can curse kids from other houses as well. You can curse teachers, but they'll just put you in detention.
** In the fourth, you can also drop boulders on people and push them into spiky plants.

** In the third game, you can use Glacius, the ice making spell, on obnoxious Slytherin prefects, who will yell at you to stop. Most of the wandering children are too fast to catch with this spell.

* VocalDissonance: In the first movie, Professor Quirrel stutters "p-poor, st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrel." In the video game, he says "poor, stuttering Professor Quirrel" with a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep voice]] and doesn't falter in his words.
* WeaksauceWeakness: In the third home console game:
** A ghoul attacking Neville suffers from this. The only way to defeat him is to shine light into his eyes with Lumos Duo after Ron gets it.
** The Hinkypunks are made out of gas and only become solid when you shine the light from Lumos Duo onto them. However, you have to do it for at least fifteen seconds. While they're rapidly moving around and throw explosive fire at you.

* WolfpackBoss: ''Deathly Hallows - Part 1'' ends with a fight against the Malfoys and Bellatrix at Malfoy Manor.
* WritingAroundTrademarks: The word "muggle" is absent in the ''Chamber of Secrets'' video games, replaced by "non-magical" write-arounds. This is because at the time, JK Rowling was involved in a lawsuit and her own counter-suit with American author Nancy Kathleen Stouffer over ownership of the word "Muggle", who claimed the word was copyrighted to her via her 1984 self-published novel ''Literature/TheLegendOfRahAndTheMuggles''. Although the courts swiftly ruled in favor of Rowling thanks to fraudulent evidence (for instance, Stouffer had retroactively added the word throughout her book leading into the lawsuit), Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts decided to cover themselves during development when litigation was ongoing and omitted the word in the ''Chamber'' games. That way, in the likelihood of Stouffer winning or another outcome that resulted in not being able to use the word, the games wouldn't have to be recalled and fixed.

** Fifth game:
*** When you go to find the first years who had skipped detention with [=McGonagall=], they're also the same age as the Trio.
*** There's a random Ravenclaw with Seamus' face, just with different hair. It is highly creepy when you see them in the same shot.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: In the third game, Harry, Ron and Hermione get different special abilities in addition to the spells. Some are plausible (Harry is the only one who can climb up ropes), others not so much. Harry is the only one who can ''jump'' and Ron is the only one who can search bookshelves.

* TruerToTheText: Some of the games follow the books more faithfully than the films, at least in some details.

** The first three games include Peeves fairly prominently, despite him being AdaptedOut out of the films.

** Most notably, the first three games include Peeves fairly prominently, despite him being AdaptedOut out of the films.

* TruerToTheText: Some of the games follow the books more faithfully than the films. The character of Peeves appears despite being completely left out of the films, and in ''Chamber Of Secrets'', after being blinded, it's stated that the basilisk now uses its sense of smell to find Harry instead of its hearing.