How to Get Hogwarts Legacy for Free in December 2025

Epic Games Store dropped one of its biggest holiday surprises yet. Hogwarts Legacy went free on 11th December.

This marks the first time the 2023 blockbuster has been given away at no cost. The wizarding world RPG normally retails at £49.99.

The promotion runs through 18th December at 11:00 AM EST. After that? Gone.

How to Claim Your Free Copy

Getting your hands on this freebie takes about 30 seconds.

Head to the Epic Games Store. Log into your account (or create one, they're free). Navigate to the Hogwarts Legacy page. Click "Get."

Done. The game stays in your library forever, even if you don't download right away.

The catch? You need an Epic Games account. That's literally the only requirement. No subscription fees, no hidden costs, no trial period nonsense.

When the promotion went live during The Game Awards 2025, traffic slammed the store so hard it crashed. Servers struggled for hours. If you hit errors claiming the game, don't panic. You've got until the 18th.

What You're Getting

This isn't some stripped-down version. You're getting the full base game.

Experience Hogwarts in the 1800s as a student holding secrets that threaten the wizarding world. Explore an open world, master spells, tame magical beasts, craft potions. Your character, your choices, your legacy.

The base version includes the Haunted Hogsmeade Shop Quest. That's an extra dungeon plus cosmetic goodies.

Want more? The Dark Arts Pack DLC sits at £1.99 during the sale. You get Thestral mount, Dark Arts cosmetics, and the Dark Arts Battle Arena. For two quid, not bad.

The Digital Deluxe Edition costs £69.99. No free upgrade if you grabbed the base game for nothing.

Other Ways to Play Without Buying

Epic isn't your only option for experiencing Hogwarts without spending full price.

PlayStation Plus Extra

PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers get access to Hogwarts Legacy as part of their catalogue. The game joined the service back in April 2025.

PS Plus Extra runs £10.99 monthly. You also get hundreds of other games in the rotating catalogue.

Xbox Game Pass Premium

Xbox users? Hogwarts Legacy hit Game Pass Premium in October 2025.

The Premium tier costs £14.99 per month. You get the full game library, no Ultimate subscription needed.

One heads up though. Microsoft bumped Ultimate to £30 monthly when they added these new titles. Premium stayed the same price.

Sales and Discounts

Keep your eyes peeled for legitimate sales. Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store run seasonal promotions.

The game regularly drops to £11.99 during major sales events. That's 85% off retail.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Summer Sales. These are your best bets for deep discounts outside free promotions.

The Epic Holiday Sale Explained

Hogwarts Legacy kicks off Epic's annual holiday giveaway spectacular.

Epic confirmed 17 games total during the promotion. New titles rotate in after 18th December. The holiday sale itself runs through 8th January 2026.

Besides free games, you get storewide discounts. There's also a 20% cashback programme. Spend money, get credits for future purchases.

Epic finally added game gifting too. Took them seven years to catch up with Steam, but here we are.

A leaked list of upcoming free games surfaced on Chinese social media. Jurassic World Evolution 2 supposedly drops on 18th December. Take that with proper scepticism though. Some titles on the leaked list aren't even available on Epic's store.

Check Out The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale

Why This Matters

Hogwarts Legacy became 2023's best-selling new release. It beat Call of Duty. Let that sink in.

The game moved over 30 million copies as of October 2024. Nearly three years later, it still pulls 18,000 concurrent players on Steam alone.

Warner Bros clearly prioritised the sequel already. Cancelled DLC plans for the original game point towards focusing resources elsewhere.

Getting this for free represents massive value. You're snagging a £49.99 AAA title that dominated sales charts for months.

PC Requirements

Before you rush to claim it, check if your rig handles the game.

Minimum specs demand Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400. You need 16GB RAM minimum. Graphics card? GeForce GTX 960 4GB or Radeon RX 470 4GB.

Recommended specs jump higher. Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600. Still 16GB RAM. But you want GeForce RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT.

Storage? Clear 85GB. This isn't a small download.

The J.K. Rowling Situation

Worth mentioning the elephant in the room. The game stirred controversy at launch over J.K. Rowling's political views.

Avalanche Software confirmed Rowling wasn't directly involved in development. They worked with "her team" and Portkey Games, Warner Bros' Harry Potter label.

Whether she earns royalties from sales hasn't been officially confirmed. But the game uses her intellectual property, so draw your own conclusions.

If you want to support transgender rights, check out organisations like Mermaids UK or the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US.

The Bigger Picture

Epic's holiday giveaways have become legendary in PC gaming circles. Every December, millions of players scramble to claim free titles.

Past promotions included Death Stranding, Star Wars Battlefront II, Control, and Prey. Big names, zero cost.

This year's Hogwarts Legacy giveaway might be the biggest yet. The traffic crash proves it.

The timing aligns perfectly with The Game Awards, amplifying hype across the gaming industry. Smart marketing from Epic.

What Happens After 18th December

Once the promotion ends, Hogwarts Legacy returns to full price. No discounts, no freebies.

The next mystery game takes its place. Epic hasn't confirmed what's coming. Speculation runs wild based on that leaked list.

If you miss the window, your next best bet is waiting for the next major sale. Or subscribing to PlayStation Plus Extra / Xbox Game Pass Premium.

Don't sleep on this. Free AAA games don't come around often. Especially not ones that sold 30 million copies.

Link to claim Hogwarts Legacy on Epic Games Store

Set a reminder. The clock's ticking until 18th December.