Recently, fans of the Wizarding World have been comparing many major Hogwarts Legacy graphics differences between the PS4 and PS5 models. There are plenty of shadow, lighting, and even model differences when you make a true Hogwarts Legacy graphics comparison, especially side-by-side. Hogwarts Legacy allows players to be their own wizards, whether friendly or antagonistic. From attending classes at Hogwarts to riding around on broomsticks, there’s plenty to do and see in any version of Hogwarts Legacy. In this article, we’ll note the comparison fans have made between the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game and if they’re at all notable.
Reviewing The Hogwarts Legacy Graphics Comparison
Image via: Hogwarts Legacy
In February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy was released for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series S, as well as X. The world players were allowed to explore throughout Hogwarts Legacy is the same as within the books. This alone made the game pretty enticing for fans of the book series. For the first time in proper modern gaming, they would have free reign over the open-world edition of the same lands they read about in the Harry Potter series. This led to some pretty natural conclusions. If you spend any time in the community, you’ll know how players are enjoying the game. Some create their own wizard characters with spell specifics and looks to match. Others roleplay as their favorite characters, trying to mold their player character into a mimic of them.
Commercially, Hogwarts Legacy was a success. It wasn’t without a bit of a bumpy start, though. There was plenty of controversy surrounding the game, especially surrounding the creator. Despite everything, the game was a great success, selling over 12 million copies just a mere two weeks after release day. After a few months, the game spread from being a next-gen and PC exclusive to being available on the previous generation. That means you PS4 and Xbox One players. From May 5th onward, everybody (except Switch folk, unfortunately) was able to join in on the fun. And don’t worry, Switch users, you’ll be getting a copy soon.
What Are Some of the Major Hogwarts Legacy Graphics Differences?
Image via: Hogwarts Legacy
The YouTube account called ElanalistaDeBits posted a recent video helping showcase some of the major differences between the copy of Hogwarts Legacy. The comparison video is one of many brought on by the community. The improvements brought about some much-needed lighting differences. These included the significance of shadows, how well models rendered into a space, and how quickly objects reached full resolution. Both versions are very much playable, hitting 60 FPS easily. So, if you want a PS4 version, that won’t be an inferior experience. But if you want that high-quality gameplay that looks the part almost all the time, the PS5 or any next-gen option is going to be your best bet.
If you frequent YouTube and these kinds of videos yourself, you’ll notice that the comments follow a pretty visible trend following the Hogwarts Legacy graphics comparison. The gap between the consoles is now significant enough to see without many pointers required. Most players, at least these days, aren’t expecting the PS4 and PS5 to perform on the same level. In fact, we had almost the exact same train of thought back when Cyberpunk 2077 was released. Players noticed a significant jump in quality, primarily due to shadows and little details in the lighting. While the PS5 could keep up, players noticed that the PS4 and all Xbox consoles simply couldn’t. And those who played the game on PC experienced the highest graphic details, depending on their rig.
Does that make the PC version better in this case specifically? No, not unless you have a PC that is quite high-end. If you want to enjoy Hogwarts Legacy, you can do so on any system where it releases. Just understand that a little more detail will be visible in the version for the PS5. And unlike Cyberpunk, the Xbox keeps up with the graphics this time. The PS5 footage and Xbox Series X are almost identical in quality.
You can get Hogwarts Legacy now on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.
