How to play the “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” game

We’ve been waiting patiently since late 2017 for its release and, finally, the day has arrived. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery dropped earlier today, April 25th, and life as we know it has ended. We’re now in full mystery-solving mode and we dare you to try to pull us out of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (Spoiler alert: you won’t be able to.) If you have yet to dive into the magic and myth of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, here’s how to play.

After you download the game (for free) from the App Store or Google Play Store, your first task is to create a first-year student. Yes, that’s right — you’ll be playing as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dreams. Do. Come. True.

Creating a character is simple. You get to choose from a selection of facial features and hairstyles (some of which can be unlocked when you reach higher levels). Once you create and name your character, you’re ready to enter the world — specifically, Diagon Alley.

Like many other RPGs, you’re guided through the world via a series of prompts. You’re first led to another first-year student named Rowan who acts as a mentor during the first bit of the gameplay. After meeting Rowan, she’ll direct you to Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

This is where you are assigned a wand…and learn about your brother who was expelled. Let the mystery begin!

From Diagon Alley, you and Rowan travel to Hogwarts and enter the Great Hall for the House sorting ritual. Similar to Harry wishing to be sorted into Gryffindor, you can sway the outcome of your sorting.

We chose Gryffindor because, like, we’re pretty brave, we think.

After the sorting, the game really kicks off. You’re able to explore your house a bit more and meet more students like Merula (aka the Draco Malfoy to your Harry Potter). Heads up — Merula is out for blood.

Once you start your classes — during which you’ll interact with professors (Snape already hates us thanks to our rebellious bro) and actually learn how to perform spells — you’ll notice icons up in the left- and right-hand corners of the screen. The left-hand icon keeps track of your personality traits. You’ll earn personality points from each interaction you have with other students, teachers, and…Merula.

Underneath your personality icon is where you’ll receive your tasks and it’s also where you can keep track of where you are in the story. So far, we’re at Year 1 Chapter 3 and need to report to Angelica, our House Prefect.

The icons in the upper-right keep track of your energy, money, and special gems that you can use to buy pricier clothing items, hairstyles, or more energy if you’re in a crunch.

The gameplay is pretty self-explanatory and easy to follow as long as you remember to check your tasks. You’ll be able to make decisions that will shape your character’s personality and how others react to them. But the main mission here is to find out what exactly happened to your brother as you work to find him.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery takes place at a time separate from Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s. This story is completely yours, which, in our opinion, is pretty cool. Make the right choices, form lasting relationships, and figure out what the heck happened to your “problematic” older brother.

Okay, we have to go. This mystery won’t solve itself.