[Updated] Hogwarts Legacy not working or loading on PS5? Here's the potential reason and workarounds

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on Feb. 7, 2023) follows:

Hogwarts Legacy, the highly anticipated open world game based on the Harry Potter franchise, is finally reaching the public.

The first lucky ones that can enjoy it are those who bought the ‘Deluxe’ Edition. This version includes some additional content and a 72-hour early-access.

However, there are players on PS5 facing an issue where Hogwarts Legacy is not working or loading. That said, here’s the potential reason and a couple of workarounds that should help you with the problem.

As mentioned above, only buyers of the Deluxe Edition can download the game at this time. The early access is 72 hours, so the rest of the players will be able to download it from February 10.

That said, according to reports, there are multiple Hogwarts Legacy players on PS5 consoles that are unable to launch or start the game.

When they try to access it, they are sent back to the ‘Standard’ Edition home page, but they can’t start that version either since the console recognizes that they are running the ‘Deluxe’ Edition.

Hogwarts Legacy won’t start PS5

Pre-ordered the deluxe edition. Game preloaded on the 5th and now it’s the 7th here in the UK. I’ve tried to start the game, but it keeps taking me back to the standard edition home page and nothing happens. You can’t play the standard edition version because it recognises you’ve purchased the deluxe.
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Currently can’t play – UK PS5

Can’t play at all on PS5 in the uk for me. Preloaded the special edition with early access. Game doesn’t launch, no error messages or anything. Anyone else having this?

edit – currently running PS5 Beta OS
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Fortunately, it didn’t take long for players to figure out the source of the problem. Apparently, it all stems from a conflict between Hogwarts Legacy and the latest PS5 beta firmware.

Are you using the beta firmware? Some people have mentioned they’ve had to change it for the game to launch.
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I have the PS5 beta also, maybe I should delete it
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So, it seems that those using the PS5 beta firmware may face similar issues with the game.

There are a couple of potential workarounds that have helped some. First, you can try restoring licenses through the PS5 settings:

Restore licences fixes this: settings>account>other
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Alternatively, you can also get rid of the PS5 beta firmware and move to the stable channel:

I had the same though.. and It is the beta… I just uninstalled it and the game has loaded up straight away
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There is still no official word on this issue from the Hogwarts Legacy developers or PlayStation team. We will update this story as events unfold.

12:06 pm (IST): Some PS5 players report ‘buzzing’ sound or noise coming from their consoles when playing Hogwarts Legacy. That could be a clue of possible bad optimization, causing an overuse of resources (1, 2, 3).

05:35 pm (IST): It seems that Hogwarts Legacy is now loading and working fine for PS5 players.

It’s just started to pre load now
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Half hour late, but we’re finally downloading 😂
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06:15 pm (IST): We have also come across a workaround that has helped solve the issue for some. It involves uninstalling and reinstalling the game.

Featured Image: Hogwarts Legacy on Twitter

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