Is "Harry Potter Defenders" an RPG Game?
No. It's a board game. "Harry Potter Defenders" is Defenders of Hogwarts, a 2–5 player tabletop game from MinaLima. It was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2026 and ships to backers from October 2026. You play it at a table, with cards and pawns.
See it in action
Why some headlines call it an RPG
Several entertainment sites covered the Kickstarter under headlines like "new Harry Potter RPG". They meant that players take on a role: you defend Hogwarts as a house, or play the villain as the Dark Arts Player. That role choice is the only RPG-like part. The game itself is a deck-builder with a map, closer to Hogwarts Battle than to a video game.
What it actually is
| Format | Physical board game |
|---|---|
| Genre | Deck-building, 1 vs many, one winner |
| Players | 2–5 (one player is always the Dark Arts) |
| Length | About 90 minutes |
| Age | 13+ |
| Made by | MinaLima (designed by David Waterman) |
| Price | £75 RRP |
RPG game vs Defenders of Hogwarts
| Typical RPG | Defenders of Hogwarts | |
|---|---|---|
| Your character | Created and levelled up over time | A house with 4 pawns. All houses play the same. |
| Story | Quests and dialogue | Flavour text on cards; no campaign |
| Progress | Carries across sessions | Resets each game |
| Goal | Finish the story | First to 2 Defence Shields, or the Dark Arts takes the castle |
| Platform | PC, console or tabletop RPG book | Board, cards and pawns |
Not to be confused with
- Hogwarts Legacy: the 2023 open-world video game RPG. No connection.
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, Defence Against the Dark Arts: a 2-player deck-building game from The Op. Similar name, different game.
- "Hogwarts Defender": an unofficial fan-made tower defence game online. Not this.
Where to go next
FAQ
Is Harry Potter Defenders a video game?
No. Defenders of Hogwarts is a physical board game with cards, pawns and a printed map of Hogwarts. There is no PC, console or mobile version.
Is Defenders of Hogwarts an RPG?
Not in the usual sense. You don't create a character, level up or follow a story. You pick a side (a Hogwarts house or the Dark Arts) and play a deck-building board game that ends after about 90 minutes.
Is it related to Hogwarts Legacy?
No. Hogwarts Legacy is a video game RPG from Avalanche Software. Defenders of Hogwarts is a tabletop game designed by David Waterman and published by MinaLima, the studio behind the graphic props in the Harry Potter films.
Can I play Defenders of Hogwarts online?
There is no official digital version, and no Tabletop Simulator or Tabletopia module has been announced.