You’re standing in the middle of a pixelated Hogwarts, a tiny plastic Harry Potter is staring at a brick wall, and you’re absolutely convinced the game is broken. It’s not. It’s just that finding a LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough that actually explains the weird quirks of Years 1-4 and 5-7 is surprisingly hard. Most guides just tell you to "go to the next room," but they don't tell you why your Wingardium Leviosa keeps targeting the wrong chair or how to stop the "Student in Peril" from glitching into a wall.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours in these two games. Honestly? They are masterpieces of fan service, but they’re also messy.
The thing about a proper LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough is that it shouldn't just be a list of levels. It needs to be a survival guide for completionists. If you’re playing the LEGO Harry Potter Collection on PS5, Xbox, or Switch, you’re basically playing a remastered version of two very different eras of LEGO game design. Years 1-4 is a bit more experimental and, frankly, clunkier. Years 5-7 is where TT Games really figured out the hub world. Both require a specific mindset to conquer.
Stop Trying to Finish Everything on Your First Pass
Look. You can’t do it. You literally cannot get everything the first time you play a level in Story Mode.
The game is designed to tease you. You’ll see a shiny Silver Lock that requires Reducto, but you won't learn Reducto until Year 4. You’ll see a Dark Magic orb that only a character like Bellatrix Lestrange or Lord Voldemort can touch. If you spend twenty minutes trying to jump over a barrier to reach a Gold Brick in "The Forbidden Forest," you’re just wasting your afternoon.
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The smartest way to handle your LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough is to blitz the story first. Speed through the levels. Ignore the collectibles. Just get the spells. Once you have a character for every "ability slot"—a Strong character like Hagrid, a Dark Wizard, a Goblin for those pesky vaults, and someone with a book for the Ravenclaw cabinets—that’s when the real game begins.
Free Play is where the 100% happens. It's the "real" game.
Navigating the Hub: Hogwarts is a Labryinth
The Hogwarts hub world is the biggest challenge in any LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough. In Years 1-4, it’s easy to get turned around because every staircase looks the same and the Ghost Studs (those little translucent trail-markers) sometimes lead you in literal circles.
The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley
This is your base of operations. This is where you buy your spells, change your characters, and enter the bonus levels. If you’re stuck at 98.2% completion, check the basement of the Leaky Cauldron. People always forget the Gold Bricks hidden in the custom character creator. Also, the "Borgin and Burkes" area in Knockturn Alley only opens once you’ve collected a massive amount of Gold Bricks. It’s the final gatekeeper.
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The Spells You Actually Need
In Years 5-7, the mechanic changes slightly. You get the Weasley Boxes (which require a Weasley) and the Spectrespecs. If you see sparkles in the air but nothing is there, stop looking for a secret lever. You just need to find the Spectrespecs dispenser nearby. It’s a mechanic that confuses players every single time because the game doesn't always remind you it exists.
The Most Common "Where Do I Go?" Moments
There are a few spots in the LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough where everyone gets stuck.
One is the Library in Year 1. You need to find three books to put on the pedestal. One is hidden behind a painting that requires a specific interaction, and if you don't have a character like Hermione with her book-learning ability, you'll be stuck staring at the shelves. Another major sticking point is the "Follow the Spiders" level. The boss fight with Aragog isn't hard, but triggering the final phase requires you to throw a specific object at a specific time. If you just spam spells at him, he’ll just sit there forever.
Character Tokens and Where They Hide
Unlike newer LEGO games, Harry Potter doesn't just hand you the best characters. You have to earn them. To get Tom Riddle, you have to go to the "Fiendfyre" level in Year 7 and use a specific Dark Magic character. It’s a loop. You need a Dark Wizard to get a Dark Wizard. How do you get the first one? You usually have to find a specific token in the hub world—like the one for Lucius Malfoy or a generic Death Eater—which is often hidden behind a silver lock or a puzzle in the Owlery.
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Glitches: The Unspoken Part of the Walkthrough
Let’s be real. These games are buggy.
Sometimes a Gold Brick won't appear even though you've done the puzzle. Sometimes the Student in Peril stays trapped even after you've saved them. If you’re following a LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough and things aren't lining up, try the "exit and re-enter" trick.
- Don't save if you see a collectible glitch; just quit the level.
- Clear your console cache if the Ghost Studs stop working.
- Always buy the "Red Brick" multipliers as early as possible.
The Score x2, x4, x6, x8, and x10 bricks are essential. By the time you get to the end of Year 7, you should have so many studs that the counter is just a blur of numbers. This isn't just for fun; you need those studs to buy the expensive characters like Voldemort, who costs a staggering amount of in-game currency.
Actionable Steps for Your 100 Percent Run
If you want to actually finish this thing, follow this specific order of operations. Don't deviate, or you'll find yourself backtracking through the same levels four or five times.
- Priority 1: Finish the Story. Do not stop to smell the roses. Get through all seven years. This unlocks the majority of the map and the basic spell wheel.
- Priority 2: Get a Strong Character. Go to the "Crabbe and Goyle" level or find Hagrid's token. You need someone who can pull chains. Without a "Strong" character, half the secrets in the game are inaccessible.
- Priority 3: The Dark Wizard Hunt. This is the turning point. As soon as you can, unlock a character with Crucio or Avada Kedavra. This allows you to break the red-and-black glowing objects.
- Priority 4: Red Brick Collection. Use a guide specifically for the "Score Multiplier" Red Bricks. Once you have x384０ (all multipliers stacked), studs become irrelevant and you can buy everything in the shop instantly.
- Priority 5: The Hub Sweep. Start from the top of the Astronomy Tower and work your way down to the Lake. Use the "Gold Brick Detector" (another Red Brick) to find the ones hidden behind the walls.
Once you’ve cleared the hub and all the Free Play levels, head back to Diagon Alley. The final Gold Bricks are almost always tied to the "Bonus Levels" found in Gringotts or the "Build-Your-Own" levels. Most people forget these even exist, but you need them for that final achievement.
The LEGO Harry Potter game walkthrough isn't about skill; it's about persistence. It’s about being willing to swap characters thirty times in one room just to see if a goblin can open a safe that a wizard can't. Take your time, don't panic when the stairs move, and remember that Accio doesn't work on everything. Good luck.