Aussies, You Can Now Play "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" on Yer Phone

It's like Pokémon Go, but with more Hagrid.

Hold onto your sorting hats, because game developers Niantic have gone and turned our regular world into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Niantic has invited "witches and wizards" around the world to dedicate the next two months of their lives to the new augmented reality (AR) app, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, released on both Apple and Android devices.

Of course, Australia and New Zealand had already been invited to play the game for a full month while it was in beta mode (incomplete and usually buggy).

You might remember Niantic as the culprits behind your Pokémon Go obsession a few years back so players will instantly see the similarities in Wizards Unite.

As soon as you download the game from the App Store or Google Play (and agree to their terms and conditions, of course) you’ll find yourself on a very similar kind of Pokémon Go map. First up, you'll get instructions to help Hermione's colleague, Constance Pickering, from the Statute of Secrecy Task Force. Then, Harry Potter will introduce himself and train you up, explaining how to identify magic in your surroundings, beginning with a task to free Hagrid from some cobwebs.

(Yes, unfortunately, this means Harry Potter: Wizards Unite takes place when Harry and Hermione are in their old-age make-up and working for the Ministry of Magic, rather than during their salad days at Hogwarts. Gallopin’ gorgons!)

Student Edge tested the game out on an iPhone during the beta release in May for about a full five minutes before rushing to tell the news. We're sure it's improved since then so, be sure to give it a crack yourself.

However, as Niantic noted at the time: "This is a beta version of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Features, available languages, design, and overall appearance are not final. The product might be buggy and unstable at times. We're looking forward to your feedback so that we can improve the game experience."

Get wizarding, muggles!

Update (21/6): This article was originally published on 2 May 2019 but has been updated to include details of the game's release on 21 June.

Header Image: Niantic