If you haven't already tried out Harry Potter Wizards Unite you don't have much time left to do so, because the augmented reality game (ARG) for mobiles is only available to download for one more day.
The title, which is basically a Harry Potter-themed version of Pokémon Go (and is made by the same company) launched in mid-2019, but in early November developers Niantic announced that the title would be gradually shut down.
Wizards Unite goes fully offline on January 31, 2022, but it's only available to download until the end of today, December 6 – so if you have been planning to try out the game you'll need to get your skates on.
- These are the best gaming phones
- We've tested the top Android games
- And these are the best iPhone games
The in-game store closes today too, so while you'll be able to play the game until January 31 you'll no longer be able to spend money in the app.
You can find Harry Potter Wizards Unite on the Play Store or the App Store, if you're interested in enjoying it for its last few weeks, but if you didn't get around to trying it out during its two-plus years of existence there's likely little chance you'd want to now.
But if you're a die-hard Harry Potter fan you might want to give it a spin – and Niantic has pledged to keep supporting the game until it's taken offline altogether.
Analysis: why is the game being shut down?
Niantic didn't provide an official reason as to why Harry Potter Wizards Unite is being shut down, but it was likely for a combination of a couple of reasons.
The big one is likely the ongoing pandemic – with many countries around the world still moving in and out of lockdown, it's harder to play a game that requires you to walk around outdoors.
Also, the ARG market is pretty saturated: Pokemon Go is a behemoth that still makes wild amounts of money, and competitors like Minecraft Earth, Jurassic Park Alive, The Witcher: Monster Slayer and Pikmin Bloom have done little to steal Go's thunder. It's not like you can keep multiple of these games on the go, either.
We tried out Harry Potter Wizards Unite, and found it a little hard to get into the game due to its multiple mechanics all presented upfront, while fighting monsters wasn't as compelling an impetus to go wandering around as collecting and catching cute critters.
Wizards Unite is free to download until the end of today, but be warned: if you get caught up in the game, you only have a few weeks left to play it.
