Short answer: In early March 2023, users reported that Hogwarts Legacy disappeared from YouTube Studio’s selectable game list and from parts of YouTube Gaming’s discovery interface. That was a reported game-association or listing problem—not evidence that YouTube deleted the game, banned its videos, or intentionally censored it. No public YouTube statement identified in the available sources confirms the cause.
What creators actually saw
The reports concerned YouTube’s gaming metadata and discovery tools, not the removal of gameplay from the platform. Users described several symptoms:
- Searching for “Hogwarts Legacy” in the upload game field returned unrelated suggestions.
- Older videos retained the game association, while newer uploads reportedly could not select it.
- “Hogwarts Legacy: Dark Arts Pack” appeared temporarily as a possible substitute, then was also reported missing.
- The title allegedly disappeared from portions of YouTube Gaming’s game or live-stream lists.
These observations came from contemporaneous user posts and creator videos, so they should be treated as reported behavior rather than a platform-wide measurement. See the March 4 report on Steam, the March 7 discussion on Steam, and creator videos uploaded on March 5 and March 6, 2023.
Timeline of the March 2023 incident
| Date | What was reported | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 2023 | A creator said the Hogwarts Legacy option had disappeared from the upload game-selection menu. | Steam discussion |
| March 5–6, 2023 | Creator videos discussed the missing game association and possible discoverability consequences. | YouTube video; YouTube video |
| March 7, 2023 | Another report said the game was absent from a YouTube Gaming list and that the “Dark Arts Pack” workaround had also disappeared. | Steam discussion |
“Gaming category,” game association and game page are different things
The incident is easy to misstate because YouTube uses several related systems.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
- EXPLORE AN OPEN WORLD. The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
- BE THE WITCH OR WIZARD YOU WANT TO BE. Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be.
- EXPERIENCE A NEW WIZARDING WORLD ADVENTURE. Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- Import Region Free PEGI Version
Gaming video category
This is the broad category assigned to a video. It is separate from the specific game title selected in Studio.
Game association
This is the game attached to an upload or livestream through YouTube’s game-selection field. The reported March problem primarily involved this selectable association.
Rank #2
- EXPLORE AN OPEN WORLD. The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
- BE THE WITCH OR WIZARD YOU WANT TO BE. Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be.
- EXPERIENCE A NEW WIZARDING WORLD ADVENTURE. Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- The Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition includes Thestral Mount, Dark Arts Battle Arena, Dark Arts Cosmetic Set, and 72 Hours Early Access.
- Preorder Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition and receive the Onyx Hippogriff Mount. Content will be delivered as a packed in code with game.
Auto-generated game page
YouTube can create viewer-facing game pages that collect videos around a title. YouTube says these pages are generated automatically when a game has sufficient presence, views and quality signals, and that algorithms determine which content is collected. Its explanation is in YouTube Help.
Search and recommendations
Search results and recommendation systems can continue to surface videos even when a game is missing from a particular Studio menu or game-page listing. Therefore, a missing association does not by itself prove that videos were hidden, deleted or demonetized.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Rank #3
- Fight to save your world. Save your sister. Save your soul.
- Fight for everything. Legends are born from trials.
- Epic weaponry, collect a diverse array of melee weapons and define your playstyle with stylish, effective combat.
- Stunning worlds to explore. Prepare to adventure far and wide across dangerous dimensions, majestic lands and strange new worlds.
Was this a ban or censorship?
No reliable public evidence in the available sources proves intentional censorship. Some users speculated that the disappearance was connected to controversy involving J.K. Rowling, harassment aimed at streamers, or restrictions imposed by other gaming communities. Those are theories, not confirmed explanations.
Restrictions elsewhere help explain the suspicion but do not establish YouTube’s motive. ResetEra reported a discussion ban at GamesRadar, and Games Done Quick’s restriction on Harry Potter games was covered by PC Gamer. Neither source demonstrates that YouTube made the same decision.
Rank #4
- Play as your favorite character to defend the wizarding world from evil forces: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom
- Gain influence to master powerful spells, recruit allies, and uncover magical items
- Enhance your abilities with over 140 cards
- 7 successive game adventures offer increasing difficulty: as you advance through games 1-7 of Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle, you will reveal progressively more challenging adventures and unlock new secrets on your journey to save Hogwarts from the Dark Lord!
- Includes: 252 cards, 4 dice, 7 game boxes, 7 game rules, 4 player boards, 8 villain control tokens, and 70 chip pieces.Perfect for 2-4 players
YouTube’s own description of automatically generated game pages provides a plausible technical explanation: an indexing, cataloging or classification failure could make a title unavailable in one interface. That documentation does not specifically confirm what happened to Hogwarts Legacy in March 2023.
Did YouTube stop uploads or remove videos?
The evidence reviewed does not show a platform-wide prohibition on uploading or livestreaming Hogwarts Legacy. Creators could still publish gameplay, select the broad Gaming category, and describe the game accurately. There is also no evidence in these sources of mass deletion of existing Hogwarts Legacy videos.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Best Value
- EXPLORE AN OPEN WORLD. The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
- BE THE WITCH OR WIZARD YOU WANT TO BE. Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be.
- EXPERIENCE A NEW WIZARDING WORLD ADVENTURE. Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions. DLC content may not work unless using an EU Playstation account as stated this is an EU Import Region Free Version
Game-page discovery and monetization are separate systems. YouTube’s gaming monetization guidance is documented at YouTube Help. Monetization of game footage can depend on publisher rights and whether the video adds meaningful commentary or instructional value, as explained at YouTube Help; that question is independent of whether the game title appears in a metadata menu.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Could the missing association reduce views?
Possibly, but the effect cannot be quantified from the available evidence. A missing game association could exclude a video from a game page, game-specific livestream browse surface or related collection. That is a reasonable inference from YouTube’s description of game pages, not a measured traffic loss. User reports of lower visibility are anecdotal, and no controlled analytics comparison or YouTube statement establishes a percentage decline.
What creators should do if the title is missing
When “Hogwarts Legacy” is available
- Set the video category to Gaming.
- Select Hogwarts Legacy as the game.
- Use a precise title, such as Hogwarts Legacy PS5 Live Stream – Main Story or Hogwarts Legacy Full Gameplay – The First Trial.
- State the platform, quest, mode or livestream status in the title or description.
- Use a clear, relevant thumbnail.
- Add only relevant tags.
When the title is unavailable
- Do not choose an unrelated game just to fill the field.
- Do not use “Hogwarts Legacy: Dark Arts Pack” unless the video genuinely covers that content.
- Keep the broad category set to Gaming.
- Put “Hogwarts Legacy” prominently in the title and description.
- Use accurate tags, including common spelling variants where useful.
- Record the date, account region, device, browser or app version and a screenshot of the missing option.
- Check again later and report a persistent issue through Creator Support or the official Help Community if those routes are available to your channel.
YouTube says titles, thumbnails and descriptions matter more for discovery than tags; tags mainly help with common misspellings. Its guidance is at YouTube Help.
What remains unknown
- Whether YouTube intentionally removed the listing or corrected a backend error.
- Whether the change affected every region, account and upload surface.
- How long the listing problem lasted.
- Whether any channel experienced a measurable traffic decline.
- Whether YouTube privately acknowledged the issue to creators.
A later change to the advertiser “Video Games (Casual & Online)” sensitive ad category, effective May 15, 2025, concerns advertising controls and is unrelated to the 2023 game-association reports. See YouTube’s advertising help page.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Bottom line
The best-supported description is that YouTube appears to have temporarily lost, removed or misclassified the Hogwarts Legacy association in parts of its Gaming discovery system in early March 2023. Calling it a YouTube ban or censorship goes beyond the evidence. The reports describe a metadata and listing problem—not removal of the game itself, a mass video takedown or a verified political decision.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
