As well as the main missions, and as part of the new sandbox style of playing, players can explore Hogwarts and interact with objects, using magical spells to earn Discovery points.

Items in the room such as trophies can also be unlocked by taking part in the various minigames, such as Exploding Snap, wizard chess and Gobstones.

There are various missions to complete which follow the storyline of the film, such as the recruiting of Dumbledore's Army members, or creating havoc when Umbridge is made Headmistress.

In an interview with MTV, lead designer Chris Roberts described the game as having heavy input by Rowling.

Roberts and the team came up with a mission in the game that would have Harry's classmate Neville Longbottom sabotaging a clock tower to get back at Hogwarts professor Dolores Umbridge.

-- Chris Roberts speaking to Stephen Totilo for MTV[5] During development, certain characters from the film series visited the studio to have their faces rendered into the game; where the cast members included Rupert Grint, Katie Leung and Evanna Lynch.

The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game soundtrack featuring James Hannigan's music was released on the E.A.R.S.

label in 2007, with references to John Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" removed, to much critical acclaim from fans of film and game soundtracks.

In 2020, the soundtrack album was re-released under the title of EA Music Composer Series: James Hannigan, Vol.