Harry Potter: Always Officially Announced

Published Oct 23, 2026, 5:44 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

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The Harry Potter franchise might have been through a bit of a lull when the epic film series originally drew to an end back in 2011, but that's very much no longer the case. The announcement of the upcoming HBO adaptation, which purports to be the most book accurate take on the series to date, brought much of the momentum back, as we close in on a Christmas Day debut for fans.

That's obviously going to be a very big deal, purely based on the ongoing popularity of the IP, but it will be interesting to see if it manages to enrapture people in the same way the films once did, particularly those who will grow up watching them.

As you might expect, that sudden increase in attention for the franchise has led to plenty of other companies attempting to take advantage of its new-found and sudden cultural relevance. One of the most exciting of those adaptations has gone live, and it's a collectors' dream that longtime fans will be very interested in.

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Over on the Panini website, you should be able to find the listing page for Harry Potter ALWAYS Trading Cards. As the name suggests, this is a new set of Pokémon-style cards that you can attempt to collect in their entirety, by ripping packs that give you a random selection of the total amount on offer.

The set features both Standard Packets and Premium Packets, with the latter obviously costing more money. The manufacturer describes what is included in both as follows:

"The blue 6-card packs are the ideal choice for collectors who want to complete the collection and discover as many cards and subjects from the wizarding world as possible.

"The Box of 20 Packets is the perfect starting point to explore the wizarding world and complete the base set. You can find non-numbered Parallel cards and exclusive super-rare Magical Lights cards. You can also pick up smaller quantities of blue packs in the Multipack and Multi-set, which both also include a Limited Edition card.

"The white Premium 8-card packs, with special cards and numbered parallels, are designed for collectors looking for the most sought-after rarities and exclusive cards. The Premium Blaster Box contains 5 Premium packs and is perfect for the most demanding collectors, offering a greater chance of finding special and exclusive cards, including numbered Parallel cards and rare Chromatic Sparkle cards."

Warner Bros.

It all seems like pretty standard trading card fare, with different rarities and images taken from iconic and beloved parts of the series. Even more exciting than those, however, are the special Treasure Boxes, which players can buy at a premium, and which contain special and exclusive cards, including some made from real metal.

Everything is out now, with stock fluctuating in and out, so it will be worth moving quickly if you do want to get in on the fun. It could be the perfect way to spend Christmas Day, as you sit down to watch the first episode of the new Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.