Ride Review: Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry at Universal Epic Universe

Universal Orlando Resort has added it's third installment of  Harry Potter-themed lands with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic – one of five worlds coming to Universal Epic Universe May 22, 2025.

Set in wizarding Paris from Warner Bros. Pictures Fantastic Beasts films and the British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter film series, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic features a new live show, themed dining, whimsical retail, roaming characters, jazz musicians, t and the most ambitious, groundbreaking ride Universal has ever created.

Universal Epic Universe will have 11 new attractions, including Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride. Currently, there are five Harry Potter attractions at Universal Orlando Resort. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry will be the 6th attraction when Epic Universe officially opens on May 22, 2025.

Universal Orlando invited me to attend the Universal Epic Universe Media Preview, where I had the opportunity to ride Harry Potter and The Battle at the Ministry.  No recording was allowed on the attraction. All opinions are my own.

If you're nervous about riding this attraction, I hope this article helps you feel prepared. You are going to love it!

Where is Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Located?

The entrance to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is located inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic in Universal Epic Universe. It's meant to feel like 1920's wizarding Paris. After walking through Place Caché, you'll pass by Le Cirque Arcanus and turn left to enter the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride.

Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride Overview

The ride storyline takes place after Voldermort's downfall. Due to Umridge's crimes against Muggle-borns, she was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban once Kingsley Shacklebolt became Minister of Magic after the Second Wizarding War. This leads us to the new storyline of this ride.

The adventure begins when you travel by Métro-Floo – a unique mode of wizarding transit inspired by the iconic Floo Network seen in the films – to journey from wizarding Paris to the British Ministry of Magic for the long-awaited trial of the infamous Dolores Umbridge. Upon arrival, you will enter the Ministry’s jaw-dropping grand atrium and venture through other departments before boarding magical, omnidirectional lifts to watch the trial take place…until Umbridge attempts to escape.

You then join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a house-elf named Higgledy in a chase that will propel you up, down, forward, backward, sideways and more throughout the Ministry as you try to capture Umbridge – all while dodging attacks from Death Eaters, Macnair, Yaxley, and the Carrows, rampaging creatures and more. You'll also see Kingsley Shacklebolt for the first time in an attraction.

Your chase will take you to never-before-seen locations, such as the Magical Archives, a cavernous library filled with huge cabinets that hold centuries of wizarding documents, the Department of Magical Creatures where creatures have escaped and are running loose, and the Time Room which is full of Time-Turners and other timekeeping devices.

Prepare for an action-packed adventure and unexplored mystery in an experience that combines new and different technologies to bring the most ambitious ride Universal has ever created to life.

Overview of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

The queue for the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride makes you feel like you're inside the books and movie. The queue line itself spans nearly half a mile with intricate theming. The queue capacity is estimated to be 8 hours.

To enter the queue, you must use the Métro-Floo, which was hands down my favorite part of the queue experience. Using the Métro-Floo— you will pass through the iconic green flames, where you will travel from 1920's Wizarding Paris to the iconic British Ministry of Magic, stepping into the to-scale atrium. Beautifully detailed, the atrium features a restored Fountain of Magical Brethren statue, an enchanted weather ceiling, and ministry offices.

Yes, you will be absolutely blown away by the ginormous atrium of the British Ministry of Magic. The massive scale of this room is wild. The office windows reach five stories up and wizarding statues tower 40 feet tall.

Like other Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions, the queue is so immersive it doesn’t feel like a true line for a ride. The level of details is next level. I'm talking scenes straight out of the movies and even some brand-new ones created specifically for this attraction.

As you move through the queue, you’ll pass through various rooms that each hold a piece of the story. During the visit to the Ministry, you'll learn that your visit falls on the same day as the trial of Dolores Umbridge, who’s being charged with crimes against the Wizarding World for her role in helping bring Lord Voldemort back to power.

As the entire Ministry prepares for the trial, you'll walk through various corridors and departments, including:

Locker Room:

First stop is the Auror Training Locker Room. You’ll see hints that Harry, Ron, and Neville are in training to become Aurors. This is where you’ll start to get a sense of the incredible storytelling that Universal has woven into every aspect of this ride.

Hall of Ministers:

Next, you’ll step into the Hall of Ministers, where portraits of past Ministers of Magic line the walls. These paintings come to life, interacting with each other and giving you a peek into magical history from the 1700s to the 1980s.

Map Room:

In the Map Room, you’ll find a magical, moving map of the Ministry itself. It’s like Marauder’s Map 2.0, showing all the comings and goings within the Ministry. Keep your eyes peeled—you never know what secrets you might uncover.

Aurors Headquarters:

Then it’s on to the Aurors Headquarters, where the magical world’s law enforcement is hard at work. Here, you’ll spot wizards and witches strategizing and gathering information for their next big case. There are plenty of Easter eggs for fans, including tributes to Aurors who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Umbridge’s Office:

Dolores Umbridge may be on trial, but her office still reflects her pink taste, including her iconic cat plates. It’s in this room that you’ll meet Higgledy, Umbridge’s former house elf. Higgledy is busy packing up her office, preparing for her imminent trial. This room is packed with the kind of details that Harry Potter fans will appreciate.

You'll also get to see other iconic Ministry offices and look for Easter eggs from the films — such as copies of the Daily Prophet newspaper and flying interdepartmental memos.  You see all this before you even board the ride.

It took my Media Preview group, on a private tour, roughly 25 minutes to walk the entire queue, and I still didn’t manage to enjoy all of the details.

Ride Vehicle + Type of Ride

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is a high-tech indoor dark ride. This ground breaking new ride combines animatronics, moving set pieces, and projection mapping, along with a new type of tracked motion-based ride system, to create another level of immersive experience.

Just as you’d expect, your ride vehicle is a large version of an elevator with seats. The vehicle most resembles the ride vehicle seating of Tower of Terror and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The omnidirectional lift ride car seats up to 14 guests. Each lift has two rows: a front row with three groups of two seats and a back row higher up that has eight seats. The ride vehicle has an over the wait seat belt like most Walt Disney World rides. Per our VIP Tour Guide, this is the most accommodating Wizarding World of Harry Potter ride to date. The seatbelt can be puled across the two seats.

Like we have seen in the “Harry Potter” films, the elevators in the Ministry of Magic move you up, down, left and right, forward and backward as you travel deeper into the Ministry to get to the trial. Once the ride begins, your elevator lift will start going sideways. From there you’ll go up and down and side to side pretty quickly. There are 2-3 drops.

The ride does have some non chaotic moments. You will also zoom through the Magical Archives, the Department of Magical Creatures and the Time-Turner-filled Time Room.

What To Expect From The Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride At Epic Universe

After exploring the breathtaking Ministry of Magic atrium and corridors, and Umbridge’s office, it’s time to board the lift station, where the real adventure begins. Note there is NO pre show for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

You’ll step into the magical, omnidirectional lift.  After buckling the seat belt across your lap, you'll pull the red tag. Once given the green light, listen closely to what the ride attendants say to you as the ride vehicle begins to move.  One cool detail is that all of the ride seats are cushioned, serving as official Ministry of Magic chairs for those attending Delores Umbridge's trial.

The lift  takes you straight to the Ministry’s courtroom, just in time for Umbridge’s trial. The trial, however, doesn’t go as planned. Umbridge, attempts to escape, triggering a chase. The ride will propel up, down, forward, backward, and even sideways. You’ll feel like you’re right there with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Higgledy, dodging Death Eaters, avoiding rampaging magical creatures, and navigating the halls of the Ministry of Magic.

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry does NOT go upside down, it does NOT tilt you way forward like Escape from Gringotts, nor does it tilt you backwards like Forbidden Journey. There's also no spinning or going backwards. There will be some sudden, and jerky movements.

Harry Potter and The Battle at the Ministry has the best mix of physical sets, screens, and animatronics that are blended perfectly. Yes, there are a good amount of screens. I know some people do not like how screen heavy Universal Orlando attractions are, but I promise the usage of screens in the ride is probably the best in any attraction. Size wise, the screens compare to Soarin' Around the World, where it feels like you are right there.

What Rides Do Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry Compare to?

If Rise of the Resistance, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Transformers 3D and Escape from Gringott’s had a baby: It would be Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. This ride is an advanced combination of the 4 in my opinion.

Does Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride Have Drops?

It does simulate the motion of rising and falling about 2-3 times between the larger-scope show scenes, but without that pit in your stomach drop feeling you get on Tower of Terror. Believe me, I hate that feeling, and I did not have it at ALL on this ride. One of the small drops is over a screen so it just feels like you're falling down, but not falling down as intense as Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

I want to stress that Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry does NOT have drops like Tower of Terror or Guardians of the Galaxy at ALL. The drops feel nothing like Hagrid‘s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure either. When it drops, it feels more like a less intense version Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.

If you’re a visual person, picture a multi-level work building. The simulated drop would be as if you fell from an office space on the 3rd floor, and dropped to the office space on the 2nd floor.

Is Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride like Forbidden Journey?

No. Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride doesn't have you tilting forward or leaning on your back like Forbidden Journey. The restraint goes over your waist, as opposed to over your shoulder like Forbidden Journey. This ride feels more like a combination of Transformers, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, and Rise of the Resistance blended into one ride.

Will The Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Ride Make Me Nauseous?

If you struggle to do rides like Transformers: The Ride—3D and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, you may still have some issues with motion sickness, despite this attraction not using 3D glasses. I would come prepared, and take whatever over the counter medications you normally take if riding rides like Forbidden Journey.

From talking to friends who normally deal with motion sickness issues, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry did NOT bother them. From those who rode in our ride vehicle, no one came off the ride sick for what it's worth.

Is the Drop in Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry More or Less Intense than Rise of the Resistance?

The drop in Rise of the Resistance is way more intense to me than this one. The drop in Rise makes my stomach drop and get that horrible feeling, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry did NOT feel like that at all.

Is There a Ride Photo for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry?

Yes! The ride photo op happens towards the very end of the ride. Here’s an image of what the ride photo will look like. I saw this after riding on my way out.

My Reaction After Riding Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry for the First Time

The queue for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is easily one of the most impressive and realistic spaces ever created in a theme park. No photo or video will ever do it justice. Your jaw will be on the floor. The incredible attention to detail and vastness is unmatched. Even if you decide not ride - PLEASE walk through the queue.

The combination of state-of-the-art ride technology, immersive storytelling, and attention to detail makes this a must-see for any Harry Potter fan or theme park enthusiast.

In terms of overall ride quality, ride system, sets, visuals etc it can't be beat. The fact that we didn't know what was practical and what was screen is wild. Everything feels and looks very real. I was most blown away by how REAL certain animatronics looked. at times It was hard to believe it wasn't an actual person battling!

When comparing it to Rise of Resistance I think a big difference is Universal Orlando has done a great job throwing you in the middle of the action. When you are on Rise of the Resistance it feels more like you’re a spectator watching.

My Favorite Harry Potter attraction is still Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure ONLY because I am a thrill seeking, roller coaster junkie. Queue and storytelling wise, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry wins by far.

Know Before You Go

Height Requirement

Guests must be at least 40” tall to experience this attraction. It has child swap and a single-rider line, but no Express Pass option at this time.

Virtual Line

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry has recently opened during Epic Universe Team Member previews via Virtual Line. Guests currently attending Team Member previews have been required to join a Virtual Line to be able to experience the attraction.  The ride has not been open with a traditional standby queue at this time.

Before your visit, make sure you are signed into your Universal Account and your ticket
or Annual Pass is linked to your Universal Account Wallet. If you want to get a return time for your group, link their tickets or Annual Passes to your Universal Account Wallet and set up
your Travel Party.

Once you're in the park, use the Universal App to select a virtual line return time. Drop times have been available at 12, 3, and 6 PM. When your return time is called, you’ll go back to the attraction and enter the queue.

Right now, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is the only attraction with a Virtual Queue, but Universal could add more during the previews or continue to add them once Epic Universe is officially open. Team Member Preview conclude on the 16th, and Universal Orlando Annual Pass Previews will run April 17th - May 8th.

We’ll have to wait and see if the Virtual Line system is in place with AP previews start.

Universal Epic Universe officially opens May 22, 2025!

Ride Review: Harry Potter and The Battle at The Ministry at Epic Universe