Universal Orlando’s new Harry Potter and Nintendo worlds will open in May

Universal’s Florida resort will open new worlds themed around franchises like Harry Potter and Super Mario on May 22, 2025. The announcement sets a date for the new park expansion, dubbed “Epic Universe,” which consists of four new worlds connected via a centralized hotel and shopping distinct called Celestial Park.

The lineup includes Super Nintendo World, the first to open on the US East Coast following earlier versions that debuted in California and Japan. Some early glimpses reveal it has all the theming you’d expect for an immersive Mushroom Kingdom experience — down to entering the world through a massive green pipe — and is supposedly larger than the two previous parks. A third Harry Potter park is also one of the most anticipated arrivals, which is designed to resemble the Ministry of Magic from the original movies, and elements of the more recent Fantastic Beasts spinoff.

The “Dark Universe” world is a literal monster mash that’s designed around all the classic supernatural villains featured in Universal Studio’s earliest hits, with Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman running around. And the last world, called the Isle of Berk, is themed after the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, which may have actual robotic dragons flying around over guests’ heads.

Universal says that all five realms of the new Epic Universe park (including Celestial park) will be available on opening day next spring. Tickets go on sale starting this October 22, and you can catch up with all the experiences and rides that have been announced so far on Universal’s online hub.