Present study investigates the electronic excitation-induced modifications in the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of Ni-doped HoFeO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO3 substrates. Electronic excitations were induced by 200 MeV Ag12+ ion beam. These thin films were then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that the crystallite growth occurs in the preferred (111) orientation with orthorhombic structure. The XRD results also show that the crystallite size decreases with ion irradiation. AFM results after irradiation show significant changes in the surface roughness and morphology of these films. The optical parameters measured from absorption measurements reveal reduction in the band gap with Ni doping and enhancement of band gap after irradiation. The magnetization vs field measurement at 75 K shows enhancement in saturation magnetization after irradiation for HoFe1−xNixO3 (x = 0.1 and 0.3) films compared to HoFeO3 film. Present study shows electronic excitation induces significant changes in the physical properties of these films.