The 15 Best Lego Games

It just wouldn’t feel right to make a list of the best Lego games and not mention this OG. For a game released in 1997, Lego Island’s spacious open world and non-linear approach to progression make it feel like a game released during a later console generation. Moving around the game’s vast island from a first-person perspective brought players that much closer to its blocky inhabitants, plus its extensive customization options stayed in line with the spirit of Lego. We think it’s about time Lego Island got the remake treatment. Wouldn’t you agree?

Lego Creator pretty much gave real-world builders the opportunity to bring their creations to life in a 3D space. There were no missions to complete and no penalties for your in-game actions – all there was to do was to put a whole bunch of bricks and minifigures together in a bid to bring your Lego concepts to life. Putting the infamous Destructa Brick to good use and letting it blow up your onscreen models was another part of the enjoyment derived from this virtual building simulator. Lego Creator is still GOAT tier material as far as Lego video games are concerned.

If you put dozens of hours into RollerCoaster Tycoon, then we’re pretty sure you also showed some love to this pick on our list. Legoland was pretty much a child-friendly rendition of the aforementioned theme park building simulator, but it was far from a mindless dud. The game’s story mode was joyous, but the real fun lay in its free-play mode. Creating one’s own Legoland theme park with all the goodies unlocked from your story mode playthrough was so damn fun and still is.

Lego City Undercover brought the far-out concept of “Grand Theft Auto for kids” to life and knocked it out of the park with its engrossing gameplay elements. Perusing around Lego City while chasing down criminals, donning different disguises for extra abilities, and joyriding in all sorts of blocky vehicles was and still is immensely entertaining. When it was originally released on the Wii U, it featured a cool gimmick where the GamePad was used as a criminal scanner and a police communicator. That cool controller implementation and the rest of the game place Lego City Undercover right alongside some of the finest open-world games ever made.

There are a ton of Lego-inspired Star Wars games to play nowadays, but this is truly the definitive experience for fans looking to relive the events of the first six films. Like most licensed action/adventure Lego titles, players were sent out into familiar locales to smash bricks and baddies while keeping an eye out for minikits and Gold Bricks. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga brought lightsabers and laser pistols into the fray as expected and even included a two-player arcade duel mode to boot. The game’s co-op feature is indeed fun, but hopping into competitive Lego Jedi battles with friends is an even more of pleasurable time.

And here we have yet another George Lucas creation that’s gotten the digital Lego treatment. The first three films in the global-spanning adventures of Indiana Jones have all been brought to life here with all the whip snapping and treasure hunting you can find. So many iconic scenes from the films are recreated here for the youngsters who might not have seen them all. Longtime fans probably got a kick out of all the callbacks to the film's characters (watching a bite-sized version of Jones freak out at the sight of snakes is simply hilarious). Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures does right by the franchise that inspired it.

It just wouldn’t feel right to live in a world where there wasn’t a Lego game full of Hogwarts mischief and magic. Thankfully, we have two excellent Lego Harry Potter games to enjoy. The first of those releases is Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, which follows the events of the first four film adaptations of the super-popular book series. There are a ton of spells to cast, potions to concoct, special student-based missions to complete, and a whole bunch more magical activities to tend to in this one.

The follow-up to the aforementioned pick on our list is the equally amazing sequel, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. This time around, players got the chance to follow Harry and his loyal friends all the way through to the conclusion of his epic struggle against Lord Voldemort. Fans got to relive the biggest moments from the last four films in the series, which in turn were adapted from the last three books in the Harry Potter series. It features everything that was praised regarding its predecessor and was a worthy sendoff for Harry’s Lego-influenced adventures.

While the first and third Lego Batman games are decent in their own right, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is truly the pick of the superhero litter. Not only does it feature Gotham’s “Caped Crusader,” but it also includes a who’s who of DC saviors and evildoers to boot. Much of the fun derived from this game comes from tinkering around with characters’ trusty gadgets and exploring every part of the game’s open-world interpretation of Gotham City. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is one of those comic book-based video games that deserve a lot more praise when compared to the subgenre's other heavy hitters.

Since Lego attached itself to so many other recognizable IPs in the book and movie spaces, it only made sense for it to form a partnership with J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary fantasy adventure series. Lego The Lord of the Rings moves players through the biggest clashes of the first three films and sprinkles in plenty of hilarity for good measure. What makes this Lego game stand out is its focus on character inventory, which meant members of your party of mythical warriors could rely on their own stash of useful gear. Engaging in sword fights and clashing with rival brick warriors helps Lego The Lord of the Rings successfully match its onscreen battles in a more light-hearted fashion.

At one point in time, the “toys-to-life” craze was going strong due to the smashing success that was the Skylanders series. Lego Dimensions jumped on the trend by supplying players with a wide variety of Lego figurines based on popular franchises and a toy pad used to teleport them right into the game. It’s such a mind trip to mix and match characters from every corner of the entertainment medium for some simple platforming and Lego brick collecting fun. Wanna use Batman to hop and bop around a Ghostbusters-themed world? Then pull up to Lego Dimensions.

Arguably the best film from the trio of the latest big-screen Star Wars blockbusters got a quality Lego video game adaptation. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens not only retold the adventures of Star Wars’ newest generation of heroes, but it also provides some prequel details via a prologue chapter that takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The best new feature that came with this Lego Star Wars experience was the option to try out different building options during certain stage intervals. And props have to be given to this game for its implementation of cover-based shooting mechanics as well. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets high honors for being one of the best Lego games and greatest Star Wars games of all time.

No one thought that this Lego video game collaboration was even possible. Due to the fact that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment publishes each title and is closely associated with DC Comics, most folks figured it would be tough for Traveller’s Tales and TT Fusion to create a Lego game based around the Marvel Universe. But somehow someway, Lego Marvel Super Heroes became a reality. Diehard Marvel Comics fans most likely lost their minds once they found out that 180 playable characters made up the game’s huge roster. Package that with the main campaign that’s full of easter eggs and amusing superhero antics and you’ve got the perfect game for every type of Marvel Comics fanatic.

And now we have arrived at the sequel, which went ahead and raised the playable character count to include even more familiar faces. Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 focused on the concept of manipulating time as players interacted with Marvel Comics’ greatest heroes from different eras and realities. Taking on Kang the Conqueror meant you got to interact with newly fused heroes, such as Iron Duck (Iron Man + Howard the Duck) and Carnom (Carnage + Venom). The game’s cool nods to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its awesome DLC chapters push Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 above and beyond its predecessor. Make sure you still play both of ‘em, though.

Lego DC Super-Villains gives everyone the chance to make their custom minifigure a central part of the game’s story. And boy, what a story it is! Instead of focusing on the goodie two shoes of the DC Universe, you now get to run around with the baddies that wreak havoc across it. The introduction of the Justice Syndicate meant you and your fellow super-powered criminals had to team up to take them down. Moving through the game’s expansive hub world and linear levels treated you to a smorgasbord of DC history that you can get plenty of enjoyment from. Being a bad guy/gal in Lego form is definitely as fun as it sounds.