When LEGO first became popular, nobody would have ever predicted that the brick building toy would end up becoming a major video game franchise, but here we are with tons of different franchises getting the brick treatment. The video games have morphed some of the biggest film franchises of all time into some of the funniest video games to play, making them accessible to a younger audience while still being tongue in cheek enough to appeal to older audiences.
With tons of collectibles and challenges, the LEGO video games have become a staple of the gaming community, and within this article, we shall rank the 10 best LEGO games so far.
Updated by Madison Lennon on March 21, 2020: LEGO games have persisted in popularity for decades now with seemingly no chance of slowing down anytime soon. If a movie franchise becomes extremely popular, you can almost guarantee that a LEGO game will be made based on it.
Now seemed like an opportune time to revisit this list and update it with even more fantastic games from the series for you to investigate. There are tons in the series, so we thought we would help you down by narrowing it down to 15.
15 LEGO Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Video Game
This was the first time that LEGO attempted to make a game based upon a Disney movie (the company didn't own Star Wars at this stage), and it's fair to say that they chose well with the action-packed pirate based movie.
The game allowed people to play the Pirates of the Caribbean movie plot, with the most iconic moments from the films being brought to life in LEGO form. Adding in water was a no doubt a challenge to create, but it is one that pays off very well here, with the underwater levels being a lot of fun, while battling upon the ships was also a hit, making this a fun game for any LEGO fan to play.
14 LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
There have been plenty of LEGO video games based upon the popular Star Wars franchise, with these games always going down well as this version obviously focuses upon The Force Awakens movie. This game sees the developers really step things up from previous Star Wars games, improving the firing system and making everything look more polished while major names such as Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill adding their voices doesn't hurt matters.
However, the real highlight of this game is that there are levels here that take place in between Return of the Jedi and Episode VII, which is something that doesn't exist anywhere else, giving people a real reason to purchase the game.
13 LEGO Dimensions
Lego Dimensions was a game that had huge positives and negatives, which is why it makes this list of the top 10 LEGO games but fails to climb too high. On one hand, this was incredibly creative, but on the other hand, it did seem like a money-grabbing scheme.
LEGO joined in on the craze of bringing toys to the video game world with different figures needing to be purchased, allowing people to access their world and levels, with 30 franchises coming together, allowing for some crazy collaborations from Gremlins to Marvel. In that sense, the game was incredibly creative and fun, but when each pack costs between $30-50, it can certainly be very costly for people to really get into the game, which is why it wasn't as popular as it perhaps could have been.
12 LEGO Jurrasic World
While LEGO Jurrasic World may not be as action-based as some of the other games on this list, there really is something extremely fun about seeing dinosaurs roaming the earth in a world made of LEGO. This game doesn't just focus on Jurrasic World though, as the title might make you think, with the game actually exploring all three of the Jurrasic Park movies as well, opening the game up to have wider variety.
The game keeps the charm and humor that LEGO games are well known for but doesn't shy away from trying to make things feel scary when needed, and you can even play as Steven Spielberg, which instantly makes it a hit!
11 LEGO The Incredibles
Pixar fans should check out this lesser-known installment in the LEGO franchise. It is based on one of the most popular Pixar films out there, The Incredibles. But not only that, the game also involves other popular characters from different Pixar movies like Woody from Toy Story and Lightning McQueen from Cars.
Otherwise, it is pretty similar in terms of gameplay to other games in the franchise except you get to play as the amazing Incredibles! It is definitely a good game to play if you and your family enjoy multiplayer fun.
10 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
This was one of the original LEGO video games with this being the first of the IP library to be made outside of the Star Wars franchise, and while it didn't quite hit that level, this was still a whole lot of fun.
The adventure movies are made for fun games such as this, with mega-fans of the franchise getting to wield the famous whip in LEGO form, with Indiana Jones' personality working well with the LEGO humor. While the franchise is tailored more to an adult audience than some of LEGO's other games, it's still a family-friendly game that allows you to explore all of the movies and the incredible worlds within them.
9 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
As the official sequel to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, the game is pretty similar to the previous iteration and the third overall game in the LEGO Marvel franchise. It is an action-adventure game like the majority of LEGO games and allows you to play as your favorite Marvel superheroes, including with special abilities -- like Star-Lord can fly.
The game also came with a lot of DLC content that was staggered out over the months after its initial release. It was very well-received by critics and nominated for multiple gaming awards.
8 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
This game was actually the sequel for LEGO as they focused on the prequels before tackling the classics, with this version focusing strictly on Episodes IV-VI, which it does perfectly.
The game follows on from the brilliant success of the first, with a fantastic mix of comedic cut-scenes and fantastic action, with improved camera angles really helping when you need to use the force to move different objects. With a variety of puzzles and tons of characters to unlock, this is a really fun LEGO game that any fan of Star Wars should have played by now, and if you haven't, then go back and get a copy.
7 LEGO Lord Of The Rings
One of the reasons people love the LEGO Lord of the Rings games is because it combines the action, fantasy, and adventure of the film series with the trademark comic mischief and humor from the franchise. If you end up loving this game, you can always play LEGO The Hobbit, too.
There are more than 80 different characters that you can play in the game, including Frodo, Gandalf, and more. Another fun difference in this game that isn't included in all of the other LEGO games is the inclusion of open-world roaming, giving you lots of time and freedom to explore.
6 LEGO City Undercover
LEGO City Undercover is one of the most popular and acclaimed games in the franchise, which is unique since it is an original game and not based on an already existing franchise. the game was recently remastered for the Nintendo Switch, which means you can now play it with glorious new graphics.
It also has an open-world feature that lets you explore and go on various side missions. Players get to take on the character of Chase McCain, an undercover cop who must try and track down different criminals by using multiple disguises.
5 LEGO DC Super-Villains
LEGO DC Super-Villains became popular fast when it was released, especially due to the popularity of The Lego Batman Movie. Many fans were eager to get their chance to play as some of the most infamous DC villains like the Joker and Harley Quinn.
If you've played previous LEGO games then you'll find that the gameplay is very similar, the main difference is in the story and characters where the villains get their chance to shine.
4 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Batman has been a staple of the LEGO video games, which is one of the reasons the character plays such a big part in The LEGO Movie, eventually getting his own spin-off film. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is the pick of the bunch though, despite the fact that it did have a few critical complaints. However, with a huge roster of characters and an interesting storyline, this game was a lot of fun.
It may have had "Batman" in the title, but it felt more like a Justice League game with tons of characters sharing the story with the Dark Knight.
3 LEGO Marvel's Avengers
It really isn't a surprise to learn that LEGO jumped on board the Marvel hype with The Avengers franchise, creating a game that follows the plot of Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This combines the stories from the original Avengers and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, as well as levels from the movies that are sandwiched in between the two blockbuster movies, with some incredible characters being available to play. Seeing your favorite superhero in LEGO form, being able to play as Iron Man or Thor is a whole lot of fun and with side missions around the world, the game does a great job at providing plenty of detail and trying to make it unique.
2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Another incredibly popular franchise that the LEGO video games have adapted is Harry Potter, with two games being created that split the different years, but it is the first, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 that is the stronger of the two.
Seeing such iconic characters in LEGO form was fun enough, but when you add in the fact that there was an unbelievable 167 playable characters, the ability to craft LEGO potions, or cast spells, then it really took things to the next level. This game is actually one of the strongest Harry Potter video games, providing one of the largest open-world maps for fans to explore their favorite sets and moments, which had people playing for hours on end.
1 LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
Was there any doubt about which game would end up topping this list? Without the success of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game the franchise wouldn't have developed to the point that it would end up reaching.
While the game was actually released before Episode III: Revenge of the Sith hit the movie theatres, it was a slight risk, but it was one that gamers looked past (with a spoiler warning) as it became one of the best-selling PS2 games of the year. The game had a huge roster of 59 playable characters and was tons of fun, using the force to move around and destroy different brick objects or engaging in a LEGO lightsaber battle simply worked, making it a major hit amongst people.