5 LEGO Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces

LEGO video games may bear the stigma of being children’s games with overly simplistic gameplay, but fans would be making a big mistake by prematurely judging and dismissing them as such. For instance, anyone who claims that they miss the era of loosely adapted movie tie-in games obviously isn’t playing LEGO games, as that’s essentially what Traveler’s Tales’ bread and butter is, even if these games do boast an unmistakable coat of LEGO paint—bricks and all—and a much more kid-friendly, humorous atmosphere than their source material might.

It’s possible that some fans never boarded LEGO games’ hype train until LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga or LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and that’s fair, since LEGO games are much different now than they were even a decade ago. Some of the best LEGO games ever have been released in the last 10 years, and the bigger they are, the better. If you’ve only recently begun your journey to explore LEGO games and see if they’re right for you, you can’t go wrong with any of the following 10/10 masterpieces:

5 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a godsend for LEGO Star Wars games. It marked a distinct turning point for how Traveler’s Tales will go on to tackle cinematics, overworlds, hubs, and gameplay/combat in future LEGO games.

Fans by no means dislike the previous LEGO Star Wars games, especially if they cherish them with fond memories from their childhoods, but to say that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is in a league of its own would be a gross understatement. It’s basically a brand-new adaptation of all mainline Skywalker Saga Star Wars movies, 1–9, and is unique enough that nobody who has played any of the other LEGO Star Wars games will feel as if they’re playing a facsimile or remaster of them.

It’s extraordinary that LEGO games have continuously discovered creative ways to evolve alongside modern AAA video game conventions, all without sacrificing what makes LEGO games so special in the first place. With games like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, LEGO games may begin to appeal to wider demographics who have wanted them to have a bit more meat on their bones, and it’ll be fun to see which IP receives this treatment next.

4 LEGO Harry Potter Collection

The LEGO Harry Potter Collection is obviously great for being a compilation of the two LEGO Harry Potter games, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1–4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5–7. Having both games bundled means fans can play through Harry Potter’s whole experience attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry uninterrupted, even if the actual elements of the LEGO Harry Potter Collection’s remaster aren’t significant or profound by today’s standards.

What would make the LEGO Harry Potter Collection an 11/10 is if it received a remake in the same vein as LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Of course, that’s more or less unlikely to ever happen, considering the fact that HBO is rebooting the beloved, magical franchise with a Harry Potter TV series adaptation.

A lot of the iconography appears to be the same, sure, but it would be surprising for a new LEGO Harry Potter game to be based on the old franchise, rather than this upcoming one. And, if a LEGO game eventually collects all seasons of this Harry Potter TV show, it will probably literally be at least 10 years until we see it.

3 LEGO City Undercover

A rare LEGO game not to be based on a licensed IP (and the first non-licensed Traveler’s Tales LEGO game on home consoles, interestingly), this original LEGO game is instead based on LEGO’s City toy line. On that merit alone, LEGO City Undercover is worthwhile, especially because it’s considered a hidden gem that’s sadly yet understandably buried beneath all the LEGO games out there with enormous brands to lean on.

Originally released exclusively for Wii U, LEGO City Undercover is maybe the closest we’ll ever get to an official LEGO Grand Theft Auto game, and that makes it the perfect game—not only for children who are too young to play a Grand Theft Auto game, but also anyone who can’t wait to play Grand Theft Auto 6. LEGO City Undercover will be doubly pertinent, too, if fans’ theories are correct and GTA 6’s Jason Duval turns out to be an undercover cop, as that would give both games another huge point of comparison.

2 LEGO DC Super-Villains

Arguably the best DC game ever (beyond the Batman: Arkham games, at least), LEGO DC Super-Villains is also one of the best LEGO games ever. The custom LEGO minifigure creator being as elaborate as it is, while also being an integral part of the story itself, easily makes LEGO DC Super-Villains one of the most unique LEGO games.

It’s sort of startling that LEGO DC Super-Villains chose to go this route, considering how beloved the LEGO Batman trilogy is, but its novelty has been greatly appreciated nonetheless. Plus, LEGO DC Super-Villains could’ve feasibly made Joker its main protagonist, which would have been a slam dunk, banal or not, and instead chose to let players be villains themselves.

If you’re someone who has craved a different kind of ‘superhero’ or comics-related game, LEGO DC Super-Villains is proof that being a supervillain is a lot more fun, anyway. Legacy of the Dark Knight’s Mayhem Mode DLC won’t let players customize a minifigure, but it can hopefully clear the high bar that LEGO DC Super-Villains has stuck out of reach in terms of wreaking havoc as a supervillain.

1 LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a pinnacle of Traveler’s Tales’ achievements thus far, and how the developer intends to succeed it is a mystery. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight does what only a LEGO game can by being a wholehearted celebration of all things Batman, from the most iconic Easter eggs and references that fans of Batman comic books, video games, movies, and TV shows will know, to the most esoteric memes that only those in a dingy corner of the Batman fandom may identify and laugh about.

Likewise, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is an unabashed love letter to the Batman: Arkham games, renewing fans’ passion for some of the most adored Batman games of all time. Batman: Arkham Shadow arguably deserves to be considered one of the greatest Batman: Arkham games of all time, but few fans actually played it because it’s a Meta Quest 3/3S-exclusive. Meanwhile, it’s unknown whether or not Rocksteady is developing a new Batman: Arkham game, much less how excited fans would be for one following the poorly received Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

If Traveler’s Tales has other superheroes or characters in mind that they could lend this formula to, such as Spider-Man or Superman, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight could define LEGO games’ newest era beautifully. LEGO games are finally getting the respect they earned so long ago, and their future is as bright as the choices they make concerning which licensed properties they decide to adapt and how innovative gameplay is from here on out. Thankfully, these five games are a testament to how much Traveler’s Tales has learned and grown.