While LEGO has been around since 1949, its iconic interlocking bricks wouldn't reach astronomical heights of popularity until it started borrowing the licenses of beloved properties. Beginning with the Star Wars license in 1999, LEGO has only continued to partner with more and more franchises over the years, ranging from Harry Potter to Jurassic Park to Overwatch. And along with licensed sets and models, LEGO has also used its partnerships to produce a plethora of licensed LEGO video games over the years, some of which still hold up nearly two decades later.
Beginning with LEGO Creator: Harry Potter in 2001, LEGO has produced over 30 separate licensed video games over the years. While not all of these are stand-out video game experiences, the vast majority are fun-filled, family-friendly adventures that are worth sinking at least a few hours into. But on the other hand, some of these LEGO games are still regarded as some of the best licensed video games of all time.
S-Tier
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga: Combining two of the most beloved LEGO games of all time, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is still widely regarded as one of, if not the best LEGO game of all time. While the core experience is largely the same as its predecessors, featuring identical missions, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga also throws in plenty of bonus missions and side content that wasn't present in the original releases. For the longest time, this game was the definitive way to play through the entire Star Wars saga.
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-7: A bit of a cheat entry, the LEGO Harry Potter series as whole certainly deserves a top spot on this tier list. Individually, the first game should still be considered an S-rank, but the second game could drop down to an A-tier, being very similar to its predecessor. But when ranked together, the LEGO Harry Potter games are easily some of the best licensed LEGO titles out there, featuring a fully explorable and authentic Hogwarts Castle, a plethora of iconic characters, and surprisingly expansive retellings of the entire movie saga.
- LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes: The first licensed LEGO game to finally embrace an open-world structure, LEGO Batman 2 features both an incredibly polished campaign, and an expansive hub world filled with addictive collectibles. A true improvement over its predecessor in almost every way, LEGO Batman 2 also introduces a slew of other iconic DC characters, making this game feel like a real milestone for Traveller's Tales.
- LEGO Marvel Superheroes: Featuring an original story that brings together the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, LEGO Marvel Superheroes is one of the best LEGO games of all time. With a fully explorable New York City, packed with a variety of challenges, time trials, side missions, and activities, LEGO Marvel Superheroes is ambitious in all the right ways, and is packed full of iconic Marvel characters that make each mission completion feel worthwhile.
- LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2: Boasting another over-the-top story, LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 throws quite literally everything and everyone into just one video game. Featuring practically every iconic location from the comics, such as Wakanda, New York, Sakaar, and Hala, and over 190 iconic Marvel characters, LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 may be one of the biggest licensed LEGO games out there, and though it lacks the polish of its predecessor, its sheer scale is enough to land it a top spot on this list.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: The most recent game on this list, and potentially the very best of the lot, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga finally mixes up the LEGO game formula in a significant way, and while it isn't perfect, it may just be TT Games' best work. Featuring over 20 fully explorable planets, over 300 iconic characters, and missions from across the entire 9-movie Star Wars saga, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is ambitious, big, and beautiful, and is a true love letter to the entire Star Wars franchise.
A-Tier
- LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game: The first fully-fledged licensed LEGO video game, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game is as iconic and nostalgic as a Star Wars game from 2005 can be. Taking players through the events of the prequel trilogy, LEGO Star Wars laid the groundwork of practically every licensed LEGO game that would come after it, with Minikits, stud counters, Extras, and plenty of characters to unlock for Free Play. LEGO Star Wars may be one of the simpler games on this list, but its place as the originator of the beloved LEGO game formula grants it a spot near the top.
- LEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy: Releasing just a year later, LEGO Star Wars 2 is a very similar game to its predecessor, just swapping the prequel setting for the original trilogy - though that's far from a bad thing. LEGO Star Wars 2 delivers another riveting family-friendly adventure, with plenty of variation in level design to keep older players engaged. Both original LEGO Star Wars titles stand the test of time today.
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures: TT Games' first attempt at adapting the LEGO Star Wars formula for another license, LEGO Indiana Jones is the perfect example of an experiment gone right. With some of the best puzzle-platforming in any LEGO game, great level design, and engaging combat, LEGO Indiana Jones is a short, refined experience that's still worthy of a playthrough.
- LEGO Batman: Releasing the same year as LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Batman is yet another example of the LEGO formula done right. Oozing with authentic Burton-esque charm, LEGO Batman tells its own set of stories, and lets players face off against a plethora of iconic Batman villains. LEGO Batman also then lets players take control of those villains in their own set of missions, as well as in their own unique Arkham Asylum hub. LEGO Batman feels like a love letter to the franchise, and that can still be felt all these years later.
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: Yet another example of the classic LEGO formula being applied to a popular franchise, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean manages to stand out from all the others by having some very unique environments and level design. LEGO Pirates is a little more simplistic than some of its predecessors, but that straightforwardness leads to some very polished game design, and one of the most accessible, family-friendly adventures out there.
- LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham: While it isn't quite as refined as its predecessor, LEGO Batman 3's planet-hopping story is a fun one, and one that's drenched in authentic DC lore and Easter eggs. LEGO Batman 3 also features an insanely expansive cast of characters, including just about every DC hero and villain fans could think of.
- LEGO Marvel's Avengers: Taking much of the structure of LEGO Marvel Superheroes and expanding on it in some ways while condensing it in others, LEGO Marvel's Avengers is a fun romp through the MCU's first two phases, with some decent level design, good implementation of voice lines, and tons of iconic characters to unlock. However, while LEGO Marvel's Avengers has more hub-worlds than its predecessor, even including an identical New York City, each one just feels a little lacking in terms of charm and unique side activities.
B-Tier
- LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars: Not quite as iconic as its predecessors, LEGO Star Wars 3 is still a pretty great LEGO game, just one with a few hang-ups. LEGO Star Wars 3 is another very ambitious title, but it suffers in a few key areas because of it. Featuring the ability to fly between two opposing capital ships, LEGO Star Wars 3 features a big hub world, but its missions lack the same variety and polish as the prior LEGO Star Wars games. And while some players adore the game's RTS mode, forcing the player to do it repeatedly throughout the campaign can be tedious.
- LEGO Lord of the Rings: While it may have one of the most impressive open-worlds in licensed LEGO game history, LEGO Lord of the Rings suffers from some mundane side activities, a bloated number of collectibles, and some lackluster level design. But its authenticity to the source material, and the sheer scale of its open-world, makes LEGO Lord of the Rings a treat for any Middle-Earth fan.
- LEGO The Hobbit: Much like LEGO Lord of the Rings, LEGO The Hobbit features an impressive open-world, but its level design can get pretty tedious after just a few missions. On top of this, LEGO The Hobbit only covers the first two movies, with a Battle of the Five Armies DLC having been canceled after the game's release. LEGO The Hobbit feels a bit incomplete because of it.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens: With just one movie to adapt, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens makes great use of bonus missions and expansive hub-worlds, but its main campaign is just too short and paint-by-numbers to grant it a spot higher on the list. That being said, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens did attempt to implement some new combat mechanics, such as cover-based shooting sections, though these also felt a little lackluster.
- LEGO DC Super-Villains: With a unique plot and premise, LEGO DC Super-Villains manages to stand out on its own, but fails to live up to its LEGO Batman predecessors. Still, LEGO DC Super-Villains does manage to be one of the funniest LEGO games out there, with TT Games creating some genuinely funny dialogue and character interactions.
C-Tier
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues: The first disappointing release on this list, LEGO Indiana Jones 2 was a tad too overly ambitious. Featuring a more open-world hub design, LEGO Indiana Jones 2 offered some more replayability, but in doing so condensed the entire Indiana Jones saga a bit too much, with short, uninspired missions that are a far cry away from those in its predecessor. That being said, the game's Level Editor was an intriguing addition, albeit a barebones one.
- LEGO Jurassic World: A rare instance where the source material just doesn't lend itself to the LEGO formula all that well, LEGO Jurassic World is a solid game with plenty of neat side activities, but it just isn't one that stands up to the rest of LEGO's licensed game offerings.
- LEGO The Incredibles: A truly disappointing LEGO game, LEGO The Incredibles adapts both movies, but fails to capture the charm and excitement of its source material. Pair this with some run-of-the-mill LEGO gameplay and a generic open-world, and LEGO The Incredibles has little to offer players that they haven't already seen before in better LEGO titles - though the unlockable Pixar characters and collectibles are a neat touch.
D-Tier
- The LEGO Movie Videogame: Based on the events of just one movie, The Lego Movie Videogame is one of LEGO's more disappointing licensed entries. With an extremely short, linear campaign, and some barren hub-worlds, The LEGO Movie Videogame feels like the developer is just phoning it in, and when LEGO Marvel Superheroes released just a year prior, this game stands out for all the wrong reasons.
- The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame: Another quick cash-grab, The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is essentially just the same game as its predecessor, but in a few different locations. This game features little creativity and is just an overly simple, linear journey through the events of the movie.
- The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame: Much like the LEGO Movie Videogame, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame is also disappointing. It features a more visually impressive open-world and has more engaging combat, but still feels generic overall.