The Ultimate LEGO Board Games

LEGO is so much fun, board games are so much fun, merging the two is a match made in heaven. Those tiny LEGO bricks have brought so much joy to people of all ages over the years, that their foray into board games is hardly surprising – but not always successful! We’ve rounded up the board games that did it best, and a few that are worth knowing about too. Discover the ultimate LEGO board games!

What are LEGO Games?

LEGO Games was a unique product range that combined the joy of building with the excitement of playing board games. These games utilized LEGO bricks to create interactive and customizable game experiences. Designed by Cephas Howard, with input from renowned game designers Bernie DeKoven and Reiner Knizia, LEGO Games encouraged players to build, play, and even modify the rules to suit their preferences. While most LEGO Games featured original themes and settings, a few were inspired by existing LEGO themes, adding a familiar touch for fans. This innovative approach allowed players to engage in a variety of game types, all while enjoying the creative process of building with LEGO bricks.

LEGO Board Game History

Although you don’t need to know much about LEGO and board games to be able to enjoy the options available, it does make for an interesting history. Given that LEGO initially sought a target audience in children, much like early modern board games, and then began to appeal to an older audience, much like modern board games, you’d think they’d go hand in hand. Ultimately, many people have thought the same over the years. As different mass market board gaming trends rose, so did LEGO’s attempts to broach the board game market started with recreating existing games with LEGO, such as Chess, before creating their own games under LEGO Games.

So why did LEGO Games stop? Well, many of the games it created were unpopular. Often they relied too heavily on the LEGO name rather than any sustainable gameplay, which meant that they didn’t have much longevity on the shelves. There were exceptions, which we’ll go into in a moment, but after an over saturation of LEGO board games that were less popular, LEGO seemed to give up in this market for some time. Among the original ten games released in the United Kingdom was ‘lunar command’, which never saw a release in the United States. Additionally, ‘magma monster’ was one of the new game sets released in August 2010. The last main board game was released in 2016, and it took eight years for the next game to come to market – but it’s one that is pivotal in LEGO board game history. Read on about Monkey Palace…

Benefits of Playing LEGO Games

Playing LEGO Games offers a multitude of benefits that go beyond mere entertainment. These games are a fantastic way to foster creativity and problem-solving skills. As players build and adapt the games, they develop critical thinking and analytical abilities. LEGO Games also promote social interaction, making them perfect for family game nights. The collaborative nature of these games encourages family bonding and friendly competition, creating memorable experiences. Additionally, engaging with LEGO Games can enhance cognitive skills such as spatial awareness and visual processing, making them a valuable addition to any household.

Monkey Palace

By: Dotted Games

Players: 2-4

Time: 45 minutes

Monkey Palace is a LEGO board game that has a lot of board gamers really excited, and for good reason. Not only is it the first board game to come from LEGO in some time, but in collaboration with Asmodee, who are one of the biggest distributors of modern board games, it led to the formation of Dotted Games – which gives us cause to believe it will be the first board game of many more. The game has only newly been released, but it’s been well researched in the industry – as LEGO brought on consultants within the board game industry, which included the likes of Tom Vasel of Dice Tower. It’s clearly renewed the interest in LEGO board games.

Consisting of 203 LEGO pieces, it is of course, all about the construction. Each player gets a board that is the classic green LEGO board to build from, but they also place a cardboard starting grid on top of it, which will denote different places players can start from or place their lower level pieces. You receive pieces that are mostly arch shapes, but also decorative pieces (like tree tops), and other blocks, and each turn you must try to build upwards with each piece you place. You accrue points with your building, which you then use to buy cards, which give you more building opportunities, either immediate or on each turn, and some of these are also worth end of game points. It’s a surprisingly strategic game that appeals to modern board gamers and LEGO fans alike. 

LEGO Heroica

By: LEGO 

Players: 2-3

Time: 15 minutes

LEGO Heroica was a series of games that could be played together or alone that represented the most ambitious of all of LEGO’s prior games. Each series had a storyline and actions, and the boards (made up of LEGO pieces) could be connected together, which encouraged you to pick up more than just one of them. It’s described by many as an RPG inspired game, or sometimes even a simplified Dungeons and Dragons, but otherwise is simply a Dungeon Crawl style game. Players pick a character such as a wizard or a barbarian, that will then go on a quest, embracing the lore of the game (though much of this could be found on the website at the time rather than within the game). You enter battles with enemy creatures along the way, such as goblins, by rolling dice against them.

The unique thing about LEGO dice however, is that the dice faces clip onto it, meaning that you could potentially change them for future games. Five Heroica games were created before the franchise was discontinued, and you can still find these games on the second hand market. 

LEGO Heroica Fortaan

We’d recommend out of all of them, tracking down LEGO Heroica Fortaan, which is the largest set. The game adds in doors that you must find keys for, set in the goblin stronghold. Although it doesn’t add much more in terms of game play, other than adding another unique item to give you an additional power (though in Fortaan it’s a bonus you’re unlikely to rely on), it’s our favorite of the bunch for feeling like it gives you the most bang for your buck. 

BrikWars

By: Modiphius Entertainment

Players: 2+

Time: 15+ minutes

BrikWars is described as Minifig Konstruktion Combat – but at its simplest, it’s a book full of rules and ideas to play a wargame, but using minifigs to do so. Whilst the game isn’t officially LEGO licensed, meaning it can’t refer to using LEGO directly (and it’s disclaimers are clear that it is not an authorized product of LEGO or any other brick style creations), if you take a look at the cover art included you’ll get a good idea of the opportunity available, and it offers you an exciting opportunity to use your LEGO in new ways. BrikWars has actually been around for years in the community, but recently saw a retail release. 

The game is highly humorous and tongue in cheek, creating narratives from exaggerated stories – the same kind of silly but fun humor that you might see in the LEGO Movie – and follows the rise and fall with different enemies of the BrikVerse. In play terms, players form teams of around five units, and battle against each other, using movement and actions in an attempt to gain victory – but the game emphasizes that winning isn’t particularly important, it’s about having spectacular games and epic bombastic moments instead.

Dungeons & Dragons

Or perhaps any roleplaying game, it might not be the first thing you think of when you’re looking to merge the fun of gaming with that of LEGO, but it’s a really easy one to make the most of, and one that I’ve used often. If you’re reading this list, there’s a good chance you already like LEGO, which means you’ll probably have at least some of it around your home. Whether that’s a DUPLO Whale or an Ultimate Collectors Series Star Wars piece, or just a few figures from a blind bag, you’ve got everything you need to begin. After all, the LEGO Movie encourages you to think creatively – but how does this apply to RPGs? 

Well, minifigures make fantastic stand-ins for miniatures. You can create your own in the LEGO stores, or use a favorite character or piece to represent your character. As long as you don’t mind playing with scale, there’s nothing stopping your characters from encountering a giant LEGO Bowser as the Big Bad Evil Guy of the campaign, nor anything to stop the tavern they rest in from being physically built from houses already owned. Or, if you wanted to stick a little closer to the D&D roots, there’s even a Dungeons & Dragons set that’s been released, including both a dragon and a beholder, that lets you play a little closer to the storyline. D&D can be played with just the theater of the mind, so anything that brings it into the 3D sphere is worth a try, and LEGO is a great low cost way to do this.

Ultimately, the fun of LEGO is in the imagination behind it, and the stories that are told thereafter – exactly as it is with roleplaying games!

Related article: The best Dungeons and Dragons board games

Notable LEGO Board Games

Although the above represent the best in LEGO board games, there were some particularly interesting games along the way. Creating an immersive and imaginative world is crucial in LEGO board games, as it encourages players to build expansive and intriguing environments. These are out of print and so much more tricky to get hold of, but if you’re looking to sample LEGO games, these offer the full experience. One such game is ‘wild wool’, originally titled ‘Shave a Sheep’ and renamed for its American release.

Ramses Pyramid

By: LEGO Games

Players: 2-4

Time: 20 minutes

Although certainly not one of the most popular LEGO Games, Ramses Pyramid is a really notable LEGO Game just by virtue of its designer alone – you had Reiner Knizia, alongside Cephas Howard. The latter had a role in numerous LEGO Games projects, but the former is a renown board game designer with over 800 published games to his name – including the likes of Tigris and Euphrates, My City, and The Quest for El Dorado, all popular modern board games. In this game, you have to collect magical crystals to prevent King Ramses from conquering Egypt with his mummies. Like many LEGO Games of this time (and which we’ll talk more about below), the set up could vary, changing the LEGO pieces around for different games and offering new ways to play – though ultimately, it relies on luck to determine the winner. 

LEGO Ninjago Trading Card Game: Master of Spinjitzu

By: LEGO

Players: 2

Time: 5-15 minutes

There was a time where every franchise seemed to have a trading card game, but it wasn’t until 2016 that Lego brought the Ninjago trading card game. Ninjago was an extremely popular LEGO line based on Ninjas, initially running for just two years. Due to popularity, the brand was brought back and remains to this day. Strangely though, the trading card game was never released in the United States or Canada, with no reason ever being provided. The game offered basic and advanced rules, where players would place a character onto a playing field, with adjacent opposing characters battling. Higher value cards win, and losing cards are turned sideways. The winner of the game is determined when all places are filled with a character, where the dominating player wins. Experiences within each set were somewhat positive, but it was considered to be imbalanced. 

LEGO Hogwarts

By: LEGO

Players: 2-4

Time: 20 minutes

At the time LEGO Games was releasing most of its games, it was the height of Harry Potter mania, and so a Harry Potter board game was almost inevitable. The Harry Potter Hogwarts game saw you clambering the staircases with a micro figure of each of the four Hogwarts houses. You’ll be trying to collect supplies whilst avoiding spiders. When you roll a 1,2,3 you can remove a staircase tile and slide another tile the same number of spaces along, giving the impression of the moving staircases in Hogwarts itself. It makes for a shifting, strategy puzzle that has an interesting concept, but doesn’t work so well at two players.

LEGO Star Wars Battle of Hoth

By: LEGO

Players: 2-4

Time: 15 minutes

Much like a Harry Potter game being inevitable, so too was a Star Wars game, and where better to set it than the Battle of Hoth? The iconic battle was brought to brick, but given how LEGO Games had been in decline, much like the LEGO Ninjago Trading Card Game, it wasn’t ever released in the US – a shame, as it was a nice set for Star Wars fans. The aim of the game was to win the battle of Hoth by reaching the opposing player’s base, or by destroying the other player’s unit. It’s mostly straightforward, giving you an option to attack or move, progressing towards the goal of winning. Instead of the dice dictating how much you can move, which is an unpopular mechanic in modern board games, the dice rolls instead dictate the strength of the attack. 

Related article: Board games based on intellectual property – Marvel, Disney, Star Wars and more!

How to Build Your Own LEGO Game

Creating your own LEGO game is a rewarding and imaginative endeavor. Start by gathering a variety of LEGO bricks and minifigures. Begin designing your game board and components, considering the rules and gameplay mechanics you want to incorporate. Use your creativity to build unique features and obstacles that will make your game exciting and challenging. Once your game is built, test it out with friends and family, making adjustments as needed to refine the gameplay. This process not only provides endless fun but also allows you to share your custom-built LEGO game with others, inspiring them to create their own LEGO board games.

Where to Buy LEGO Board Games

Finding LEGO board games is easier than ever, thanks to a variety of online retailers. Websites like Amazon.com offer a wide selection of LEGO board games, including popular titles like Pirate Code and Atlantis Treasure. When shopping online, be sure to read product descriptions, check prices, and review delivery options to ensure a smooth purchase experience. Customer reviews and sales data can also provide valuable insights into the popularity and quality of the games. Additionally, the official LEGO website and authorized retailers are excellent sources for discovering a range of LEGO board games, ensuring you find the perfect addition to your collection.

Tips for Playing LEGO Board Games

Here are some tips to enhance your experience with LEGO board games:

• Start Simple: Begin with a straightforward game to familiarize yourself with the mechanics before moving on to more complex ones.

• Read Instructions: Carefully read the game instructions to fully understand the rules and objectives.

• Encourage Creativity: Embrace the creative aspect of LEGO by building and adapting the games to suit your preferences.

• Play Together: Engage with friends and family to promote social interaction and friendly competition.

• Experiment: Don’t hesitate to try new things and experiment with different game setups – it’s all part of the LEGO experience!

• Build Your Own: Consider designing your own LEGO game for a unique and personalized gaming experience.

By following these tips, you can make the most of your LEGO board games, creating fun and memorable moments with every play session.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)