Checklists
How creative can you get with your first free checklist?
| Founded | Company |
|---|---|
| 1932 | The LEGO Group |
According to the history of LEGO, the tiny plastic bricks we know today have origins back to the early 1900s. The company was founded in the carpentry workshop of a Danish furniture maker named Ole Kirk Christianson in 1932. The name LEGO didn't actually become a thing until two years later when the company created a contraction from the Danish phrase "leg Godt," which in the native tongue means "play well."
Now in 2026 LEGO is one of the biggest toy brands in the industry with collaborations seemingly everywhere. These plastic bricks have expanded into movies, TV shows, video games, and of course bigger and better LEGO sets.
IGN's LEGO content is managed by Chris Reed. Additional contributions are made by:
LEGO Sets
The heart of the LEGO business is its sets. These are models designed with specific instructions and are often tied to some other intellectual property not owned directly by LEGO. These are collaborations and licensing agreements with major entertainment and gaming franchises and have become very common in recent years. While LEGO does have its own current and ongoing original themes, many of the popular new sets are tied to external IP. You can find all of the ongoing LEGO themes from the company's website.
IGN's Latest LEGO Set Reviews
IGN's staff regularly has the chance to build and review new sets. You can check out the full list of LEGO reviews we've done or check out some of the more popular 2026 builds below:
- LEGO The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter Review
- LEGO Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith Review
- LEGO Woodland Mushrooms Review
- LEGO Shrek, Donkey, & Puss in Boots Review
- LEGO Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier Review
- LEGO Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler Review
- LEGO Winnie the Pooh Review
- LEGO Project Hail Mary Ship Review
- LEGO The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time - 'The Final Battle' Review
- LEGO Pokemon Eevee Review
- LEGO Pokemon Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise Review
Popular LEGO Themes
While LEGO collaborations have been going on for a while, new franchises are added on every day. Below is a quick list of some of the most popular themes right now and the best sets from each:
- LEGO Star Wars
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Lord of the Rings
- LEGO Pokémon
- LEGO Batman
- LEGO Minecraft
- LEGO Disney
- LEGO Nintendo
- LEGO Architecture
- LEGO Botanical
- LEGO Marvel
- LEGO Technic
- LEGO Ninjago
- LEGO One Piece
- LEGO Book Nooks
How Often Do New Sets Come Out?
LEGO releases new sets on a monthly cadence with most releases happening sometime around the very beginning of the month. The number of new sets varies month to month, but that release cadence is always consistent. You can check out our list of all of the new LEGO sets of 2025 and new LEGO sets of 2026 that are already available or check out the 'Coming Soon' section of LEGO's website for new sets still coming later on. While many new sets come directly from LEGO designers, there are also a number of sets from the LEGO Ideas line that were created by hobby builders. You can check out all of the potential builds that may eventually become a reality directly from the LEGO Ideas website.
Where to Buy LEGO Sets
LEGO sets are available at most major retailers, so there is no cut and dry answer about where you should be buying sets. That being said, the LEGO Store is the best overall place to buy new LEGO sets. The online store has a free Insiders program that lets you earn points with each purchase and you'll often get early access to buy the 'exclusive' sets that won't be available anywhere else at launch. The points you earn from purchases at the LEGO Store can then be turned in for various rewards or discounts. LEGO will also usually have some sort of GWP (gift with purchase) promotion that gives you a free set when you meet specific requirements. This could mean a specific threshold of spend you need to hit or purchasing a specific new set. Last year's Sega Genesis controller set GWP, for example, is only available to those who spend $130 or more on other sets.
Outside of the LEGO Store, the best places to buy LEGO sets are wherever there are LEGO discounts. Amazon pretty frequently drops prices on older sets and also has some of the popular retired builds still available. Target and Walmart will also occasionally offer deals, but those discounts usually end up getting price matched. Target used to allow you to use Insider points on purchases, but that program was terminated last year. Surprisingly, Barnes & Noble has also started offering discounts on popular sets, proving they are no longer just a place to buy books.
If you're looking to buy individual LEGO pieces, there are a few different options available to you. The best overall, though, is the LEGO Pick a Brick page directly form the LEGO website.
LEGO Games
LEGO has a surprisingly long history of video games. The very first LEGO video launched all the way back in 1995. It was a game called simply LEGO Fun to Build and it was released specifically for the SEGA Pico console in Japan. Since then there have been hundreds of LEGO games released for both PC and console. Now in 2026, one of the most anticipated Batman games is actually a Lego Batman game called Legacy of the Dark Knight. The plastic brick's influence has become truly and saturated in the world of video games. If you want to play all of the modern games, our list of every LEGO game on Nintendo Switch should cover most of them.
There's more to LEGO gaming than just video games, though. There have also been a few different tabletop games as well as some very popular chess sets. The first true LEGO Chess released all the way back in 2005. It was a simple board with red and medieval knights on either side. There have since been 12 total LEGO Chess sets, with only the most recent Traditional Chess Set still available to buy in 2025.
LEGO Movies
LEGO has a surprisingly deep backlog of movies and TV shows stretching all the way back to the early 2000s. Most of these were direct to streaming or digital video rather than theatrical releases, however. It wasn't until 2014's The LEGO Movie that the tiny bricks finally got their theatrical debut.
Since that release, there have been four LEGO movies that got the theatrical treatment. There are two spin-off films and a direct sequel, which came out in 2019. In addition to those films, there are four untitled LEGO movies currently in the works at Universal.