The Best LEGO Nintendo Sets for All Ages to Enjoy

It's been several years since LEGO formalized its creative partnership with Nintendo – a partnership that has resulted in several of LEGO's most inspired, accessible sets. Back in 2020, LEGO delineated a clear division between their child audience and their adult audience. On one hand, the children received Super Mario playsets – digital/physical hybrids that allowed kids to build their own Super Mario courses. On the other hand, the adults received iconic replicas – massive sets that triggered waves of Gen-X nostalgia

But in the years since, LEGO has deliberately blurred the line between their child and adult audiences. The new LEGO sets for kids are a bit more complex and involved; the new adult LEGO sets are a bit more cartoonish and whimsical. It's befitting that Nintendo, which bills itself as a family-friendly company, features LEGO sets with such cross-generational appeal.

LEGO Adventures with Interactive LEGO Mario

LEGO/Nintendo is slowly expanding its sub-themes, from exclusively Super Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog and Animal Crossing. And now, LEGO Zelda and LEGO Pokémon are here too. Below we've highlighted some of the very best LEGO Nintendo sets available as of August 2026.

The LEGO Super Mario playsets allow you to build your own Mario courses. You use an LED Mario figurine to scan barcodes on enemies and obstacles, which creates audio feedback like music and classic Mario sounds. The coins you collect are tallied in an app, which syncs to Mario and documents your progress.

This starter set that comes with the Mario LED figure; all the other expansion sets will not "work" without it. It also comes with other essentials: a starting pipe, a Yoshi figure, a flagpole, and a a Bowser, Jr. figure that rides inside a Junior Clown Car.

The Mario & Standard Kart set mounts onto a tilted stand, which gives the impression that Mario is performing his signature power slide maneuver. We built and reviewed this set for its launch, and we were impressed by its size and expressiveness.

If you prefer Mario's thinner, more anxiety-prone brother, you should also check out Luigi & Mach 8 , which is a perfect companion set to the more traditional kart build. It has the same adjustable black stand at the MArio build, and the Mach 8 has an eye-catching color scheme We reviewed and phtotographed this set as well, and we gave it a positive review.

The LEGO Game Boy has a relatively low price of $59.99, along with a low piece count of 421. However, it's a near 1:1 scale replica of the classic gaming handheld, and it comes with two buildable "Game Pak" cartridges, Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

At the end of Ocarina of Time (1998), Ganondorf reveals his true "Ganon" form —a hideous boar-like demon with tusks and a bad attitude. This LEGO set includes a massive buildable Ganon with two swords, plus minifigures for Link, Zelda and Ganondorf. You can pose these elements within a larger diorama of Ganon's ruined castle, which also conceals three Recovery Hearts and the Megaton Hammer.

In March 2026, Pokémon joined with LEGO to launch three incredible sets. But while Evee and Pikachu were the obvious picks for 'most popular,' it's the massive model of Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise that's made the biggest impact; it's been on backorder since its launch. The set has you build all three Kanto Starters and then merge them into a single, impressive build. We built this set at it launch and we were floored by how involved and fun it was to build and pose.

Part of LEGO's first wave of Pokémon sets, Evee is the most affordable and the cutest, with an accurate face and an extra floofy tail. The limbs and ears are articulable, allowing the builder to create unique poses. We reviewed this set and highly recommend it.

This large Poké Ball contains two hidden tableaus inside of it – the first of Professor Oak's laboratory, and the second of a Pikachu vs. Evee battle in progress. The ball sits on a bed of crushed grass, which makes it look like it's just been thrown. In addition to the Pokémon themselves, the build also includes minifigures for Professor Oak, Red, and Picnicker

This set is something apecial. A Pokémon like Arcanine – with its distinctive, wild fur – is a perfect muse for the LEGO designers. The tail, legs, feet, head and mouth are all adjustrable to the builder's specifications. It's a dramatic-looking character, and it looks like it's in motion even though it's standing still.

Similar to the Pac-Man Arcade , the LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade is a cabinet that actually moves and plays its game. Move the joystick, and Jumpman (read: Mario) moves left and right. Push a button, and Jumpman jumps. Pull the lever, and a mechanism releases a rolling barrel. The set also uses a clever mechanism to loop the barrels, ensuring you never have to stop and "reload" the set.

As of August 2026, there are 21 LEGO Super Mario sets , nine LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog sets , seven LEGO Animal Crossing sets , one LEGO The Legend of Zelda set, and 20 LEGO Pokémon sets available for purchase on the official LEGO store.

The LEGO Nintendo approach for 2026 and beyond: a design ethos that does not strictly delineate a children's set from an adult set. We saw this with the Mario Kart - Mario & Standard Kart set that launched in May 2025. And we're seeing it again with the Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle set that launched in March 2026.

We've also noticed an increased emphasis on the Mario Kart sets over the Super Mario platformer playsets. And that makes sense from a financial standpoint. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (not Super Mario Odyssey), was the top selling game on the Nintendo Switch . And 82% of players who bought the Nintendo Switch 2 also bought Mario Kart World Tour, which launched with the console.

The early, child-oriented LEGO Super Mario playsets were very piecemeal and airy – isolated, singular elements and simple, flat plates that connected the elements together. The builds were too rudimentary, even for children's builds – they felt like LEGO sets designed for children who don't like LEGO.

What Does the Future of LEGO Nintendo Look Like?

Today, the LEGO Super Mario sets are more substantial and detail-laden, even though they still have the barcodes that designate them as expansion playsets. The best of these sets make the mobile gameplay a secondary concern to how it looks on display, and how fun and engaging it is to build. And that is where the emphasis should always be. Because whether it's for kids or adults, the joy comes from the build itself; the final product is the outgrowth of that.

There's a great LEGO documentary on Netflix; it's part of a running series called "The Toys That Made Us," and I would recommend it to anyone. My biggest takeaway from the film is that LEGO has tried, many times, to escape or broaden its appeal by creating other toys or by reinventing the bricks somehow – by overlaying them with augmented reality, or repurposing them in some odd, niche fashion. But it never turns out well or lasts, and LEGO keeps returning to the thing that people love most.

Those initial Mario playsets were a step too far and emphasized play over build. Now, LEGO is creating sets that are more in line with their design and company strengths. And with the new emphasis on Pokémon, which provides an endless well of material for the decade to come, the future looks bright.

Also, be sure to check out our lists of the best Star Wars LEGO sets and best Harry Potter LEGO sets . And if you're more into superheroes, you can take a look at the best Marvel LEGO sets as well.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong .