Checklists
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LEGO Themes
While it hasn't always been the case, almost every new LEGO set released last year and in 2026 has been tied to a specific theme. Many of the themes still getting new sets are tied to a specific IP now, but there are still quite a few LEGO original themes that are active. If you want to see a full list, the LEGO website has the most comprehensive list of every theme available in 2026.
If you're looking for what sets are worth buying from each major theme, IGN has largely done the work for you there. We have been busy building LEGO sets over the years and cataloging our overall favorite ones in list form.
Best LEGO Sets by Theme
Although we don't have recommendations for every LEGO theme, we do have favorites from all of the most popular ones. You can also check out our list of the best LEGO sets for adults for a mix of everything.
LEGO Nintendo Sets
LEGO and Nintendo have come together to produce a lot of great sets over the last few years. Specifically, the sets targeted an adult audience have been popular. These are builds like the Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi set that actually moves or the huge Great Deku tree set from The Legend of Zelda that come with a lot of pieces and added difficulty. Some themes within the larger Nintendo umbrella, like Animal Crossing, include a lot of great playsets for kids worth checking out.
In addition to the sets available now, there are a few noteworthy upcoming Nintendo builds of note. The first major one is the upcoming LEGO Game Boy set, which has incredibly popular in 2025.
LEGO Star Wars Sets
LEGO Star Wars as a theme first launched back in 1999 and hasn't really slowed down since. This collaboration has produced some of the best LEGO sets of all time and also some of the most expensive. Of the builds we've done that are still available, there are a lot of great sets to choose from. There were a bunch of great new Star Wars builds that came out in May this year, including Jango Fett's Firespray Class Starship and a few cool display helmets. For a fun smaller build, the Grogu with Hover Pram set that came out back in January is also a great choice. And if you want to drop $1,000, there is of course the massive LEGO Death Star set.
And while there are almost always new LEGO Star Wars sets each month, the most notable upcoming releases are the Smart Play sets. These sets are part of LEGO's new Smart Brick technology that was revealed at CES 2026 and are the first batch released on March 1, 2026.
LEGO Harry Potter Sets
The very first LEGO Harry Potter set came out back in 2001. Set #4701 was called The Sorting Hat and it was a simple build of just 46 pieces. Since then the LEGO Harry Potter line has grown in popularity thanks to all of the Harry Potter books and movies being released. In 2025 a lot of the best sets available are now targeted at adults, with a few fun playsets for kids thrown into the mix. If you're looking for a something fun to build and display, there's the LEGO Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set that is a miniature recreation of the school for witchcraft and wizardry. There's also the cool Chomping Monster Book of Monsters set that came out back in June that is incredibly detailed and fun to play with.
As for future releases, perhaps the most notable thing is the giant modular Hogwarts Castle build that hasn't been completed yet. LEGO has been regularly releasing new sets for this since 2024.
LEGO Lord of the Rings Sets
The collaboration between LEGO and The Lord of the Rings doesn't go nearly as far back as some of the original franchise themes. The first official Lord of the Rings set was called Gandalf Arrives and it was released back in 2012. In 2025 the number available sets that aren't retired as shrunken significantly, but their popularity is still really quite high. The most recent Balrog Book Nook set launched alongside a few other book nooks sets and was immensely popular. There's also the massive Rivendell set, which is very expensive and on many fans wish lists. The more reasonably priced LEGO The Shire set isn't as glorious, but it was one of the most popular builds released in April 2025.
In terms of new sets for 2026, LEGO released Sauron's Helmet build in March. There's also been some speculation online that a Minas Tirith set could be in the works, but since it didn't pass the LEGO Ideas review, it seems pretty unlikely.
LEGO Pokémon Sets
Pokémon has been out of reach for LEGO for many years as Mega Bloks has held the rights to the franchise for many years. However, 2026 marks the first year that Pokémon and LEGO are finally releasing their collaboration and the new sets are now all available as of February 27, 2026. The new sets consist of an Eevee build, a Pikachu set, and a massive Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set. There was also a gift with purchase set available during the preorder phase and a mini Pokémon center you can only get by redeeming points.
LEGO Smart Brick Sets
LEGO revealed a new line of sets at CES 2026 that utilize a new Smart Brick technology. These Smart Bricks allow for light and sound to be included in the build. In addition to the Smart Brick sets, LEGO has also introduced new Smart Play sets that don't come with the bricks themselves but are still compatible with other sets that do include them. All of the Smart Brick sets announced so far are Star Wars themed were released on March 1.
LEGO Art Sets
The LEGO Art theme was launched back in 2020, so it's one of the newest themes available. Within the theme there has been a mix of famous art recreated as well as collaborations with other franchises. A great example of such collaborations include the Batman: The Animated Series - Gotham City set as well as the more recent Wicked: Emerald City Wall Art set. Both of these are builds designed with specific fans in mind looking for a something to build and display. There's also the more traditional Mona Lisa set recreating Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece as well as multiple van Gogh classics. The van Gogh Sunflower set released back in March 2025 was one of our favorite builds we've ever done.
LEGO Disney Sets
LEGO and Disney have had a long history together. It's a partnership that's been going for just as long as Star Wars. So it's fitting that now Disney also owns everything Star Wars. With so many years of LEGO set releases, that means there have been a ton of new sets over the year. Many of the best Disney builds you can buy today are great for both kids and adults, but Disney has been moving toward more adult builds for this franchise over the past couple of years. The recent LEGO Luxo Jr. set depicting the iconic lamp from Pixar movies and the massive Beauty and the Beast Castle are a couple of recent popular examples of that move toward more 18+ builds. Two years ago around this same time LEGO also unveiled the Nightmare Before Christmas Set, which was one of the first in this theme truly targeted at adult builders.
As for what new Disney sets to expect in the future, we now know of three new Toy Story sets releasing in May. One of these is a pair of Slinky Dog Bookends.
LEGO Batman Sets
LEGO and Batman have a pretty deep history outside of just new sets. There have been multiple LEGO Batman games, a LEGO Batman movie, and of course some of the most popular builds from recent years. Some of our favorite Batman sets from over the years are now retired, but there are some really cool new sets to check out. Of the available LEGO Batmobiles, the Classic TV Series Batmobile set is arguably the most enticing. More recently, however, LEGO released a Batman Forever Batmobile set for fans of the 90s movie.
While there aren't any more upcoming LEGO Batman sets on the horizon, the latest Arkham Asylum set was just released in September 2025 and has already been quite popular. There was also a new open-world LEGO Batman game announced that got some LEGO set tie-ins in March 2026.
LEGO Botanical Sets
The LEGO Botanical theme has only been around since January 2021, but it's been exploding in popularity over the last few years. These LEGO sets are designed to look like real flowers or plants that you can build and display afterward. They make for great gifts for adults and come in a pretty wide variety. If you're looking for a nice variety, the Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet set LEGO launched back in January of this year is our recommendation. But there's also a nice mix of other bouquets, succulents, and even trees available. Most recently LEGO released a Japanese Red Maple Bonsai tree for only $59.99 that is absolutely awesome.
While most LEGO flower sets are sold separately, those same pieces are getting used for other builds as well. The recent LEGO Wicked bookends set we built included multiple little flower sets that added to the overall display.
LEGO Minecraft Sets
It may seem strange that you can use LEGO bricks to build Minecraft creations, but that has in fact been the case since all the way back in 2012. Since then there have been a ton of LEGO Minecraft sets, both based around the original game and newer ventures like Minecraft Legends or the recent Minecraft movie LEGO collaboration. So far, most of the new Minecraft sets have been intended for younger audiences. The one exception to this is the LEGO Minecraft Crafting Table that launched back in August of 2024, which is the only 18+ build from the theme.
LEGO Architecture Sets
LEGO and architecture coming together just makes sense. LEGO bricks are, after all, meant for building things. The actual LEGO Architecture theme first launched back in 2008 with models of the Willis Tower and the John Hancock Center. Since then we've gotten builds for most of the major landmarks, skylines, and famous buildings from around the world. Some of our favorite builds from this line have now been retired, including the massive LEGO Colosseum, but new sets keep getting releases that keep the theme fresh. The most recent Neuschwanstein Castle set that was released over the summer is a recreation of the iconic castle that inspired Disney and it's a great looking build.
LEGO Marvel Sets
Although Marvel movies aren't as popular as they were during the height of The Avengers movies, the LEGO theme continues to be popular. While LEGO hasn't released that many new Marvel sets in 2025, we did close out last year with the first ever LEGO X-Men set. This set came perfectly timed to the X-Men officially joining the MCU after the latest Deadpool & Wolverine film. If you're looking for something more closely tied to the earlier phases of the MCU, there's also some awesome builds like the Avengers Tower and the Infinity Gauntlet that are great for adult fans.
LEGO One Piece Sets
The new LEGO One Piece line of sets was released in August of 2025. There are only seven sets in this theme so far, but many of them have already proven very popular. This LEGO collaboration is based on the live-action Netflix version of the show, rather than the original anime series, but the designed are still made for all fans of the show. Out of the seven sets, the two most popular were of course the ships: The Going Merry Pirate Ship set and The Baratie Floating Restaurant set.
LEGO also recently revealed its new One Piece sets for season 2 that will be releasing on August 1, 2026. You can already preorder that set at the LEGO Store. We expect more new sets to be announced now that One Piece season 2 is available on Netflix.
LEGO Technic Sets
The LEGO Technic line of sets are some of the coolest actual builds in all of LEGO. These are sets that are meant to actually function in some way, rather than just be put together and displayed. They range from recreations of popular cars to a full on giant crane set that can actually pick things up. Many of the pieces involved in LEGO Technic sets are different than the usual LEGO bricks you'd find from other themes, so in that way it's very unique.
LEGO Ideas Sets
The LEGO Ideas line of sets is one of the most unique of the bunch. Each of the sets in this theme were originally created by users who submitted their builds to the LEGO Ideas website. Once an idea hits 10,000 supporters on the website, it has the potential to be reviewed by LEGO and maybe eventually become a set you can buy. Because of the unique nature of these sets, there's a wide variety available and main of them cross into other themes. The LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is a perfect example of this crossover where a fan-made set based on existing IP was turned into a reality. There are also some really cool designs not attached to an IP at all, like the LEGO Minifigure Vending Machine or the River Steamboat set. The Ideas line always has new set designs in the pipeline, with some popular upcoming sets like the LEGO X-Files design and the first-ever LEGO Godzilla set already confirmed for sometime in the future.
LEGO Transformers Sets
There have only been a total of three LEGO Transformers sets so far, but all of them have been incredibly popular. This is largely thanks to having roots in the original Transformers line of toys. Each build in this theme works as a functional Transformer, meaning they can actually transform into vehicles after you put them together. The three sets in the line include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and the new Soundwave set that was recently released in August 2025.