Key Takeaways
- LEGO games offer diverse co-op experiences in various genres from racing to action-adventure.
- Recent collaborations like
LEGO Fortnite
and upcoming releases expand the series’ reach. - Each game stays true to its source material, creating engaging and family-friendly adventures.
LEGO games have long been a staple in many player’s libraries, from the PS1 to games still being made for the PS5 such as LEGO Horizon Adventures. Whether that’s a LEGO version of a fan-favorite series, exciting racing action, or just the accessible and addictive gameplay loops they have to offer, there’s a LEGO game out there for everyone.
Over the decades, the series has cemented itself as a go-to name for family-friendly co-op experiences. With so many titles, it can be hard to find what game makes for the best two-player experience. For those still unsure, or on the “brick” of a decision, read on to see what LEGO games deliver the best co-op experiences.
Updated on September 26, 2024, by Melody MacReady: Fans of LEGO games can rejoice as more entries are being introduced to the long-running series. Not only is LEGO Fortnite continuing to get updates, but LEGO is collaborating with Sony for a new game to be released on November 14, 2024. Not only do LEGO games continue to have the wholesome family adventure aspect that they have been known for since their start, but they also feature co-op. As fun as LEGO games are for solo play, most of them are intended to be played with a friend, or family member, or in certain cases, with other online players.
10 LEGO 2K Drive
Closest Thing To A LEGO Racers Reboot
When people think of racing games, co-op usually isn’t the first thought to cross their minds. After all, most racing games aim to have racers pitted against one another as they aim to finish top of the podium. However, that’s not true for every game in the genre. There have been many great racing co-op games in the past, and LEGO 2K Drive is one such success.
The game is a large open-world playground that will have players tackling a story mode, cup series, and even the option for mini-games. All features are accessible to those playing in split-screen co-op. Duos can explore the open world as they see fit, take on races together, discover collectibles, and work together to beat challenges scattered throughout the open world.
9 LEGO Jurassic World
Dinosaurs Are Just As Majestic As Minifigures
When the hugely anticipated Jurassic World came out in 2015, fans were treated to a great deal of new content with LEGO Jurassic World. The game featured great graphics and took players across all four of the Jurassic Park films with audio lifted from the first three movies for accurate replication.
With many of the characters in LEGO Jurassic World being traditional humans, the well-designed levels had more complex puzzles, and effective toolkits for characters that made them useful. Add the option to play as dinosaurs and roam around the islands and parks of the movies, and it’s hard not to see the appeal of playing through this great adventure as a co-op duo.
8 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Faithful Recreation Of The Iconic Movies
Despite the darker themes of the films, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures remains loyal to its source material, even if it keeps things mostly family-friendly. From the look and feel of the locations in the 1930s to the faithful recreation of beloved scenes to John Williams’ iconic scores, everything is straight out of the movies.
Spanning from Raiders Of The Lost Ark to Indiana Jones And The Last Crusader, LEGO Indiana Jones features even more refined co-op gameplay for its time. Indiana Jones always had some kind of companion helping him on his adventures, which Traveler’s Tales also recreates via the puzzles and would set a new gold standard that many future LEGO games would follow.
7 LEGO City Undercover
The Ultimate Tribute To 80s Cop Movies
Instead of some popular franchise, LEGO City Undercover was Traveler’s Tales’ first attempt at a completely original LEGO game. It focuses on a hip young cop named Chase McCain traversing LEGO City to take on criminals, including the main villain, Rex Fury, in a family-friendly police action adventure.
Sadly, LEGO City Undercover was one of the more overlooked LEGO games for years since it was originally an exclusive for the Nintendo Wii U. Thankfully, it was later re-released on multiple systems, with one to two players being able to experience the story of Chase, which homages many 80s and 90s action movies, from Die Hard to Beverly Hills Cop.
6 LEGO The Lord of the Rings
Allows Players To Explore Middle-Earth As A Fellowship
LEGO has tackled plenty of major movie franchises and the world of Middle-Earth was inevitable and thus came LEGO The Lord Of The Rings. Out of the many games set in the Tolkien universe, it is one of the few that allows friends to play together through the whole trilogy of movies reliving many iconic moments.
In addition to some great levels, the real draw for co-op players will be the underrated world map in LEGO The Lord Of The Rings. This map lets players explore multiple iconic Middle-earth locations, and work together to solve environmental puzzles to unlock new characters and collectibles.
5 LEGO Fortnite
The Best Way To Make A Minecraft Clone
With a randomly generated world, LEGO Fortnite allows one or multiple players to wander through diverse biomes, collect supplies, and craft the means to survive against the wilderness and monsters, akin to Minecraft. This surprise of a mode came almost out of nowhere but surprised gamers with familiar gameplay but executed in just the right way to earn a fanbase.
Nearly every character unlocked in Fortnite Battle Royale has a LEGO variant to use in the mode, allowing LEGO Fortnite to be an ideal companion mode to the more famous one. Now, LEGO Fortnite is embracing the co-op aspect even more with the local splitscreen mode coming on October 3, 2024.
4 LEGO Rock Band
Singing And Performing For The Best Party Night
There was a period when rhythm games were all the rage thanks to Guitar Hero and Rock Band pumping out many games with instrument-style controllers. Enter LEGO Rock Band, a Rock Band game that’s imbued with LEGO charm and a great track list accessible to younger audiences. The gameplay was essentially identical to previous Rock Band games, which were perfect party games.
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What makes LEGO Rock Band such a great co-op game is the same thing that made every other music game like it so great. It’s essentially a video game jam session that players can share with their friends and family. The game has many of the same features as the mainline games, including a world tour mode, customizable set lists, or the choice to blast out one-off songs.
3 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Built A Universe That Was Bigger Than The Movies At The Time
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuing to gain traction, it was only a matter of time before LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was made and finally gave fans a brick-built Marvel adventure. The game features a diverse roster, and the levels are designed to have characters react to each other’s powers, both hero and villain alike.
The story in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was comic book goodness, entertaining both young and older gamers. The game remains a strong Marvel open-world game, with challenges and collectibles to find. It was fun to explore the environment with a partner, but the excellent design level makes for a thrilling co-op experience.
2 LEGO DC Super-Villains
A Villainous Adventure Straight Out Of A Comic
One of the franchises that put modern LEGO games on the map is the L EGO Batman video game. It was so successful that it spawned multiple sequels leading up to LEGO DC Super-Villains as the fourth entry, creating a massive DC adventure but from the perspective of villains like Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, and Reverse Flash working together.
When the Justice League go missing and their replacements turn out to be evil, the original villains decide to take the job of protecting Earth. Apart from the open world, what helps LEGO DC Super-Villains stand out is its custom main character, allowing the player to create a human or metahuman character using a collection of original LEGO parts or from other characters.
1 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
More Star Wars Characters Than Ever Before
After making a name for themselves with multiple Star Wars games, Traveller’s Tale released the complete LEGO Star Wars package, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. The game was a combination of all nine mainline series films, plus content based on the Disney+ shows. It features 45 playable levels, close to 400 playable characters, and an enormous open-world experience.
The game is still packed with all the addictive goodness that makes LEGO games great, but with different planets to explore. Players looking to complete the game 100% will be looking at around 85 hours of game time. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a celebration of both the Star Wars universe, with a nearly unlimited amount of content for the whole family.