Top LEGO Nintendo Sets for All Ages

The LEGO-Nintendo partnership, established several years ago, has led to some of LEGO's most inspired and accessible sets. Initially, in 2020, LEGO clearly separated its offerings into sets for children and adults. The children's sets were Super Mario playsets, which combined digital and physical elements to let kids create their own Super Mario courses. Meanwhile, adults were treated to iconic replicas that catered to Gen-X nostalgia with their massive, detailed builds.

Over the years, LEGO has intentionally blurred the lines between these audience segments. The new sets for kids have become more complex and involved, while those for adults have embraced a more whimsical and cartoonish style. This shift aligns well with Nintendo's family-friendly ethos, creating LEGO sets that appeal across generations.

Adventures with Interactive LEGO Mario

6 $49.99 at Target Set: #71439 Age Range: 6+ Piece Count: 218 Dimensions: 1.5 inches high, 4 inches wide, 3 inches deep Price: $49.99 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 is the most recent starter set that comes with the Mario LED figure; all other expansion sets will not "work" without it. It also comes with other essentials: a starting pipe, a Yoshi figure, a flagpole, and a Bowser, Jr. figure that rides inside a Junior Clown Car.

Mario Kart – Standard Kart

3 $19.99 at Amazon Set: #72032 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 174 Dimensions: 1.5 inches high, 5.5 inches long, 3 inches wide Price: $19.99 The Mario Kart sets are all compatible with the Interactive Mario LED figure that comes in the Adventures starter set. This classic Kart build, which includes a Glider, a Toad pit crew member, and a launching mechanism for Green and Red Shells, is an excellent starting point for designing race courses. If you're a fan of the Mario Kart games, this is a great set to assemble, and at just $19.99, it's one of the best budget LEGO sets available.

The Bowser Express Train

1 See it at Amazon Set: #71437 Age Range: 9+ Piece Count: 1392 Dimensions: 8.5 inches high, 26.5 inches long, 4.5 inches wide Price: $119.99 Weird, colorful, and lovably narcissistic, the Bowser Express Train features a massive Bowser head on the front of its engine. It comes with six baddies: a Hammer Bro, a Boom Boom, two Goombas, and two Para-Biddybuds. All aboard!

LEGO Piranha Plant

10 $59.99 save 20% $47.95 at Amazon Set: #71426 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 540 Dimensions: 9 inches high, 4.5 inches wide, 6.5 inches deep Price: $59.99 We built this set for its launch, and it managed to exceed expectations. The LEGO Piranha Plant is full of personality and charm, and its price belies its quality. It's rare to feel like you're getting a deal when buying a LEGO set, but this Piranha in a pipe is reasonably priced and worth every penny. Highly recommended.

LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone LEGO Set

3 $69.99 at Amazon Set: #21331 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 1125 Dimensions: 7 inches high, 14 inches wide, 2.5 inches deep Price: $79.99 While not strictly Nintendo, we include this set due to our affection for Sonic games. Once rivals, Sonic and Mario are now close collaborators, and Sega is a mainstay on Nintendo's online service. This Sonic the Hedgehog set is a delightful diorama of Green Hill Zone 1, complete with a loop and a smirking, cocky Sonic minifigure. It's perfect for adult beginner builders looking to test the waters before diving deeper. There are more Sonic LEGO sets available, providing options for building fun Sonic toys in 2025.

LEGO Animal Crossing Nook’s Cranny & Rosie's House

3 $74.99 save 20% $59.95 at Amazon Set: #77050 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 535 Dimensions: 6 inches high, 15 inches wide, 5.5 inches deep Price: $74.99 In 2025, Nintendo diversifies its LEGO offerings with Animal Crossing sets. Launched in March 2024, this particular build – the largest at launch – includes both Tom Nook's shop and Rosie the Cat's cottage. With a few more sets like these, Animal Crossing fans can customize their own village, mirroring the game's experience.

Fly With Dodo Airlines

1 $37.99 See it at Amazon Set: #77051 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 292 Dimensions: 5 inches high, 10.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches deep Price: $37.99 Another iconic location from the Animal Crossing franchise, Dodo Airlines allows you to travel abroad and visit other players' islands. This set includes a seaplane, a dock/jetty, and minifigures for Wilbur and Tangy, enabling you to create various roleplay scenarios.

LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi

5 Set #71438, includes 1,215 pieces. $129.99 at Amazon Set: #71438 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 1215 Dimensions: 15.5 inches high, 10 inches wide, 4 inches deep Price: $129.99 One of the most nostalgic LEGO sets in recent memory, this depiction of Mario & Yoshi moves with the turn of a crank. Not only Yoshi's feet move but also his head and arm, as well as Mario's cape. A separate mechanism triggers Yoshi to open his mouth and stick out his tongue. Standing nearly 16 inches tall, the bright, 16-bit colors really stand out.

LEGO Great Deku Tree Set

9 Set #77092, includes 2,500 pieces. This 2-in-1 set lets you build the Great Deku Tree in the style of Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild with the same pieces. $299.99 at LEGO Store Set: #77092 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 2500 Dimensions: 13 inches tall Price: $299.99 We photographed and wrote about this set when it launched. A 2-in-1 build, this set allows you to choose between the Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild versions. It includes three versions of Link, one Princess Zelda, and accessories such as the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield. While fun to assemble, it is one of the more expensive LEGO sets available.

LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser

5 See it at Amazon Set: #71411 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 2807 Dimensions: 12.5 inches high, 16 inches wide, 11 inches deep Price: $269.99 The Mighty Bowser is the finest Nintendo set LEGO has designed to date, and one of the best LEGO sets available overall. It's a massive, cartoonish, and disarmingly adorable build of Mario's ultimate adversary. Its imposing size and a spring-loaded mechanism that allows Bowser to "breathe fire" make it a standout.

How Many LEGO Nintendo Sets Are There?

As of January 2025, there are 34 LEGO Super Mario sets, 18 LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog sets, ten LEGO Animal Crossing sets, and 1 LEGO The Legend of Zelda set available for purchase on the official LEGO store.

What's Does the Future of LEGO Nintendo Look Like?

The Mighty Bowser is technically an expansion playset, but it is marketed as a standalone set. It showcases a new LEGO Nintendo approach for 2024 and beyond: a design ethos that does not strictly delineate children's sets from adult sets.

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.

Today, the LEGO Super Mario sets are more substantial and detail-laden, even though they still feature the barcodes that designate them as expansion playsets. The best of these sets – like The Mighty Bowser – prioritize the visual appeal and the joy of building over the mobile gameplay aspect. This focus on the build experience is crucial, as the joy of LEGO comes from the construction process, with the final product being the result of that engagement.

There's an excellent LEGO documentary on Netflix, part of the series "The Toys That Made Us," which I highly recommend. My biggest takeaway from the film is that LEGO has tried to broaden its appeal by creating other toys or reinventing the bricks with augmented reality or niche uses. However, these efforts never last, and LEGO always returns to what people love most about it.

The initial Mario playsets were a step too far, emphasizing play over build. Now that LEGO is creating sets that align more with their design and company strengths, 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. If you're more into superheroes, you can also take a look at the best Marvel LEGO sets.