Every Lego Star Wars Game RANKED
#6: “Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2016)
We’re not just putting “The Force Awakens” at the bottom because it’s based on one of the Disney sequels. Very rarely have we seen Lego games centered on one specific movie, and very rarely have we seen these one-movie wonders turn out good. That isn’t to say “Force Awakens” was entirely bad. This was kind of the first time we got to play a “Lego Star Wars” game with the open-world approach, allowing us to fully take in the environments. The barren dunes of Jakku to the peaceful majesty of Maz’s Castle helped bring that wondrous feeling of adventure to life, and the shooting gallery segments helped break up the tedious nature of puzzles and breaking everything on screen. “Lego Force Awakens” had plenty to love, but it just wasn’t enough to outweigh its problems. The game feels bloated with monotonous side missions and races, and like most Lego games around this time, it came with a handful of technical problems. While some bugs have been patched out, others have remained since launch, making “Force Awakens” the weakest in the series.
#5: “Lego Star Wars: The Video Game” (2005)
The phrase “you can’t beat the classics” can apply to many fantastic video game franchises. In the case of the first “Lego Star Wars”, it maintains “classic” status as a blessing and a curse. “Lego Star Wars: The Video Game” was a major player in TT Games’ success, offering up a massive adventure across the prequel trilogy with a bonus level teasing the sequel. There was a beautiful ebb and flow of switching between characters to solve puzzles, find Minikits, and collect enough studs to fill the meter. As you unlocked more characters and Extras, there was more reason to replay levels for fun, whether it was to create interesting stories or impose a higher difficulty on yourself. Unfortunately, the first “Lego Star Wars” has not aged well, particularly in its vehicle-based levels where hazards felt unfairly placed at times. If you grew up on the game (like myself), you can most likely forgive this portion of the game, especially since this was the very first of TT’s Lego games. If you’ve never touched this title before, don’t be surprised at its sometimes archaic design.
#4: “Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars” (2011)
“Lego Star Wars III” is kind of the oddball of not just “Lego Star Wars”, but the entire line of TT’s Lego games, mainly because of its aesthetics. We understand that this was to fit the visual style of the animated “Clone Wars” series as well as the 2008 film. Still, it looked a little bizarre. However, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover because “Lego Star Wars III” was a major evolution in the series. In terms of technical stuff, it brought the Lego games into the seventh generation of consoles, taking advantage of the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii to improve lighting, textures, and rendering. As for gameplay, Story Swap allowed players to experience different storylines in a single level while also demanding a little more “outside of the brick” thinking in its puzzles. Jedis were also expanded upon with lightsaber throwing, combos, and abusing droids left and right. Simply put, there was a ton of fun to be had in “Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars”, and it doesn’t get as much love in the conversation as it should. Besides, you had segments where you could command armies! And Starkiller from “The Force Unleashed” games was an unlockable character!
#3: “Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy” (2006)
After the rousing success of the first “Lego Star Wars”, there wasn’t anywhere to go but up for TT Games. However, we weren’t expecting the sequel to turn out as amazing as it did. “Lego Star Wars II” brought a whole new set of ideas while keeping its core gameplay somewhat simple. Beforehand, the Jedi were kind of the only ones with any defensive capabilities, able to block attacks and deflect projectiles. Blaster-wielders now had more defense, capable of dodging projectiles upon reacting during specific windows. Vehicle segments were improved as well, giving the player more freedom to move about and explore. (Not as much as newer Lego games now, but more freedom than the predecessor’s on-rails structure.) Bounty hunter missions were a fun way to test your exploration and memory for speedruns, and the character creation was a fantastic opportunity to make our own living Swiss army knives and break levels. Any kid who got their hands on this game was freaking out in excitement, but not as much as our next entry.
#2: “Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga” (2007)
Honestly, you cannot talk about Lego video games or even “Star Wars” video games without bringing up “Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga”. A compilation of the first two games, “The Complete Saga” married the ideas and ambition of both games into one unified experience that would keep players busy for a few weeks. Character creation was bigger than ever, giving us more options in appearances and abilities. Levels from the first “Lego Star Wars” were reworked with the sequel’s design, making them more tolerable than before. Some puzzles were changed around to fit abilities introduced in the sequel, too, such as the Bounty Hunter abilities. This expanded collection of two games that were out of this world would become known as the greatest Lego video game of all time and one of the best “Star Wars” games ever made. And yet, TT Games has managed to dethrone its best title.
#1: “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” (2022)
This is not a case of recency bias. This is not coming from a mindset of “newer is better”. As someone who has played every Lego game under the TT Games umbrella, this is absolutely the best Lego game ever made. “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” encapsulates everything we’ve come to love from the brick-building toy brand and the galaxy far, far away. Each of the nine movies has been shortened into charming narratives, recounting the events of Anakin becoming Darth Vader, Luke overthrowing the Empire, and Rey becoming an adopted Skywalker. Even with these stories being shortened to an hour or two per Episode, nothing is sacrificed here; the emotion is there, the humor is there, and the sense of adventure is flowing throughout. The ability to make the Disney sequel trilogy actually enjoyable is an achievement itself. And yet, it doesn’t end there. Players can explore vast areas across more than twenty planets, each one feeling alive with its characters, locations, and side missions. Character classes are more streamlined with their abilities and even come with distinct skill trees to turn everyone into a powerhouse. Puzzles are more thoughtful and interactive, levels are designed with multiple solutions, and combat is far more rewarding than previous titles. Whether you’re a Lego fan, a “Star Wars” fan, or love open world games, you absolutely need “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga”.