Matt Gardner

LEGO is significantly expanding its 2026 collaborations, notably making a proper entry into music with a new Olivia Rodrigo collection. Targeting nine-to-14-year-olds, these five impressively detailed sets, priced from $35 to $120, are well personalized and cater to various price points without infantilizing fans. The range includes Vinyl, Concert Moon, Secret Storage, Dual Guitar, and Flower Bouquet. The partnership brings much-needed structure to LEGO's "Editions" series, establishing a new "music sets" category. The move signals a potentially lucrative new direction for LEGO, moving beyond previous light music collaborations and opening doors for future partnerships with iconic artists, despite potential licensing complexities. This is seen as a strong start for LEGO's musical ventures.

The LEGO Group is going all out to connect with new customers, and this year's soccer collaborations show how fan-driven design and innovation may help it succeed.

"The Caribou Trail," a WWI walking simulator based on the Gallipoli campaign, uniquely highlights the 1st Battalion Newfoundland Regiment. While praised for its strong character interactions and voice acting, the game is hampered by repetitive, dull mechanics, including glacially slow movement and a tedious "cooking" minigame. Its artistic direction also underplays the war's grim reality, resulting in uninspired worldbuilding. Despite a compelling final act, the overall experience is deemed middling, failing to fully immerse players in its historical narrative. The writer suggests it misses opportunities to deliver a truly impactful WWI story.

LEGO has unveiled its largest Art Masterpiece set to date, a 4,000-piece recreation of Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss." Launched at Vienna's Belvedere Museum in partnership with the institution, this set transforms the iconic painting into a layered, 3D display model. Master model designer Milan Madge incorporated metallic gold elements and raised textures to capture the original's rich ornamentation and depth. Belvedere curator Stephanie Auer collaborated to ensure artistic fidelity. Priced at $299.99, the set will be available August 1 for Insiders and August 4 for general release, and includes a built-in wall-hanging mechanism. A companion podcast will also explore Klimt's legacy and the design process.

The latest LEGO Pokémon sets were quietly announced, but maybe the company wants them to speak for themselves; they're probably the partnership's best yet.

Gillian Anderson is thrilled about her minifigure in the new LEGO X-Files set, ranking it among her top career honors, comparable to her Simpsons cameo. The LEGO Ideas set, conceived by fan Brent Waller over a decade ago, was finally greenlit after strong support from the '90s Nostalgia Challenge. Anderson expressed surprise at the set's realization and reacted "like a little kid" to its intricate details, anticipating fans' excitement. She reflected on The X-Files' enduring cultural impact, its multi-generational appeal, and the "Scully Effect" inspiring women in STEM. Anderson, balancing new film projects and her SAYes mentoring charity, plans to build the set with her family, highlighting LEGO's personal significance.

The LEGO Icons Star Trek: USS Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge (11385), which celebrates the show's 60th anniversary, aptly comes in at 1,701 pieces.

Every now and then, a game preview drags you along on a nostalgia trip at lightspeed.

LEGO Up-Scaled Minifigures are becoming more common, and the range has gained real momentum.

Two of the best gaming soundtracks of the last 25 years are finally being re-released on vinyl — and another finally debuts.