10 LEGO Games that Aren't Just for Kids

There are many things within the gaming sphere that are thought of as being directed at or primarily made for children. However, oftentimes, colourful games with simple plots are viewed this way. The LEGO games are a great example of a franchise that is often mistaken as being only for children.

While LEGO worlds are colourful, and the mechanics of the games are easy to pick up, this isn’t all there is to them. Through the comedy and subtle world-building, even just the impressive scope of some games, the LEGO franchise has proven time and again that there’s more to them than some adults might expect.

10 LEGO Horizon Adventures

Their Own Version of an Adult-Oriented Game

Horizon: Zero Dawn isn’t the most adult-focused game on the market, but it generally isn’t recommended for younger children due to the high levels of violence and intensity. The fact that LEGO made their own version, which was admittedly a bit more kid-friendly, didn’t suddenly mean the franchise had a younger fan base.

The LEGO version of Horizon is excellent fun. Having played both the original and LEGO versions, I can say confidently that each is great and comes with its own charms. The original does feature more strategic elements, and also some darker moments which are removed or changed in the LEGO game. But despite all of that, the original aim was for an older audience, and that’s definitely what they got with this adaptation.

9 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

So Many Deaths that Cannot be Unseen

Admittedly, Harry Potter itself was originally aimed at a younger audience. However, by the later years, there were many traumatic moments, dark deeds, and death scenes that upset us as we made our way at tender ages through the final adventures in the series.

Despite the LEGO theme being able to take away some of the darkness of scenes and moments like Sirius or Dumbledore dying, or everything about the Battle of Hogwarts, this game still didn’t feel geared towards kids with all of these moments. Some coming-of-age stories have these kinds of hurts, but the sheer volume of tragic deaths and tough-to-swallow moments across these later entries make for a tough ride that younger children might not understand or enjoy playing through.

8 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

More Complicated Gameplay, A Galaxy Filled with Challenges

While most LEGO games are known for their simple gameplay and consistent types of challenges, The Skywalker Saga brought a lot of changes to the usual formula. There’s more content here than in any LEGO game that’s come before, and younger players could easily become overwhelmed or struggle with the huge volume of options available.

Younger players probably won’t understand the full scope of the Skywalker Saga. The massive number of films, and all of the lore from across them included in this huge game, alongside the wealth of content and some of the most challenging gameplay yet in a LEGO game, makes Skywalker Saga sure to be enjoyed just as much by adults as by kids.

7 LEGO City Undercover

Grand Theft Auto is Not for Children

The strangest thing about this game isn’t the content or gameplay itself, it’s the marketing. Although not directly called it, LEGO City Undercover has been known for years as LEGO’s version of Grand Theft Auto. It’s a fair rap, and there are many similarities, but as with other pseudo-GTA games like The Simpsons: Hit and Run, this game found a huge fan base with its charm, and particularly, the comedy.

LEGO City Undercover references a huge number of films and has possibly the best and most consistent humour of any LEGO game yet. However, many of the references are to films that children wouldn’t have gotten, even back when this was released.

Dirty Harry, Goodfellas, and The Shawshank Redemption are just a few of the hilarious moments that had me consistently cackling while playing this for the first time. However, none of those references, or many of the others, are even vaguely suitable for kids. This means that, while kids can play, they won’t get the full experience until they’re older.

6 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

These Films Come with Terrifying Moments

Though several of the scarier sequences and traumatic moments from the Indiana Jones films were removed in the second LEGO game, a lot of them retained some real fear factor in this first foray. I remember being stunned as a child that they kept the Ark of the Covenant face-melting sequence, and only sort of censored many of the other adult moments and jokes throughout.

Although there is plenty for kids to love in these games, and in the Indiana Jones films, there’s no doubt that the whole franchise is made more for adults. The age of the most popular films also makes it difficult to assume any game based on Indy is just for children, and the memories from seeing the films and playing this so young proves it.

5 LEGO Dimensions

A Multiverse of Easter Eggs to Track

Back in 2015, the idea of a game involving everyone from Batman to Gandalf blew our collective minds. I was already an adult when this game arrived, and yet even I wasn’t able to keep track of all the Easter Eggs and characters from various properties that LEGO managed to fit into this massive story.

Nobody can claim LEGO Dimensions is just for kids. The paywall of having to collect so many physical characters to complete everything the game has to offer is one reason. But another is the breadth of characters, including ones from classic franchises like The A-Team, and even horror movies like Gremlins!

4 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

One of the Most Challenging LEGO Games

Marvel Comics games were always going to be of interest to older players, naturally. Few Marvel games, even now, have given players the scope to play as such a wide variety of their favourite comic-book characters. Despite the MCU being at the height of its popularity in 2017, many children wouldn’t have any exposure to the Marvel multiverse or Kang the Conqueror back in 2017. That meant this story was also directed at us veteran Marvel fans.

While I loved LEGO MSH2, it was definitely a shock to the system finding out how difficult some of the challenges were. The Top Hat Toppler Challenge, and Tiddles Tracker involved some of the most tedious work in the history of LEGO games. This entry remains infamously known as one of the hardest, and most surprising, LEGO games to date, meaning it definitely can’t be considered a game that is only for kids.

3 LEGO 2K Drive

The Ultimate Completion Challenge

Although there are many ways to play LEGO games, I’ve always personally found that trying to collect everything and get every achievement just hits differently in this franchise. However, LEGO 2K Drive required so much effort to get the Platinum Trophy and 100% it, that it broke even me.

This is a complicated game, with so many different challenges that can be really tricky. Of course, dedicated children with a lot of time on their hands could get through it all, but this isn’t an easy driving game to get to know. This is a game that works for all ages, but the way it really makes you work for the high-level challenges and trophies doesn’t feel made for children in the slightest.

2 LEGO DC Super-Villains

Playing as the Villain Isn’t Directed at Children

Something about playing as a villain is a particularly intriguing newer idea. That goes double for comic book villains, who fans have grown up with, and interest in iconic enemies like the Joker only rises, resulting in films entirely about him. LEGO DC Super-Villains was an idea that was always going to appeal more to adults who had been reading comics about these villains for decades than it would to younger kids.

Children usually want to play as their favourite heroes. While the story of LEGO DC Super-Villains was an interesting one, it was never going to be as exciting to young players as a straight Justice League game would have been. An entire game for the more sinister characters from DC Comics was definitely made to appeal to the older among us LEGO lovers.

1 LEGO Rock Band

Like Guitar Hero, This Takes Real Skill

Another of the LEGO games which goes far beyond the usual in terms of what gaming abilities players will need is LEGO Rock Band. Many rhythm games are geared at children, but the skills required to master them take so much work and effort that they naturally attract dedicated older players too.

LEGO Rock Band was made in the vein of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. This made it tough to learn, though some of us put the real work in to master it. Like 2K Drive, this is one of the most challenging games to 100% complete in the LEGO pantheon of games. However, some players will go all the way and manage it, becoming experts in a whole different type of game to the other LEGO ones in order to do so.