Recently, LEGO introduced LEGO Smart Play™ at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) which shocked the whole world, as this was the most significant evolutions in LEGO’s 90+-year history. Rather than just adapting to digital trends like many toy companies, LEGO’s Smart Play platform blends physical bricks, interactive technology, and immersive play without relying on screens or AI cloud services. In these bricks, there are cutting-edge electronics that let brick builds "come alive" with sound effects, lights, motion responses, and real-time reactions based on how children play with them.
The Smart Brick interacts with "LEGO Smart Tags" and "Smart Minifigures" so that iconic adventures like a Star Wars™ dogfight or a lightsaber duel produce authentic engine noises, iconic themes, and ambient cues right from the bricks themselves even without screens, apps, cameras, microphones, or internet connections. Smart Play is not a replacement for classic LEGO, but an addition to enhance sensory engagement and foster collaborative, story-based play that bridges physical creativity with advanced embedded technology.
The Smart Brick integrates a custom tiny ASIC chip along with sensors, RGB LED lights, a miniature speaker with an onboard synthesizer, accelerometers, and wireless connectivity to let bricks react to motion, proximity, sound cues and programmed behaviors. Here's the list of different bricks:-
1) Smart Bricks: that senses movement, tilt, light, and relative positioning with built-in sensors and communicates with Smart Tags and Minifigures. They form a wireless mesh network that lets them sense each other's presence and orientation — a system some fans call BrickNet.
2) Smart Tags: which are embedded digital identifiers (in the tiles or elements) that tell the 'Smart Brick' what action or scene to trigger (for e.g., engine sounds, music cues, lightsabers humming).
3) Smart Minifigures: that carry their own digital profiles, unlocking character-specific responses when near a Smart Brick.
LEGO Smart Play™ was first officially announced on January 5, 2026, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Currently, a total of 3 LEGO Smart Play™ sets are available as for pre-order and will be fully released on March 1, 2026. The first, SMART Play: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter (75421), contains 473 pieces and is priced at $69.99, the second, SMART Play: Luke's Red Five X-wing (75423) which contains 584 pieces and is priced at $99.99, and lastly, SMART Play: Throne Room Duel and A-wing (75427) which contains a total of 962 pieces and can pre-ordered for $159.99.
Amazing part is that, safety has been taken a core LEGO priority for these sets. Unlike many modern "smart toys" that use cameras, voice recognition, or cloud-based AI which might harm privacy, LEGO's 'Smart Brick' operates completely offline as there's no recording, no internet connection, no camera vision or external monitoring involved in regular play. All sound effects, lighting responses and reactions are generated internally by the embedded hardware and pre-programmed sensory triggers.
In addition, Smart Play uses sealed electronics inside standard-sized bricks, which means there are no loose batteries or exposed components accessible to children during normal use. The system uses wireless charging pads and rechargeable elements designed to meet international toy safety standards. Today’s LEGO builders — whether kids, fans, or collectors — are buzzing about this fusion of digital and tactile play, which promises to change not only how LEGO sets are built and experienced but also how interactive toys engage developing imaginations.
What do you guys think of LEGO Smart Play™? Do you believe it would still harm kids or make their childhood even more enjoyable? Which of the sets are you planning to purchase? Let us know all your answers in the comments where you can even provide latest news so I can make a breakdown of it.