LEGO SMART Play System 2026: Sets and How It Works
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LEGO SMART Play launched on March 1, 2026 with eight Star Wars sets, three of them All-In-One sets with the SMART Brick, and expanded to Pokémon on August 1, 2026. Which sets include a SMART Brick, what the brick does, and where to start.
LEGO SMART Play went on sale on March 1, 2026 with eight LEGO Star Wars sets, and the key fact for buyers is that only three of them contain the SMART Brick that makes the system work. Those three All-In-One sets come with the brick and a charger; the other five are compatible sets that need a brick from one of them. Pokémon became the second SMART Play theme on August 1, 2026, with two All-In-One sets of its own.
What SMART Play is
LEGO announced SMART Play at CES in Las Vegas on January 5, 2026, describing it as one of the most significant changes to the LEGO System in Play since the minifigure arrived in 1978. It has three parts that click into ordinary builds:
- SMART Brick: a brick with the footprint of a standard 2x4, though taller, that holds the electronics. LEGO says it contains sensors including an accelerometer, light sensing and a sound sensor, a small speaker driven by an onboard synthesiser, and wireless charging.
- SMART Tags: flat tiles built into a model that tell the brick what it is, so the same brick can sound like a TIE fighter in one build and an X-wing in the next.
- SMART Minifigures: characters the brick recognises, each with their own reactions.
Play needs no screen. A smartphone app exists for updating the SMART Brick's firmware. LEGO says the project produced more than twenty patented world-firsts.
The Star Wars All-In-One sets: start here
Each of these includes at least one SMART Brick, a charger, SMART Tags and at least one SMART Minifigure, so each works on its own.
All-In-One set: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter with a SMART Brick, a charger, a Darth Vader SMART Minifigure and a TIE Fighter SMART Tag. The smallest way into SMART Play.
All-In-One set: Luke's Red Five X-wing with a SMART Brick and charger, and Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia as SMART Minifigures.
All-In-One set: Throne Room Duel and an A-Wing, the largest of the three Star Wars starter sets.
The Star Wars compatible sets
These add SMART Tags and figures but no SMART Brick. They build and play like any LEGO set, and they come alive when a brick from an All-In-One set is nearby.
Compatible set: the SMART Play Millennium Falcon, which needs a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set.
Compatible set: Mos Eisley Cantina, which needs a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set.
Compatible set: Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training, which needs a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set.
Compatible set: AT-ST Attack on Endor, which needs a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set.
Compatible set: Luke's Landspeeder, the smallest SMART Play add-on, which needs a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set.
Pokémon SMART Play
LEGO revealed twelve Pokémon SMART Play sets in June 2026 and released them on August 1, 2026. Two are All-In-One sets: Training House with Pikachu, with one SMART Brick, and Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle, with two. The other ten carry SMART Tags only and need a SMART Brick from one of those two.
Pokémon All-In-One set with one SMART Brick, a charger and SMART Tags, the simplest start for a Pokémon fan.
Pokémon All-In-One set with two SMART Bricks, a charger and four SMART Tags, which suits two children playing together.
The full Pokémon range, including the 18+ display models, is in our LEGO Pokémon 2026 guide.
What reviewers and critics said
The idea drew wide attention, and the criticism has been specific: some reviewers found the sound quality disappointing and felt the brick's sensors were underused by the first sets, and some longtime fans worried that electronics take attention away from building. None of that changes how the sets build; it is worth knowing before buying a SMART Play set as an upgrade over the regular version of the same ship.
Which to buy
- One child, Star Wars: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter or Luke's Red Five X-wing, then a compatible set as a second gift.
- Two children: two All-In-One sets, so each has a brick, or Charizard vs. Jolteon for Pokémon, which has two bricks in one box.
- Adult collector: skip SMART Play; it is aimed at play, and the 18+ display models are elsewhere in each theme.
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