LEGO Christmas 2020 gift list for gamers

Brick Fanatics brings you the definitive guide to this year’s Christmas shopping with our LEGO gift list for gamers.

These days, it seems like videogames and LEGO are almost inextricably intertwined. But it wasn’t always the case: just a decade ago there was no LEGO Minecraft, no LEGO Overwatch, and definitely no LEGO Super Mario. Fortunately, it’s now 2020 (four words we never thought we’d write in succession), and that’s all changed.

So, whether your hands are fixed in a permanent claw shape from too many hours clutching a controller, or you just happen to have a Nintendo superfan on your Christmas list, we’ve got you covered. With options to suit all tastes and budgets, there really is something for everyone – even if you prefer your gaming a little more analogue.

Dive in below, and don’t forget to check out the rest of our Christmas 2020 gift lists.

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For the hands-on gamer:

Super Mario 71360 Adventures With Mario Starter Course

Price: £49.99 / $59.99 / €58.48 Pieces: 231 Available: Now

If Nintendo Labo and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit are your cup of tea, you’ll love the LEGO Super Mario theme. It essentially takes the classic videogame into the real world, offering the kind of unique interactivity Nintendo champions. And no matter how invested you eventually find yourself in the theme’s myriad expansion packs, it all begins with 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course.

The base set includes everything you need to get going with LEGO Super Mario. There’s the digital figure, which you’ll fall in love with from the moment he exclaims “LEGO Mario time!” There’s a short but challenging set of platforms to navigate, bookended by the warp pipe and goal pole. And there’s even a couple of enemies to face off against, including Bowser Jr. It’s not for everyone, but if you love getting hands-on with your games, you should definitely give LEGO Super Mario a try.

For collectors:

Overwatch 75977 Junkrat & Roadhog

Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €48.73 Pieces: 380 Available: Now

Would you rather just build a beautiful homage to your favourite game? 75977 Junkrat & Roadhog is the LEGO set for you. In fact, you don’t really even need to have played Overwatch to appreciate this incredibly cool model. With two unique characters, an eye-catching build and a detailed display stand, it’s readymade for showing off on your shelf.

Plus, it’s reportedly due to retire this year, so this may be your last chance to get it before it’s gone for good. Don’t hang around if you still need to complete your LEGO Overwatch collection. And if you just want a taste of the zany theme, you can really do no better than 75977 Junkrat & Roadhog.

For tabletop gamers:

NINJAGO 71722 Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons

Price: £89.99 / $99.99 / €97.47 Pieces: 1,171 Available: Now

If you prefer your gaming sans screens, then NINJAGO’s adventure into tabletop gaming may be just the ticket. Four sets combine for a thrilling board game experience, all anchored around 71722 Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons. But even if you don’t have the budget or space for the other three (71717 Journey to the Skull Dungeons, 71719 Zane’s Mino Creature and 71721 Skull Sorcerer’s Dragon), this set alone still offers brilliant post-build play.

The game is essentially a physical dungeon crawler, which uses the dice spinner to send your NINJAGO minifigures on an epic quest for the Shadow Blade of Deliverance. Regardless of whether you’re invested in the wider NINJAGO lore, there’s something to be said for being able to build a playable board game.

For the retro gamer:

Super Mario 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System

Price: £209.99 / $229.99 / €224.19 Pieces: 2,646 Available: Now

The LEGO Group has embraced its adult audience good and proper this year, and that’s no more obvious than in 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System. This slice of Ninty nostalgia recreates the classic console in bricks, complete with a retro CRT TV. But while it definitely looks the part, that’s not what you’ll find most impressive about this ode to videogame history.

You see, the real fun of 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System lies in its functions. Lift the top of the console, and you can insert a brick-built cartridge into the spring-loaded mechanism, just like the real thing. And turning the crank on the side of the TV will rotate the 2D background, propelling the 8-bit Mario piece around the tiled course. It’s a moment of sheer LEGO genius, and one that will captivate anyone who grew up with Nintendo’s original console.

For the meta gamer:

Minecraft 21161 The Crafting Box 3.0

Price: £74.99 / $69.99 / €77.97 Pieces: 564 Available: Now

It doesn’t get much more meta than LEGO Minecraft. The virtual world is basically digital LEGO, with everything constructed from angular building blocks. Taking that design language and reverting it back to the physical bricks of LEGO could either have been derivative or genius.

We reckon it’s the latter, and where better to start with LEGO Minecraft than the basic building blocks of the theme? Including instructions with a Minecraft set feels a bit self-defeating: this is a world you need to construct all by yourself, and 21161 The Crafting Box 3.0 includes everything you need to get going.

For the traditionalist:

40198 LEGO Ludo Game

Price: £34.99 / $39.99 / €38.98 Pieces: 389 Available: Now

Do you know someone with a soft spot for classic games like Monopoly, Connect 4 and Guess Who? If so, 40198 LEGO Ludo Game might be just what you need to pull them towards the brick. Christmas is the perfect time for board games, after all. And given extended family gatherings probably aren’t on the cards this year, the fact it only plays four shouldn’t be too much of a concern.

Looking for the ideal present for the LEGO Batman fan in your life? Click here for our LEGO Christmas 2020 gift list for Batman fans.

If budget is truly no issue, why not check out Brick Fanatics’ Top 20 LEGO Sets List, which ranks the best 20 LEGO sets currently available at LEGO.com? If the set you’re looking for is out of stock, sign up to Brick Fanatics’ Stock Alerts to be notified as soon as it’s available again.

For the full ranges of LEGO Super Mario, Overwatch, Minecraft and NINJAGO products, head over to LEGO.com. If this list has helped you at all, you can thank us by purchasing through our affiliate links. We’ll get a small commission, which will allow us to keep bringing you brilliant gift ideas for Christmas 2020 and beyond.

Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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