I have played with the Lego Pokémon Smart Play sets and they deserve all the awards

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I just spent a few hours of my workday playing with the new Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets, and my inner 8-year-old is still screaming. So, I’ll put this the way a child might put it: I love the new Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets so much I want to marry them.

Seriously, though: These principles absolutely rule.

I will admit that I was intrigued by the Lego Smart Play Star Wars sets that were released earlier this year. So I was a little skeptical when Mashable got the chance to show off the new Lego Pokémon sets ahead of their launch on August 1. However, my fellow Pokémon enthusiasts and I had an absolute blast playing and running around with these sets.

I’m happy to reveal how they work, what sets are coming, and whether they’re worth adding to your Lego collection.

What are Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets?

Charizard in all its glory.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Mashable has been following the release of Lego Smart Play closely. We were there for the Smart Brick’s big debut at CES 2026 and are on hand for the London launch of the Pokémon Smart Play Sets this summer.

The Smart Brick enables interaction with Mewtwo’s Lab Break set.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

The Smart Play system is built around the new Smart Brick, a modified 2×4 Lego piece. Lego packed a lot of hardware into this brick, including an accelerometer, microphone and speakers, LED lights, magnetic sensors, a gyroscope, and a color sensor. The Smart Brick responds to the Smart Tags included with the Smart Play sets, as well as various Smart Minifigures. The included wireless charger provides extra juice when the battery runs out.

Recharge your smart bricks with the included charging pad.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

The result is a Lego set that responds to your play. Now, your Lego Mini Figures can talk by themselves. They also light up or make sounds based on your movement.

Here’s a Lego Jolteon with a Smart Brick.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets take this even further: Your favorite Pokémon not only makes cute little sounds, but also goes into battle mode. You can charge special powers, level up your Pokémon, and battle them.

The Smart Brick landed directly on Charizard’s stomach.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets make incredibly sweet sounds

The real secret sauce behind the new Lego Pokémon sets? Pikachu, Squirtle, Bidoof, Geodude, Charmander, and Eevee make cute little noises. They squeak and chatter back and forth when you place them next to each other. When you push a squirtle cart, do less choo-choo engine sounds.

Lego Smart Play Training House with Pikachu set.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

And the pièce de resistance? The Pikachu Treehouse Set contains a hidden Murphy bed. Put Pikachu or one of his smart friends on the bed, and let them sleep and snore.

Lego Smart Play Pikachu takes a nap in the Training House.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

It’s enough to make you cry from the sheer amount of fun, which is exactly what we did as we played with these monsters in the Mashable office.

The aforementioned battle mode is also really cool. Some sets come with training stations, where you can raise Pokémon to have a better chance of winning the game. You can power up your Pokémon’s special powers (move too hard, and the move pops out), avoid attacks, and generally have fun.

These are some of the main interactive elements, and a lot of the fun here will be trying new things. You can add smart markers and smart bricks to different creatures to explore new ways to play.

Squirtle comes with a cart and barbecue set, obviously.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Also, I’ve never been a huge Pokémon guy (I’m an OG Harry Potter nerd), and I’ve had a blast playing with these cute little guys.

Lego Pokémon sets arrive on Aug. 1

There’s one thing I don’t like about Lego Smart Play sets: they don’t all come with a smart brick. That’s not as big a deal here as it was with the price tag star Wars sets, but check the product details carefully. You will need to buy at least one set with a smart brick and charger. From there, you can create your own collection. I note that add-on sets start at $19.99, and you can get all-in-one sets for $69.99. Lego prices are not always friendly.

Lego Pokémon Smart Play: Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle.
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Smart Training House with Pikachu and Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle is a compact kit that includes smart bricks.

Geodude rocks!
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

You can also purchase “Smart Play Compatible” interactive sets, which include:

• Mewtwo’s Lab Break

• Eevee and Lapras’s Treasure Hunt

• Berry Bash and Bulbasaur and Bidoof

• Coach Buggy Adventure with squirtle

• Charmander’s confrontation with Geodude’s Cavern

• Cubone and Gengar’s Spooky Showdown

Three of these sets are available on Amazon, and the rest are available for pre-order on the Lego online store. Presumably, more smart Pokémon sets will arrive in the future.

Are Lego Pokémon Smart Play Sets worth it?

Absolutely! We played well with these sets, and thankfully there are many sets available for under $75. If you love Lego and Pokémon, we think this one will be fun for all ages.