I recently discovered that this is possible to play all of the LEGO adventure games that have produced by TT Games (formerly Travelers Tales) using just a single current-generation gaming console. Thanks to a continued commitment to backwards compatibility support and continued support for disk-based games, you can play all of the games in this list using the latest Xbox Series X gaming console.

Stack showing all of the LEGO games produced by TT / Traveler’s Tales.

In researching this article, I discovered that there are between 25 and 27 games which were released in 19 years (depending on how you are counting those titles which were re-released as compilations). No matter how you are counting, that’s a lot of games!

Recent history of gaming consoles

Consumer gaming consoles that can display complex 3D worlds went mainstream with 5th generation gaming consoles such as the Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64. In each successive console generation beginning with the 6th generation Xbox and PS2 consoles, we have seen a 6-12x increase in performance. In practical terms, this dramatic increase has allowed for more complex environments, more realistic characters, significantly improved lighting, and support for higher resolution HD and 4K displays.

All of this innovation in graphics capabilities has resulted in much more realistic games, but this is hardly critical when your game is all about plastic minifigures exploring simple environments containing plastic bricks. That’s why the comparably primitive graphics of the earliest LEGO games don’t really matter — the game designers had to focus on fun gameplay experiences and humor to offer a fun experience on older hardware. The significantly improved graphics of the newest games does not always translate into a more fun gaming experiences!

The majority of the games we want to explore in the TT games back-catalog were released for 8th generation consoles (Xbox One / Playstation 4), or the older 7th generation hardware (Xbox 360 / Playstation 3). As we will learn later, the original LEGO Star Wars game is the only title which was exclusive to 6th generation hardware (Original Xbox / Playstation 2), but it was re-released two years later for the Xbox 360 / Playstation 3. (The re-release was important since the original version was not designed with High Definition widescreen TV’s in mind!)

LEGO×TT Games – By Theme

To make this guide a bit easier to follow, I have organized the games by theme instead of in strict chronological order. This makes it a bit easier to see the wide range of IP partners which have gotten the TT Games treatment.

Star Wars

The LEGO TT Games partnership began with the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game in March 2005. It was released the same year as Episode III: Revenge of the Sith — the final film in the prequel trilogy. It was quickly followed by a second game in 2006 following the classic storylines of the original trilogy.

The original LEGO Star Wars game wasn’t designed for Widescreen displays. (Screenshot from Windows version)

The first two games were re-released in 2007 with some additional content as “The Complete Saga”. (Most people consider the Complete Saga as the definitive edition of these early games, so there is little reason to seek out the initial releases – especially since the original release is unplayable on modern hardware.)

All five LEGO Star Wars games. (The first two games were combined into “The Complete Saga”.)

Fans of The Clone Wars may enjoy LEGO Star Wars III which focuses on larger battle scenes over quieter exploration. The Force Awakens is the only LEGO game based on just a single movie, allowing a slower exploration of source material.

LEGO Star Wars III focuses on epic battles.

The Skywalker Saga is a massive game that covers all nine movies (sadly excluding Rogue One and Solo), plus massive open worlds to explore to discover hidden treasures. It is also the only LEGO game released so far to take advantage of the latest-generation gaming consoles such as the Xbox Series S/X, or Playstation 5. (It’s hardly what I would call ‘realistic’, but offers a clear step up from previous generation titles.)

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones was the second franchise to receive the LEGO TT Games treatment. The first game was released a few weeks after the cinematic release of the fourth Indiana Jones movie (The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), but it only covered the first three movies — which is why it was called “The Original Adventures”.

The original Indiana Jones game has classic puzzles and compelling gameplay.

The sequel “The Adventure Continues” was released a year-and-a-half later. It revisits the first three films with five new levels for each movie, while adding 15 levels based on The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

LEGO Indiana Jones (2008) and LEGO Indiana Jones 2 (2009).

The gameplay of The Original Adventures remains engaging 16 years after it’s initial release. The sequel was not as well received because the levels revisiting the first three movies are less engaging than the original game, and The Crystal Skull is not an especially good movie in the first place.

LEGO Batman / DC

While I have not played the LEGO Batman games extensively, they are extremely popular amonsgt fans. This is easily explained by the iconic villains which Batman faces throughout the first three games.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame (2008)

Three LEGO Batman games (2008-2014) and LEGO DC Super-Villains (2018).

The fourth game takes a different approach, focusing on gameplay where you play the role of the villains instead. This is a playful twist on the familiar LEGO videogame formula, but I found the gameplay more disjoint as we jump between different groups of villains to complete each story.

LEGO Harry Potter

The LEGO Harry Potter games sit alongside the original LEGO Star Wars games in that they were combined and upgraded for newer consoles. As such, most people will want to play the remastered versions which have improved graphics and require only a single purchase. Since the remastered versions came out 6 years after the original games, they were released for newer consoles.

LEGO Harry Potter Collection Remastered includes both games.

These games introduced compelling gameplay mechanics such as the ability to control pets to dig up treasures and solve certain puzzles. I remember enjoying playing Years 1-4 for the Xbox 360, and the rest of the story using the Remastered version for Xbox One.

LEGO Lord of the Rings / Hobbit

Middle earth is a rich world to visit as a LEGO minifigure. The first game coincided with the introduction of LEGO sets based on The Lord of the Rings in 2012. Both of these games have expansive open worlds which allow you to explore Middle Earth on your own terms, but also has distinct levels that retell the movies in LEGO brick form.

Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit feature expansive open worlds.

LEGO Lord of the Rings is notable in a modern context because it is one of just two games in this list that are not available for purchase from the Microsoft Store. While the exact reason is not known, it is believed that the game could not be renewed due to licensing issues. This is too bad, because it is a very rich game that I encourage you to seek out if you have any interest in Middle Earth.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings (2012) and The Hobbit (2014) were released during the transition from the Xbox 360 to Xbox One hardware.

The Hobbit benefits from being designed for more capable gaming consoles, but it’s a bit lacking compared to the grander scope of The Lord of the Rings. It is also widely criticized for being based on just the first two movies, rather than waiting for the third film to complete the story — or releasing levels based on the third movie as an DLC add-on. (I suspect that they hoped to create downloadable content for the third film but had to cancel those plans to focus on a different project, most likely LEGO Dimensions.)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Marvel Super Heroes I & II are extremely popular and successful at combining the Marvel universe and LEGO aesthetic. As with the Batman games, they do not follow specific movies very closely, but rather offer new stories based on familiar heroes and villains.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013) allows you to explore a detailed map of New York City.

As with The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit games, all three Marvel games feature large open worlds that you can explore to solve mini quests and discover hidden rewards. This adds a lot of gameplay beyond the core story mode, especially for folks trying to achieve 100% completion of the game.

All three LEGO Marvel titles.

Of the three titles, The Avengers is much less popular. The chief complaints are that the roster of characters is more limited, the world is less colorful, and more fundamentally – the game is just less fun.

Other Licensed Themes

I also wanted to highlight the three titles that stand alone – covering an entire movie franchise in a single title. For example, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean covers the first four movies with five levels based on each movie.

LEGO Jurassic World goes beyond the movie bearing the same title and also features 5 levels for the first three Jurassic Park movies. LEGO The Incredibles is a bit different since it combines levels from both movies into a single 12-level story.

The three one-off IP-based titles.

LEGO Movie Games

Naturally, The LEGO Group ensured that there were games based on the LEGO movies. These games are a mixed lot, with the Ninjago Game focusing more on combat, and The LEGO Movie 2 replacing scripted levels for a series of quests in open worlds.

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame (2019) replaces scripted levels for quests in an open world and large boss battles.

There are three games based on the LEGO Movies.

The LEGO Batman Movie did not get a dedicated title, but you can play six levels based on the movie with LEGO Dimensions and the LEGO Batman Movie story pack.

Non-Licensed Games

One of the main draws of the LEGO×TT Games is the re-interpretation of popular films and characters in a LEGO environment. That hasn’t stopped two games which are based on in-house themes from being produced over the years.

It’s important to note that LEGO City Undercover was a Wii U exclusive when it was released in 2013. It was released for a wider selection of consoles in 2017, which is a good thing since the Wii U was a wildly unpopular console. For most consoles, the two games were released just a month apart!

Two additional titles which are not tied to 3rd party IP licenses.

I can not speak to these games directly as I have not played them, but have heard that LEGO City Undercover is a large open-world city with quests for you to complete and has been compared to Grand Theft Auto — but for all ages.

LEGO Worlds is a polarizing game which also eschews standard levels for a series of challenges you need to complete. It introduced a new ‘building’ system where you build objects from a library of models you learn along the way to solve problems and access hidden areas. The same mechanic is used in The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame, which I also found cumbersome.

LEGO Dimensions

LEGO Dimensions requires a bit more explanation because the base game does not include all of the possible content. In LEGO Dimensions, you solve problems using 3d minifigures which appear on screen (just like almost any other game in this article), but you need to place a physical figure on a USB-connected toy pad for them to appear on-screen.

The base game only comes with three characters: Wildstyle, Batman, and Gandalf. This gives you access to the main story which contains 14 levels based on 14 different IP partner worlds such as The Wizard of Oz, Dr Who, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and Scooby Doo. You also get to access three open worlds corresponding to the three characters included in the set: DC Comics World, The LEGO Movie world, and The Lord of the Rings World.

The LEGO Dimensions base game includes 14 levels and three adventure worlds, but you can supplement with additional content by purchasing additional characters.

It’s up to you to purchase as many of the 72 additional characters as you like! Additional characters unlock additional character abilities (which are required to access ‘secret’ areas of the game), additional adventure worlds, and some characters unlock additional levels. And there’s a lot of additional content you can access!

In addition to the three adventure worlds included in the base game, there are 27 additional “adventure worlds” that immerse you in a different environment where you can complete challenges and find hidden rewards. (Adventure Worlds are the only in-game content unlocked when purchasing Fun Packs which contain just one character and one vehicle for $12, or Team Packs which contain two characters and two vehicles for $25.)

There are 10 different Level Packs which unlock one additional level of gameplay for a retail price of $30. There are also three Story Packs which debuted in the second year. Each one includes a few characters and vehicles, a new brick-based platform that rests on the Toy Pad, and 6 levels for a retail price of $50. (That works out to about 1/3 as much content as most of the standalone TT games for about the same price – but that doesn’t take the LEGO bricks and minifigures into account.)

To summarize, The base game comes with 14 levels, Level Packs allow you to purchase 10 additional levels, and the three Story Packs add an additional 18 levels total. (42 levels total, or ) There are also 3 Adventure Worlds in the base game and 27 additional Adventure Worlds you can purchase, for a total of 30 adventure worlds. The base game gives you 1/3 of the levels and 1/10th of the Adventure Worlds. When compared to other TT Games, it offers slightly less content upfront but you can add a ton of additional content (for a considerable cost).

The main reason to consider LEGO Dimensions is that it is the only way to see many less popular licensed themes in a LEGO game.

The real draw is that LEGO Dimensions is the only way to enjoy content based on many IP partners that are unlikely to get a dedicated LEGO game. I recommend only purchasing sets that unlock levels and characters that you love — approaching this game with a completionist mindset is going to be expensive!

LEGO×TT Games – By Release Date

Sorting all of the games chronologically reveals an interesting pattern… Games are released for more than one console generation when the new hardware debuts, but they stop releasing two versions of the same game about 4 years after the newer hardware was released. This gives families several years to upgrade their gaming console to a newer version without missing out on new games.

I have experienced this first hand, since I played several games on our Xbox 360 even after the Xbox One had been released. Unfortunately, I learned that saved games on the Xbox 360 do carry forward when playing the same game on a newer Xbox One, so you need to start the game over from scratch! (This issue has been fixed in the very latest generation of ‘smart delivery’ games for Xbox Series S/X like the Skywalker Saga.)

KEY: 🕹️ = Supported via backwards compatibility (newest version only). ❌ – not available, ✅ – released for this platform.

When we look at 7th Generation Consoles or newer, we have 8 games which were only available on the Xbox 360, 9 games that came in both Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions, 7 games that were only released for the Xbox One, and just one game that is designed to take advantage of the Xbox Series X/S (but the same disk or digital prchase also works on the older Xbox One using the ‘smart delivery’ features).

Sorting games by release date shows how games shifted to newer consoles over time.

Games for Playstation follow the same pattern, with roughtly the same games only released for Playstation 3, for both Playstation 3 and 4, and only for Playstation 4. (The Skywalker Saga is the only title available for both Playstation 4 and 5, but you need to purchase the correct version for your console.)

Console Recommendation

If you want the very best gaming experience, the latest Xbox Series X costs $500 and has everything you need: The most advanced graphics capabilities, backwards compatibility for all of the games on this list, and a disk drive to play the two titles which you can not purchase digitally.

That said, for the next couple years you can probably get by with an 8th generation Xbox One console. You will have slightly reduced graphics in the latest Skywalker Saga game, but you can play everything on this list using a gaming console that you can purchase used for about $50 – or 1/10 the cost of a brand new Xbox Series X.

That said, make sure that you get an Xbox One with a DVD drive – there are versions of the Xbox One S that do not have a DVD drive. (Without a drive, you can’t save money by purchasing used games, and more importantly, you can’t play LEGO Lord of the Rings or LEGO Dimensions games.)

While you can play about half of the games on this list on an even older Xbox 360 console, I do not recommend this for a couple reasons. The first issue is that the graphics are noticeably degraded. The second issue is that there are 10 titles which were sold for both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. You do not really want to invest in the Xbox 360 versions if you might upgrade to an Xbox One later. The older versions are not compatible with the newer console and your save game progress will not carry over. Lastly, a used Xbox 360 is more expensive than a more capable Xbox One console because it is already becoming a collectors item!

Buying all the games

If you want to play the ‘best’ version of each game, you will be playing 8 Xbox 360 titles (which will be played with backwards compatibility mode of the newer consoles), 16 games for Xbox One, and just one game designed for the Xbox Series X/S. (This is after combining Star Wars 1/2 and Harry Potter 1/2 into single entries since they were re-released and remastered as compilations.)

Graphics have certainly improved in the 17 years between the original Star Wars game (left) and Skywalker Saga (right).

As for actually purchasing all of these games, it might not be all that costly and you have a lot of choices. The easiest option is to buy most of these games on the Microsoft store. This is often a really good deal, since they frequenty run sales for up to 75% off their already low prices. You will also find that second-hand copies of many of these games are extremely inexpensive, with 5$ per game being commonplace on Ebay or local marketplaces (such as Facebook or Craigslist).

LEGO The Lord of the Rings (2012) and LEGO Dimensions (2015) are not available digitally.

This does leave two games which you will need to purchase disk versions: LEGO Lord of the Rings (which is not available for digital purchase due to licensing issues), and LEGO Dimensions (which requires both the game disk, the USB ‘portal’ matching your console version, and the NFC disks for the characters/levels which you want to play). Dimensions is the most costly game on this list, especially if you want to unlock additional levels by purchasing Story Packs or Level Packs.

With some patience, you can buy an Xbox One for $50 and all of the games in this list for around 300$ (excluding additional LEGO Dimensions content). That’s a whopping 25 games which will keep you busy for a really long time—especially if you aim to achieve 100% completion in every title. In a future article, I hope to discuss my favorite games from the series, my early impressions of the games I haven’t played all the way through, as well as the lasting impact of this 19-year collaboration!