LEGO Pokémon is expanding far beyond display sets for adults, launching 12 new sets that come to life with LEGO SMART Play — but what exactly will the techy brick allow the Pokémon to do?
LEGO Pokémon SMART Play is launching on August 1 this year, bringing more than 20 Pokémon into the brick at more affordable prices (and shelf-friendly sizes) than the 18+ display sets released earlier in 2026. The only other sets to have SMART Play capability so far were LEGO Star Wars sets, which is a pretty different type of franchise than Pokémon.
So what will the LEGO Pokémon be able to do? Will fans be able to live out their dreams of becoming a real-life Pokémon trainer? Blocks is here to help explain everything you can look forward to in the new LEGO Pokémon sets, with insights from the LEGO creatives who developed the theme.
Looking for answers to some of the biggest questions about LEGO Pokémon SMART Play? Blocks has answers for you here.
The long and short of LEGO Pokémon is that it is designed to simulate Pokémon training in similar ways to the video games. That means you’ll be able to do a lot more than just battle — LEGO Pokémon require training and are just as happy to accompany you on adventures as they are in the games.
Everything starts with the SMART Brick. All the LEGO Pokémon have a removable sub assembly around their bellies that allows a SMART Brick to be placed on top of a hidden SMART Tag, the element that the SMART Brick reacts to.
“They all come to life with a SMART Brick, and it also means that every Pokémon has a unique SMART Tag,” explains LEGO Design Director Siddharth Muthyala. “So when the smart brick comes in here, it knows which Pokémon it is. So every Pokémon is unique, they all behave differently, react differently, have different sounds in them. When they actually interact with other Pokémon, they all behave uniquely.”
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Battling and training are at the core of the Pokémon experience, but the designers wanted LEGO Pokémon play to have tamer foundations.
“We’ve seen children do this all the time, where they have their Pokémon, they will walk with them, take them on little adventures and journeys,” says Siddharth. “They can also move really fast. We call this a dash. Pikachu responds every now and then. We’ve also included really fun nurturing tendencies as well. For example, if I hold Pikachu on its back over here and rub its stomach, it giggles. The Pokémon all react really differently, so you can actually tickle them, interact with them, nurture with them and bond with them as well.”
Some further examples of nurturing and bonding with LEGO Pokémon include having them interact with other builds that have SMART Tags, such as potions to heal them and sandwiches to feed them. And once you’ve bonded with your Pokémon, it will be ready to start training for battle.
“It’s as simple as bringing Pikachu over to the training dummy and scanning the tag,” Siddharth explains. “When I hear the music, I know I’m in training mode. I can start moving around really fast and practice some moves or use the training dummy to level up my skills. I can jump, do a somersault and a lot of fun things to get Pikachu to a higher level. The more I train, the higher my level gets. And when I’m done, we have all the attack powers and more health and more energy as well.”
With training complete, the Pokémon are ready to battle. And starting one is simple — no shuffling through card decks or chucking Pokéballs required.
“We start shaking them close to each other,” says Interactive Play Designer Ann Karring, “and when we hear the music, we are ready to dance.”
“The battles are really simple,” continues Siddharth. “When you have green lights [on the SMART Brick], you have full energy and full health. Attacking is as simple as jumping in really fast.”
You can also do different types of attacks — pulling the character away and shaking them about, then pushing them forward will unleash a charged attack.
Dodging is equally simple, just in reverse — if you’re able to get out of the way in time, the SMART Brick won’t register a hit. Attacking and dodging make up the core battling experience, with the physical motions being the main test of skill.
Once the battle has been won, the LEGO Pokémon can head off on other adventures. Some sets include suggested storylines and SMART Tags to spark play, such as 72162 Eevee and Lapras’s Treasure Hunt sending Eevee and Lapras on a quest for treasure. The treasure chest comes with a SMART Tag, making the discovery interactive.
“There’s a little treasure chest with a SMART Tag on top,” Ann says. “When they finally find it, it’s time to celebrate. The SMART Brick plays a little tune. And when we go away, you hear little coins being sprinkled around as we go home with our treasure.”
Interactive play is at the core of what LEGO Pokémon aims to accomplish with its SMART Play sets. The models are designed to be sturdy so they can handle whatever adventures and battles come their way, which are prompted by the SMART Tags and builds in the sets, but ultimately up to each builder.
For a look at all the LEGO Pokémon sets coming out on August 1, head here.
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