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| LEGO’s Smart Brick embeds light and wireless interaction inside a standard 2x4 brick. |
By Juli Scarr
LEGO is making its boldest move into connected play in decades. At CES 2026, the company unveiled a new Smart Brick system that blends traditional building with embedded technology, allowing LEGO sets to react to how they’re played with in real time.
The system, which LEGO is calling Smart Play, is built around a new electronic brick that fits entirely inside a standard 2x4 LEGO shape. Rather than relying on apps or screens, the brick uses sensors and short-range communication to trigger sounds, lights, and interactions based on movement, placement, and nearby pieces.
LEGO says the first Smart Play sets will go on sale March 1, with pre-orders opening January 9.
A Different Take on Interactive LEGO
Unlike previous attempts at tech-enhanced LEGO, Smart Play is designed to stay in the background. There’s no tablet required and no setup process to learn. The idea is that the brick responds naturally as you build and move pieces, rather than asking you to interact with a separate device.
The Smart Brick includes onboard lighting and sound, as well as sensors that detect motion and orientation. LEGO also says multiple bricks can recognise each other during play, allowing larger builds to react as a single system.
Power is handled through wireless charging, with LEGO introducing a shared charging pad designed to recharge multiple bricks at once. According to the company, the battery is built to hold its charge even after long periods of inactivity.
Smart Play Starts With Star Wars
LEGO is launching Smart Play with its Star Wars line, introducing three new sets that use the system. These include a Darth Vader TIE Fighter, Luke’s Red Five X-Wing, and a Throne Room Duel and A-Wing combo set.
Each set includes at least one Smart Brick alongside special tiles and minifigures that help provide context during play. LEGO says this allows the same brick to behave differently depending on the set it’s used in.
Pricing is expected to be higher than standard LEGO sets, though still within the range of other tech-enhanced toys. The initial lineup also appears geared more toward younger builders than the large, display-focused adult sets LEGO has been pushing in recent years.
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| LEGO Star Wars sets are the first to launch with Smart Play, using light and sound to respond during play. |
How LEGO Is Approaching Interactive Play Differently
LEGO’s past experiments with interactive sets often felt like separate systems layered on top of traditional building. Smart Play appears to be taking a more restrained route, keeping the technology embedded and largely invisible during play.
Rather than asking builders to switch modes or engage with a companion experience, Smart Play is designed to respond only when something happens physically within the set. The focus stays on building and play first, with sounds and reactions acting as feedback instead of direction.
That design choice suggests LEGO is trying to avoid repeating the friction that came with earlier tech-driven lines. Instead of changing how you approach a set, Smart Play is meant to quietly adapt to what you’re already doing.
LEGO has said it plans to expand the system beyond its initial Star Wars launch. For now, this feels less like a reinvention and more like a careful adjustment to how interactive elements fit into traditional LEGO sets.
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