top of page

Everything You Need to Know About LEGO SMART Play

The LEGO Group has unveiled its most ambitious innovation in years: LEGO SMART Play, a system that transforms traditional LEGO building into interactive, responsive experiences. Launching on the 1st of March 2026, SMART Play combines advanced miniaturised technology with hands-on creativity, aiming to enhance physical play while encouraging screen-free engagement.


The SMART Play system consists of three core elements: SMART Bricks, SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures. Together, these components communicate with each other to respond to movement, orientation, light and proximity. This revolutionary system, presented earlier this week at CES 2026, has been in development for nearly a decade, with hundreds of prototypes tested to ensure it remains intuitive, engaging and compatible with the LEGO System-in-Play.


What is LEGO SMART Play?

LEGO SMART Play is a platform of interactive LEGO elements that sense and respond to their environment and nearby pieces. It consists of three core components:

  • SMART Bricks - The central interactive element.

  • SMART Tags - Small 2x2 flat tiles that define objects, vehicles or activities.

  • SMART Minifigures - Modified LEGO Minifigures with unique personalities that react to the world around them.

The system is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, with no need for apps, hubs or setup. Instead, the elements communicate directly through a proprietary Bluetooth-based BrickNet protocol, which enables multiple SMART Bricks to sense one another and coordinate actions in real-time.


LEGO SMART Bricks: The Heart of the System

At the centre of LEGO SMART Play is the SMART Brick. This is a standard 2x4 LEGO brick that looks familiar, but underneath its translucent studs is a brick packed full of advanced technology. Inside, a custom 4.1mm ASIC chip powers the bespoke Play Engine, interpreting motion, tilt, orientation and magnetic fields in real time. The brick also contains LED lights, an accelerometer, a miniature speaker and a wireless charging coil.


SMART Bricks use LEGO's BrickNet protocol, a Bluetooth-based system, to communicate with each other without the need for apps, hubs or external controllers. Using the Neghbour Position Measurement (NPM) system, bricks can detect the distance, direction and orientation of nearby SMART Bricks, allowing for interactive reactions such as lightsaber duels, vehicle engine noises and Minifigure responses.


The internal battery is designed for longevity, remaining functional even after years of inactivity, and can be charged wirelessly alongside multiple bricks at once. This combination of features allows the SMART Brick to bring LEGO builds to life while remaining compatible with traditional LEGO sets.



SMART Tags: Adding Context and Surprises

SMART Tags are small 2x2 flat tiles that work with SMART Bricks to unlock unique behaviours and interactions. Each tag contains a digital ID, allowing bricks to recognise what they should become during play, triggering different sounds, lights, mini-games and plot twists. For example, placing a SMART Tag on a brick might make a car engine rev, a droid beep happily or unlock music in a LEGO Star Wars scene.


SMART Minifigures: Characters That React

SMART Minifigures look almost identical to standard LEGO Minifigures but carry internal chips that allow them to interact with SMART Bricks. Each Minfigure responds with sounds, moods and behaviours that are played through the brick's speaker. Interactions vary depending on the Minifigure and the surrounding environment.


The Technology Behind SMART Play

LEGO SMART Play is a world first in toy technology, integrating a combination of electronics, sensors, and software into a single LEGO brick. SMART Bricks contain custom ASIC chips, modular synthesisers for live audio, accelerometers, light sensors and wireless charging coils. The NPM system ensures precise brick-to-brick positioning, while the BrickNet network allows multiple bricks to communicate in real time without external devices.



SMART Play in Action: A Scenario from CES

One of the first real-world demonstrations of SMART Play at CES 2026 showed how immersive and responsive LEGO creations can become. In a brick-built LEGO car demo, a SMART Brick enabled the vehicle to:

  • Trigger engine sounds, braking noises and crash effects based on collisions.

  • Display dynamic coloured lights depending on the car's movement and position relative to other SMART Bricks.

  • React to a SMART Minifigure, which could cry out when hit or celebrate when winning a race.

This demonstration highlights LEGO's goal of enhancing play without replacing traditional building, encouraging imagination, storytelling and interactive experiences through SMART Play.


The First LEGO SMART Play Star Wars Sets

The launch of SMART Play is led by three LEGO Star Wars sets:

These sets will be available for pre-order from the 9th of January 2026, with a full launch, accompanied by even more galactic technology-driven sets, hitting shelves on the 1st of March 2026.


Expanding LEGO SMART Play

The LEGO Group have confirmed that SMART Play will expand beyond Star Wars, with additional sets and themes to be announced. The system is designed to evolve with new content, similar to the LEGO Super Mario theme, ensuring that interactive play continues to grow over time. The goal is to enhance traditional LEGO building without replacing it, encouraging screen-free, imaginative play while offering dynamic, responsive storytelling.


So that's everything you need to know about the newly announced LEGO SMART Play system, but what do you think? What's your opinion of SMART Play and the SMART Brick? What kind of LEGO themes and sets would you like to see this technology in? Will this prove to be successful or another big flop like previous iterations of interactive technology in LEGO themes? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.


Want to know more information about LEGO SMART Play and upcoming smart-related sets? Read these Bricks Up news articles:



Hot Off the Brick!
bottom of page