Collaborations between video game properties and long-running Danish toy brand LEGO are fertile ground for some “dream come true” building toy sets. One property that has yet to receive a LEGO crossover is The Legend of Zelda, which is just as perfect a fit for the toy brand as its first-party Nintendo contemporary — Super Mario Bros. Mario and LEGO’s crossover has proven to be massively successful, and the recent launch of the Animal Crossing LEGO line makes it seem like it’s only a matter of time before fans finally get their wish of Legend of Zelda LEGO sets to become a reality. However, when it comes to what games (as well as the locations and moments from those games) might make an ideal Legend of Zelda LEGO set, there’s almost too many potential options to choose from.
The qualities that would help iconic moments and locations from the Zelda series translate well into LEGO form are the same ones that determine the overall quality of any LEGO set, licensed or otherwise. Building a LEGO set should, first and foremost, be simultaneously engaging and relaxing, it should feature subtle and overt nods to the subject it’s replicating in brick form, and it should make good use of both its property and the medium of LEGO brick to give fans a one-of-a-kind experience. There are more than a dozen mainline Zelda games, and the following 10 are the best inspirations to pull from when envisioning a future crossover between The Legend of Zelda and the LEGO brand.
10. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Why it belongs on this list: Zelda II may be one of the less-loved entries in the franchise, but there’s little denying that it features some of the most unique architecture in its dungeons (Palaces) and depiction of Hyrule. By switching the third-person perspective from its original top-down view to a more traditional side-scrolling view, Zelda II gives players a vision of Link that is entirely unique within the series, and in the process creates some excellent vistas that would translate well into the LEGO medium. The Palaces are a clear highlight and an easy frontrunner in terms of what parts of the game would make great material to build using LEGO, but even the overworld map of Hyrule itself (with its distinct Western and Eastern halves) would make an incredible display piece.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Hyrule Map
- North Castle (Princess Zelda I’s Chamber)
- Maze Island
- Valley of Death
- Great Palace
- Fight against Barba in Three-Eye Rock Palace
9. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Why it belongs on this list: Much like Zelda II, Spirit Tracks is another game in the series that often gets outshined by its predecessor (in this case, Phantom Hourglass). However, in terms of Zelda games with some excellent potential for fun LEGO sets, Spirit Tracks lands on the list for its signature and titular mechanic – the Spirit Tracks and Link’s locomotive. The LEGO brand has a long history of designing and crafting some truly amazing sets that use trains and locomotives as a central theme, and it’s not hard to imagine that same knowhow translating well into some sets using Spirit Tracks as inspiration. What’s more, the interactive element of Spirit Tracks-style sets would make them similar in form and function to the successful Super Mario Bros. LEGO line aimed at younger LEGO fans.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Tower of Spirits
- Forest Realm Railway and Castle Town
- Hyrule Castle
- Goron Village
- Sand Temple
- The Spirit Train
8. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Why it belongs on this list: Though it was initially met with derision from many Zelda fans hoping for a darker, more adult take on Hyrule and Link, The Wind Waker‘s incredible cel-shaded art style continues to help the game retain a timeless quality and age more gracefully than its peers. Additionally, it also happens to be a perfect aesthetic to replicate in LEGO form.
A quick look at all the current LEGO Ideas campaigns in the Zelda universe shows that The Wind Waker is one of the most popular games in the franchise to pull from, with its iconic characters and locations and bright, colorful palette lending itself to some truly eye-catching set ideas. Further, like the company’s history with train-theme sets, LEGO has a rich history of some of its best sets being pirate ship-themed, making Wind Waker an ideal candidate for merging the Zelda IP with LEGO.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Outset Island
- The King of Red Lions
- Tetra’s Ship
- Forsaken Fortress
- Tower of the Gods
- Link’s final battle against Ganon
7. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Why it belongs on this list: The next mainline Zelda game after Wind Waker would make good on the promise of Nintendo’s E3 tech demo displaying a darker take on The Legend of Zelda, essentially pulling a complete 180 from its predecessor. Twilight Princess is most definitely the darkest game in the series other than Majora’s Mask, and both its depiction of Hyrule and the beautiful Twilight Realm are rife with potential for inspiring some excellent LEGO sets. The LEGO brand continues to produce castle-theme sets that push the envelope of the level of detail possible in a LEGO set, and if only one version of Hyrule Castle gets the LEGO treatment, it should be Twilight Princess‘.
Even a large-scale set building Link in his Wolf form would be an excellent set paying homage to the one time in the series that the hero transforms into an animal. With its darker aesthetic and gothic architecture (not to mention some of the best dungeon designs in the series), Twilight Princess is practically begging for several of its locations to become LEGO sets.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Wolf Link
- Palace of Twilight
- Sacred Grove
- Faron Spring
- Castle Town
- Hyrule Castle
- Snowpeak Ruins
- Castle in the Sky
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Why it belongs on this list: Ocarina of Time is perhaps one of the most important video games ever made and sits high-up on the priority list for Zelda games deserving of the LEGO treatment. Not only does Ocarina still have the distinction of holding the highest review aggregate score of any game ever, it continues to endear entirely new generations of fans to the Zelda series thanks to its availability on the Nintendo Switch Online service and timeless gameplay. It’s hard to believe that Ocarina of Time is now 25 years old, as it still feels as revolutionary in 2024 as it did back in 1998, and that timeless quality makes it an ideal candidate for some excellent Zelda-themed LEGO sets. With some of the most recognizeable locations and versions of recurring series characters, Ocarina of Time LEGO sets are practically a no-brainer.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Temple of Time
- Link and Epona
- The Great Deku Tree
- Kokiri Forest
- Kakariko Village and Graveyard
- Forest Temple and Phantom Ganon fight
- Spirit Temple
- Ganon’s Castle
5. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Why it belongs on this list: Skyward Sword is a hugely important game in the Zelda series for a few reasons. Firstly, the game tells the first story in the official timeline and establishes how all the games connect to one another. Secondly, Skyward Sword delves into the backstory of Hyrule’s creation and the history of the Master Sword to help flesh out the overarching series lore. And, lastly, Skyward Sword is the final game in what fans consider “classic” Zelda before the series’ switch to open-world. Above all those qualities, though, Skyward Sword has some truly astounding art direction and a beatiful aesthetic that lends itself perfectly to the world of LEGO. So many of the locations in Skyward Sword are begging to be built and explored by fans of both LEGO and Zelda.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Skyloft
- Knight’s Academy
- Faron Woods
- Forest Temple
- Lanayru Mining Facility
- Sandship
- Ancient Cistern
- Fight against Koloktos
- Fi’s Farewell within the Sealed Temple
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Why it belongs on this list: There are so many games in the Zelda series that utilize the 2D top-down aesthetic from the SNES classic A Link to the Past, but it’s the originator (and potential candidate for best 2D game in the series) that deserves the LEGO treatment. Not only do many of the most iconic Zelda images have their origins in A Link to the Past, its dual-world structure means that it has far more potential LEGO sets than the average Zelda game. The LEGO brand’s recent push into displayable art sets is a perfect fit for building the map screens of both the Light and Dark Worlds from A Link to the Past, and the timeless image of Link pulling the Master Sword from its stone pedestal in the Lost Woods absolutely deserves to be the first LEGO set honoring the legendary weapon.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Light and Dark World maps
- Link pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal
- Fight against Agahnim within Hyrule Castle
- Misery Mire
- Lake Hylia
- Turtle Rock
- Pyramid of Power and fight against Ganon
- The Master Sword
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Why it belongs on this list: Breath of the Wild‘s massive open world is a perfect fit for any number of incredible LEGO sets, with most of its biomes having at least one location begging to be turned into LEGO brick. Additionally, the four Divine Beasts would each make their own incredible set. Alternatively, a smaller scale display model of all four Divine Beasts could be an excellent conversation piece for any collector. Like Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild‘s version of Hyrule Castle is an intricately detailed structure that could really shine as a LEGO set, especially if the design includes several Easter eggs that call back to the various combat and traversal challenges Link must persevere through when he finally makes his way there in the course of his adventure.
As the best-selling game in the Zelda franchise by a large margin, it’s not surprising to see that there are already several sets on the LEGO Ideas website using Breath of the Wild‘s locations as inspiration. Some of these (such as the stables) have even made it to the 10k supporter mark and proceeded to final review before eventually getting passed on due to licensing issues. If and when Zelda LEGO sets become a thing, Breath of the Wild‘s near-misses from the LEGO Ideas program deserve some justice.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Great Plateau
- Divine Beasts
- Hyrule Castle
- Sheikah Slate
- The Great Deku Tree and Master Sword
- Hateno Village and Stables
- Great Fairy Fountain
- Akkala Region and Lynel fight
2. The Legend of Zelda
Why it belongs on this list: Much like how the Super Mario Bros. LEGO sets pull liberally from the series’ past, it makes perfect sense for some of the initial Zelda LEGO products to call back to the original game in the series. Not only is the 2D pixel art and aesthetic a perfect fit for faithful representation in LEGO brick, some of the older AFOL (Adult Fans of LEGO) who grew up playing the original Legend of Zelda have been waiting for some of the locations and moments from the game to make its way to the toy brand for more than 3 decades.
Similar to A Link to the Past, the overworld map of Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda is an instantly recognizeable piece of video game imagery that is just begging to be immortalized in LEGO brick, as are several other standout moments from Link’s earliest adventure.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Overworld map
- Dungeon 1 fight against Aquamentus
- The gold cartridge
- Link acquiring the Wooden Sword from the hermit
- Map of Death Mountain
- Inventory screen
- Defeating Ganon and hoisting the Triforce
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Why it belongs on this list: The newest game in the Zelda series also happens to be the one with the most potential for excellent LEGO sets, primarily due to how it builds on Breath of the Wild‘s incredible open world to include both sky and underground biomes. The Sky Isles are a perfect location to receive representation in LEGO form, with the various airborne archipelagos and their beautiful foliage and crumbling architecture being excellent subject matter for a set not too dissimilar from LEGO’s recent Lord of the Rings set featuring the Elven city of Rivendell. Between the stunning new locations on the open-world map and the potential to implement the game’s Ultrahand ability organically through building with LEGO, there’s not really any other Zelda game that can compare with Tears of the Kingdom for being the best candidate for the toy brand.
Possible LEGO Sets:
- Link and Zelda awakening Ganon
- Great Sky Island
- Temple of Time
- Link’s Ultrahand
- Wind Temple
- Water Temple
- Abandoned Hateno Mine
- Lomei Depths Labyrinth
- Battle against Demon King Ganondorf
- Light Dragon vs Demon Dragon
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Lego Ideas campaign photo.