The year is coming to an end after seeing hundreds of different LEGO sets hit store shelves. While we’re gearing up to start covering all of the new creations come 2024, beforehand we’re taking a retrospective look at what this year already delivered. Including some of the largest models ever made to more affordable and display-worthy creations, you’ll want to head below for our best LEGO sets of 2023.
Best LEGO sets released in 2023
The LEGO Group has been more aggressive than ever in 2023, releasing tons of new sets that saturate just about every price point. There’s been a pretty standard flow of affordable kits for younger builders, as well as many more sets that are geared towards adults and collectors. There’s never been more variety in the world of LEGO, but you’ll still find the usual suspects on this year’s list of the best kits in 2023.
10: Spider-Man Final Battle
By far one of the most requested sets that was finally released this year was something based around the final scenes of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The LEGO Group finally delivered with the debut of the very appropriately-named Final Battle set that released back before the summer. It wasn’t the perfect set, having only now added Sandman as a bit of DLC, if you will. But that still doesn’t take away the fact that this was one of the most asked for kits, the LEGO Group delivered.
Honesty, what’s better than getting three different Spider-Man figures in one set alongside a collection of iconic villains to face them off against. The $110 price tag is definitely not on the cheap end, but it delivers much of the same collectors status for far less than something like the Daily Bugle, let alone the Avengers Tower.
9: Executor Super Star Destroyer
As the first LEGO Star Wars set from the lineup, the Executor Super Star Destroyer has to be one of the more talked about kits this year. It’s the return of midi-scale creations, which is already an exciting start from a model like this, let alone the fact that it’s just such a fun display piece.
One of the biggest things I see from readers here at 9to5Toys is that they want to be able to collect UCS sets, but don’t have the room or budget fort them. The Executor Super Star Destroyer solves both of these, with a scaled down design that doesn’t skimp on details while still clocking in at a more affordable $70 price tag.
8: Orient Express
LEGO Ideas has been picking up steam so much lately, and 2023 saw more creations from the lineup than ever before. Amongst an assortment of kits based around licensed properties, something a little more original like the Orient Express shines as a great example of how the LEGO Group can adapt something historic into a collectors set.
I would have put this higher up on the list if the set was truer to the original fan-submitted model. I personally love the color and the retro design of the kit that actually ended up hitting store shelves, but I can understand how train enthusiasts can be disappointed that it isn’t the same locomotive design that was originally submitted to the Ideas program. Still, it’s a great-looking build that feels like a solid value at $300.
7: UCS Venator
It may just be a giant grey triangle, but I love the UCS Venator. It’s worth a mention in any top ten list this year in my humble opinion just for being a UCS set based around the Prequels, let alone being one that is technically from The Clone Wars! It feels like the LEGO Group just doesn’t care as much about anything that isn’t the Original Trilogy, and so to see a set like this
I’m not going to get into controversy on whether the included Captain Rex is as good as we could have gotten from a kit of this price and size, but having the return of the iconic Clone Trooper after all these years only makes the model itself that much better. Like I said, it may fall into the typical Star Wars trend of just being a giant grey ship, but it’s a fitting celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Clone Wars and worthy of a spot on this list.
6: Rivendell
I’m sure there will be comments sounding off about how this set should be higher up on the list, but I’ll be putting Rivendell as my number six pick for best LEGO sets of 2023. Don’t get me wrong, it is an absolutely fantastic build that delivers a sense of detail and accuracy that few creations this year did.
It was about as triumphant of a return for the LEGO Lord of the Rings theme as possible, and a kit that truly pushed what was possible from a $500 release. We typically only ever see massive buildings or starships clock in with this kind of price tag, and to see a scene recreated so meticulously makes this worthy of being called one of the best sets of the year.
5: Concorde
When I think of perfect recreations of a real-world or even fictional vehicle, the closest to perfection has to be the LEGO Concorde. At least as far as 2023 is concerned. The set is notably at number five for being one of the better creations this year at appealing to non-LEGO fans, serving as a great release for anyone who remembers building with LEGO bricks as a kid who is looking to get back into it as an adult.
On top of just being an exciting build, I haven’t seen as big of a reaction to a LEGO set as I did for the Concorde in ages. All of the massive models out there always take the spotlight, but for a set like this, it managed to blow up online in a way that I just wasn’t expecting. That kind of popularity also goes a long way towards making this one of the better kits of the year, turning a perfect build into something of a viral sensation.
4: Ghost and Phantom II
I didn’t want to crowd this list with too many Star Wars sets, but there is one creation from the theme that surprised me more than anything else the LEGO Group released inspired by a galaxy far, far away. The Ghost and Phantom II is one of the best kits we’ve seen from the theme in ages if you ask me, especially when it comes to a playset!
It’s really everything I could have wanted from a modern rendition of the vehicles. It of course delivers not just one, but two different ships, all for the solid price tag of $170. With more and more Star Wars fans who were raised on the animated series getting older and rekindling their love of LEGO, this set speaks to just how good a kit designed to be played with can be even for collectors. Putting this at the number four spot on the list might be controversial, but it showed that the LEGO Group can really deliver a Star Wars set that is as well-rounded as some of the other themes out there.
3: Ninjago City Markets
If you’re a longtime 9to5Toys reader, you’ll know that I simply adore Ninjago. So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that the new Ninjago City Markets set is as high on the list as it is. I definitely can admit that this is going to be one of the more niche sets on this list – especially with it being a continuation of some other kits that aren’t even available anymore – but it’s just bustling with details and charm in a way that a lot of LEGO sets aren’t these days.
The Ninjago City Markets set arrives as the fourth, and likely final addition to an ongoing Ninjago City series. I’ve been collecting these kits since the first one released several years back, and now that the lineup is likely coming to an end, I have to give the newest addition to the sub-theme the flowers it deserves.
2: A-Frame Cabin
LEGO Ideas has had one of its best years in ages, and all of it started with the launch of the LEGO A-Frame Cabin back in February. It had an early start to the year as one of our favorite creations in 2023, and now it is taking its rightful spot as one of the very best – the second best, to be exact! I adore just how flawless this kit is. It looks just incredible as far as the detailed exterior goes, with so many delightful part usages to go around.
But it doesn’t stop at just being a neat set to look at, oh no. It has a furnished interior that also makes it appealing to younger builders and really anyone who wants to have a bit more fun than letting a set rest up on a shelf. The $180 price tag is yet another reason why I love this set, as it isn’t as expensive as some other models with this level of polish. It’s an easy recommendation to veteran LEGO builders and newer fans of the hobby alike, and would be my personal best set of 2023 if it weren’t for a much more massive, and more recent contender…
1: Avengers Tower
If you read our original review of the LEGO Avengers Tower, you’d know that this set wowed me in a way that no other release in 2023 did. That, alongside its scale and massive list of included characters, makes this an easy top pick for me. I’m not saying that it’s the most flawless creation of the year, but it was certainly my favorite and the one that I would buy again if I could only have one of the kits from this list.
Sure, there’s a $500 price tag attached to this behemoth. But out of all the cash I’ve seen this year, and frankly over the past few years, it is the happiest I’ve been with dropping this kind of dough on a pile of bricks. I’ve been building LEGO my whole life, and have assembled just about every one of the kits on the highest part count list, but the Avengers Tower still brings a sense of delight that I haven’t had from a LEGO kit since back in 2017 with the UCS Millennium Falcon.
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