With two-and-a-half decades' worth of experience in the video game industry, LEGO has made quite a name for itself, becoming a go-to starter franchise for younger fans and relaxing nostalgia for older players. While LEGO has a long history of making games based on own unique themes, like the classicLEGO IslandandLEGO Racersgames, the company is most known for its series of games based on popular IPs ranging fromIndiana JonestoJurassic Park. By far, the company’s most beloved series isLEGO Star Wars, and the upcomingLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagamay just be its most ambitious game yet.

Releasing in just a few weeks' time,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagaturns all nine mainlineStar Warsmovies into charming, light-hearted experiences that look to be pushing the boundaries of previous LEGO titles. Though its core structure will be familiar to fans, there’s some new gameplay mechanics people should know about before diving in.

LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga RPG Mechanics

RELATED:LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Preview

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’s General Gameplay Loop

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais going to follow the same general formula that pastLEGO Star Warsgames have, but with some slight tweaks to bring it closer to a modern AAA experience. The player will start their adventure by choosing one of thenine mainlineStar Warsfilms.

There are said to be five story missions in eachStar Warsepisode, encapsulating the movies' biggest moments. Cutscenes will bookend each level, presumably filled with unmistakableLEGO charm and humor. Once the player has finished the level, they’ll be allowed to free-roam around the planet they’ve unlocked, grabbing a slew of collectibles in the environment or by completing side missions. These collectibles will allow the player to unlock iconic characters and vehicles from across theStar Warsuniverse.

Princess Leia aiming a blaster at two Imperial Stormtroopers in A New Hope’s opening level from LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

As players progress through each episode, they’ll unlock more planets. One of the big draws forLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais that players will be able to explore each of these planets freely, hopping between each of them at will. Traveller’s Tales has made this a big point in the game’s marketing, describing its sandbox asan openStar Warsuniverse, filled with smaller open worlds.

How LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Innovates on Past LEGO Games

On the surface, it sounds likeLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais going to be essentially justanother LEGO game, but there are a few key features that might make it stand out from previous titles. The game’s combat, for instance, seems like a step-up.

Wearing its RPG influences on its sleeve,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagahas added some more complex combat mechanics. In previous games the player could only mash the attack button to hit or shoot enemies, butLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagaseparates these two types of combat. When a blaster is equipped, players can now enter a third-person, over-the-shoulder view where they’ll have the ability to aim their weapon manually. Players can also enter cover, which was first attempted inLEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakensbut was a little too restrictive.

lego star wars skywalker saga mandalorian and baby yoda

Players can also use a range of melee attacks. These attacks seem to be combo-based, whereby a player will need to input a specific set of buttons to execute a powerful chain of attacks. In trailers released so far, characters have been shown to hit an enemy, launch them into the air, and bring them back down again with a grapple gun.Lightsaber-wielding characterswill have their own set of melee animations and moves as well, so while the combat may be simplistic, it should still offer more variety than past LEGO games.

Another innovation overprevious LEGO gamesisThe Skywalker Saga’s upgrade paths. As players collect Kyber Bricks, they’ll have access to a range of new upgrades, with pathways available for each of the character classes - such as Dark Side upgrades that improve the strength of Force powers, and Scoundrel upgrades that improve the player’s shooting capabilities. With nine distinct classes, there’s plenty to work toward.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais the biggest LEGO game to date. With 24 explorable planets, each including a plethora of side missions and collectibles,The Skywalker Sagashould keep fans invested long after they’ve finished the main story levels.The Skywalker Sagaalso has the most unlockable characters and vehiclesof anyStar Warsgame, with even obscure characters like Mama the Hutt getting their own spot. There’s going to be several versions of individual characters, such as different skins of Obi-Wan Kenobi based on his appearance in each episode.

Players will also be able to fly their ship directly above a planet, coming across a variety of events to partake in before they head to the surface. In trailers released so far, these events have been shown to include space races,dogfighting challenges, and a Star Destroyer ambush.

RELATED:New LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Screenshots Leak Online

Retail Versions of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

For those looking to pick upLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, there’s a few things to know about the different versions of the game currently available to pre-order. There are two main editions to choose from, those being the Standard Edition andtheSkywalker SagaDeluxe Edition. The cheaper of the two, Standard Edition gives players just the base game for $59.99. The $69.99 Deluxe Edition gives players the base game along with six Character Pack DLCs. These expansions include a Classic Character Pack, Mandalorian Season 1 and 2 Packs, a Rogue One Pack, a Bad Batch Pack, a Solo Pack, and a Trooper Pack.

Those who pre-order the physical version of the Deluxe Edition will also get am exclusive Luke Skywalker minifigure, equipped with a carton of Blue Milk. Some retailers are also offering additional pre-order bonuses, such as Best Buyproviding a steelbook case, and GameStop handing out miniX-Wing LEGO sets.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagareleases July 15, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.