LEGO 2K Drive offers up a family-friendly take on open-world racing that everyone should enjoy. Featuring a range of vehicles all ingeniously made from the famous toy bricks, players can also race and build their own creations

This is not the first time Lego and racing have combined. The Lego Speed Champions expansion to Forza Horizon 4 proved that it was a winning combination. But, Lego 2K Drive isn’t an afterthought or DLC expansion, this is a Lego racing game built from the ground up. Players can enjoy the story mode or jump straight into online and offline races, championships, and events.

But you are not just driving racing cars. You have three vehicle types at your disposal. On roads, you have Lego street-racing cars, on grass and gravel, you switch to an off-road vehicle, and in water, it transforms into a boat.

The game is clearly aimed at younger players, although I can see an appeal for older players as well, especially parents and those only looking for a more casual racing experience. It’s not that the game is easy to win, but some of the mechanics are a little more playful than veteran racers may like.

The world is split up into unlockable regions, each packed with challenges and races. It’s a credit to the developer, Visual Concepts, for having created detailed environments that are so much fun to race and explore, all out of virtual Lego bricks.

The visuals are quite stunning with a very realistic look. Everything is meticulously made from Lego bricks, most of which can also be smashed to pieces are you drive into it. The environment has an almost photoreal look to them with realistic reflections and lighting.

The game caters to creative play, just as the real Lego does. You can build your own racing contraption out of Lego and race them both on and offline.

The game features competitive cross-play multiplayer between PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, but not Switch. This is becoming more common and allows players to connect with friends who are on different platforms.

The racing physics are very different from those of Microsoft’s open-world racer, Forza Horizons. In that respect, I must admit that I still prefer the Lego racing of the Forza Horizons 4 Lego Speed Champions DLC. However, the on-road/off-road/water switching and the creative options of Lego 2K Drive significantly sets the games apart. Races feature powerups and an overall style that feels more like Mario Kart than Need for Speed.

Lego 2K Drive is an extremely well-made racing game that will likely appeal to a younger audience (or those young at heart) rather than hardcore arcade racing fans. But it should be dismissed as it retains that charm and some inspiration from the humour in other Lego games. Lego 2K Drive should bring a smile to anyone that has spent hours building things from little toy bricks.

Rating: 7.5/10