LEGO keeps racking up the prestige partnerships, and this time the Danish firm has teamed up with PlayStation to render the very first PlayStation in brick form. Announced during the State of Play on 3 September 2026, this collaboration between the two giants lets you rebuild the legendary PS1 from 1,911 pieces, complete with its original controller and several surprises tucked away inside the console. It's a collector's item that should speak directly to an entire generation of gamers, but also to the so-called kidults, those adults who happily own their passion for the toys and worlds of their childhood. A crowd that certain curmudgeonly pundits love to sneer at, but one that now represents a very real audience for toy manufacturers and pop culture brands alike.
This LEGO PS1 certainly doesn't skimp on detail, either. At 26 cm wide, 19 cm deep and a shade over 6 cm tall, the reproduction comes remarkably close to the proportions of the original console. We're not far off 1:1 scale. LEGO has even taken its attention to detail as far as recreating the first PlayStation controller, the one that predated the DualShock and its analogue sticks. Better still, it can be plugged into the console via its dedicated port, just like the real thing. The machine's two iconic buttons, Power and Open, are functional too, and pressing the latter is what reveals the set's little surprise. Hidden under the lid are 2 miniature dioramas devoted to games that defined the PlayStation's early years. The first pays tribute to Gran Turismo, released in 1997, with a circuit and little cars. The second references Ape Escape, which arrived in 1999, recreating a scene inspired by its world along with its famous monkey helmet, whose lights can be switched between red and blue.
Naturally, these two dioramas aren't doomed to stay hidden inside the console: they can be removed and displayed separately. Sony says it worked directly with LEGO's designers to incorporate these elements and a number of nods to PlayStation history. Either way, this launch taps into a trend that just keeps growing: the rise of the kidults (a portmanteau of kid and adult), a term for grown-ups who've held on to their childhood passions and think nothing of spending thousands every month indulging them. LEGO cottoned on years ago, with sets aimed squarely at adults, be they retro consoles, iconic cars, landmarks or film licences. The LEGO Game Boy and Atari 2600 had already plucked that nostalgic heartstring. The naysayers can grumble all they like, but there's no stopping this one.
The LEGO PlayStation set (item number 72306) is priced at £139.99, with LEGO Insiders members getting early access from 1 October 2026, ahead of its general release on 4 October.
