LEGO Party has quietly arrived as a native Nintendo Switch 2 release on the eShop, and owners of the original Switch version are getting the new edition as a free upgrade instead of having to rebuy the game.
The Switch 2 Edition rolls out alongside game update 1.6, which optimizes LEGO Party for Nintendo’s newer hardware with higher frame rates and sharper visuals than the original Switch release. According to coverage of the update, existing Switch owners automatically gain entitlement to the Switch 2 Edition through the same account, while newcomers can buy the enhanced version outright. The game is also temporarily discounted from its regular 39.99 price point to around 27.99 in some regions until the end of August 2026, making the upgrade window even friendlier for late adopters.
Originally released on 30 September 2025, LEGO Party is a four-player party title from Australian developer SMG Studio and publisher Fictions. The game launched simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and PC, marking Fictions’ debut as a publisher. Built in partnership with the LEGO Group, LEGO Party pulls together 60 minigames across classic themes like LEGO Pirates, LEGO Space, and LEGO Ninjago, all framed as competitive Challenge Zones where players chase golden bricks. Both local couch co-op and online multiplayer are supported, with cross-platform online play available between Switch, Xbox, PlayStation and PC for friend lobbies.
Critical reception has been strong for a genre that rarely sees big-budget entries, with reviewers praising the variety of minigames and how familiar LEGO sets become playable boards. Nintendo World Report’s Switch review pointed to the accessible controls and cross-platform options as highlights, while noting that matches can become chaotic without the right group of players. On PC and console storefronts, user scores have trended favorable, reinforcing LEGO Party’s status as one of the more reliable modern party games in the post-2020 era.
SMG Studio itself is no stranger to co-op chaos, having previously developed the 2020 couch-mover hit Moving Out, which put the team on the map for playful, physics-driven multiplayer experiences. LEGO Party continues that lineage under the dentsu-owned banner, with SMG described in corporate materials as aiming to create games that connect people through fun. Publisher Fictions, meanwhile, has used LEGO Party as a showcase for its focus on bright, accessible multiplayer titles, positioning the brand alongside family-friendly retail editions produced in partnership with physical media specialists like iam8bit.
On Switch 2, LEGO Party feels particularly at home, slotting into the same couch-competitive niche as Nintendo’s own Mario Party series while leaning on LEGO’s decades of pop-culture cachet. Free upgrade paths, however, are still far from guaranteed on Nintendo’s latest hardware, making this move from SMG Studio and Fictions noteworthy at a time when some publishers have charged extra for enhanced ports or withheld native versions entirely. Combined with other recent Switch 2 titles that have offered no-cost upgrades, LEGO Party’s new edition suggests at least some studios are willing to prioritize player goodwill as the platform’s library grows.
