LEGO® 2K Drive
Last updated: 2025-06-08
- Fun, polished visuals, appealing to many players
- Extensive vehicle creation and customization options
- Easy to earn in-game currency
- Uninspired, repetitive gameplay experience
- Aggressive, predatory monetization practices
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 51% · Negative 49%. Score: 49 / 100
Positives:
- The game is praised for its fun and enjoyable gameplay, appealing graphics, and overall polish. Many reviewers highlight the game's lighthearted nature, humor, and accessible mechanics, making it suitable for both casual players and children. The game's visual presentation, including its colorful world and detailed environments, is also frequently commended.
- A standout feature is the ability to create and customize vehicles using LEGO bricks. Players enjoy the freedom to design their own cars, boats, and other vehicles, with the game providing a wide array of parts and tools. The vehicle creation mode is in-depth yet easy to control, and the game allows players to share their creations with others.
- The game successfully blends elements from popular racing franchises like Forza Horizon, Mario Kart, and LEGO Racers. Reviewers appreciate the mix of arcade-style racing, power-ups, and open-world exploration, creating a unique and engaging experience. The game also features split-screen multiplayer, adding to its appeal as a kart racer.
- The game features an in-game currency (Brick Bux) that can be earned relatively easily, allowing players to unlock new vehicles, characters, and parts. Reviewers note that the currency is plentiful, especially later in the game, making it easy to acquire new items through normal play. Microtransactions are present but are easily avoidable and do not block progress.
- The game features destructible environments and car damage models, adding to the immersion and satisfaction of the racing experience. Crashing into objects causes them to break into individual LEGO pieces, accompanied by satisfying sound effects. The vehicle transformation system, which allows players to seamlessly switch between cars, off-road vehicles, and boats based on terrain, is also a highlight.
Negatives:
- The game is plagued with aggressive and predatory microtransactions, battle passes, and a rotating cash shop, especially considering its full price and target audience of children. Essential content, like LEGO bricks for customization, is locked behind paywalls, requiring excessive grinding or real money to unlock. This monetization detracts from the core gameplay experience and feels like a cash grab.
- The game suffers from clunky gameplay, poor physics, and uninspired track design, leading to a repetitive and unfulfilling experience. Rubberbanding AI and a lack of meaningful progression further diminish the sense of skill and accomplishment. Many reviewers found the game to be unpolished and lacking in depth.
- Many reviewers reported frequent crashes, stuttering, and performance issues, even on high-end hardware. Some users found the game unplayable due to these technical problems. This significantly detracts from the overall experience.
- Vehicle customization is limited and frustrating due to awkward controls, a restricted selection of building blocks, and a strict submission system for online use. The game forces players to use premade bases and locks additional parts behind paywalls, hindering creative freedom.
- Drive Passes offer minimal value, adding few new activities and unappealing rewards. Leveling up the Season Pass feels like a chore due to the lack of endgame content and the need for excessive grinding. The driving physics are also criticized for being too arcade-like and lacking challenge.
Gameplay:
- The game features arcade-style racing with mechanics like drifting, boosting, and power-ups, drawing comparisons to games like Mario Kart and Need for Speed. However, some reviewers felt the gameplay didn't quite reach the same level of quality as Mario Kart.
- A key feature is the ability to design and customize cars using LEGO bricks, with new brick types and parts being unlockable. While the building mechanic is intuitive, some reviewers noted a lack of incentive to fully utilize it.
- The game features an open world with various side activities, mini-games, and collectibles scattered throughout five distinct maps. Some reviewers found the open-world exploration fun and engaging, while others compared it to Ubisoft games with repetitive fetch quests.
- The game features automatic vehicle transformations between street racers, off-road vehicles, and boats, allowing for seamless transitions across different terrains. This adds a unique element to the racing experience.
- The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, including online play with cross-platform support and local split-screen. Multiplayer modes include races and tournaments.
Performance:
- Many players report significant performance issues, including stuttering, frame rate drops, and crashes, even on high-end PCs. These issues are especially prevalent during races or when there are many effects on screen. Some users on Steam Deck also experience performance problems, while others report smooth gameplay, indicating inconsistent optimization.
- The game can be locked at 40Hz on Steam Deck without slowdowns and has consistent performance at 1600x900 when docked.
- Some reviewers claim perfect optimization or report no bugs, but these are outliers compared to the more common reports of performance issues and crashes.
- One reviewer reported a specific bug that prevents the game from launching unless Steam is reinstalled. This is a significant issue that can prevent players from accessing the game.
- The car creator feature seems to be particularly prone to crashes, even on average computers. This suggests a specific optimization issue within this part of the game.
Recommendations:
- Many reviewers suggest only purchasing the game on sale due to concerns about its full price value. These concerns often stem from issues like microtransactions, bugs, or a lack of content relative to the cost. Some reviewers provide specific price points they deem acceptable.
- Some reviewers draw comparisons to other racing games, both LEGO and non-LEGO titles, to help players determine if this game aligns with their preferences. They suggest alternatives for those not interested in the building aspect or those seeking a more polished experience. Some reviewers recommend the game to fans of specific franchises.
- Some reviewers believe that the game developers were let down by 2K's interference and monetization strategy. This suggests that the game's potential was hindered by external factors.
- There are conflicting opinions on the game's suitability for children, despite its LEGO branding. Some reviewers find the dialogue childish and not appealing to adults, while others caution parents about the aggressive in-game store. Some reviewers feel that the game is not as good as other LEGO games.
- The game suffers from rubber-banding AI, which negatively impacts the racing experience. This issue, combined with other concerns, leads some reviewers to not recommend the game.
Miscellaneous:
- The game uses a live-service model with microtransactions and season passes, but they are largely unobtrusive. All content is earnable through gameplay, and store items don't provide a competitive advantage. The in-game shop is also skippable for those focused on single-player content.
- The content included in the season pass and DLCs is unclear, even after completing the story mode. However, all levels and races are included in the base game, and season pass rewards can be earned without purchase. All seasons of the battle pass are available simultaneously.
- The game features a lighthearted story mode and Polish dubbing. The reviewer found the game engaging enough to collect all collectibles, despite a detector malfunction.
- The game is set in Bricklandia, a world divided into distinct zones, each with its own theme and challenges. This provides varied landscapes and races for the player to experience.
- Promotional content can be disabled in the options menu, allowing players to remove it from the in-game experience. This allows players to customize their experience.
