I've played through most every LEGO video game from start to finish. No, I haven't got them all to 100%, because attempting it is often more frustrating than rewarding.

My favorite of the entire LEGO super-hero franchise is, of course, the Batman games. They've all been over-the-top fun and often feature stories that are better than what you find in the comics, movies, and TV shows. Which is to say that I am forever anticipating a new LEGO Batman game being announced.

And today was the day. We're getting a new one in 2026!

The game I want more than anything is a LEGO Batman game which is based entirely on the Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series cartoons. Those episodes were so amazing. And I think that they could be the basis for one of the best LEGO Batman games ever.

Alas, that's not what we are getting.

The official description is this...
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a brand-new open world action-adventure videogame that invites players to embark on Bruce Wayne’s epic journey to become the hero of Gotham City, inspired by decades of Batman films, television, comic books, and games, and jam-packed with Batman nostalgia, DC lore, and TT Games’ signature brand of fun-filled LEGO humor.

And there's a trailer...

There's some interesting things to unpack here... starting with the fact that there will be a more difficult "Dark Knight Mode" so more mature gamers will have more of a challenge. Which is funny, because the thing I love most about the LEGO video games is that they're not too taxing. You can play without stress or having to think terribly hard about things. They're the perfect distraction at the end of the day when you're tired and just want to relax.

Which is to say that I'll probably play through the regular "Caped Crusader Mode" before digging into something that will undoubtedly frustrate me.

Next up... apparently this game will run through all the various Batman movies to build its story. That feels messy to me, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Hopefully they've found an interesting way to chain everything together to make sense.

And then... one of the most fun parts of a LEGO Batman game are all the bat-suits which give him different powers and abilities. From what I can tell, there's none of that going on here. Perhaps there's a deeper game happening (they mention new combo moves), but this is worrying to me. If it's just Batman fighting through levels the same way over and over, it seems kind of one-note. If that's what I wanted, I'd just play Arkham Asylum. They do say that the different playable characters have different abilities and skills, so maybe that's how it will be kept fresh?

And, lastly, there's been news that the game will be released for Switch 2. And yet... when you go to the official website, there's absolutely no mention of it until you go to the FAQ page. Which has me wondering if the Switch 2 version will come out later than the others. Gee I hope not. I really want to be able to play this one on the go.

If you're onboard and sign up for a WB Games account, you get a free Golden Age Bat Suit for free. You can do that at the official site here.