GamesRadar+ Verdict
If you're an old-school Nintendo fan, adore gaming's premier ape, or just want a cool retro display piece with some tricks up its sleeve, Lego Donkey Kong Arcade will be the golden banana. While some nitpicks stop it from being a perfect homerun, it's close.
Reasons to buy
- +
Far cooler interactivity than the Mario NES set
- +
Enjoyable build despite some repetition
- +
Vibrant looking
Reasons to avoid
- -
Building the letters at the end is the worst part
- -
Stickers are disappointing
Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.
As the biggest Donkey Kong fan to have ever written for GamesRadar+, I've been waiting with bated breath to see what Lego had up its sleeve for an 18+ set since he was announced for the kid-friendly Lego Super Mario series years ago. Granted, I'm a far bigger fan of the Donkey Kong Country series (and 2025's actual game of the year Donkey Kong Bananza) than the arcade original, but you couldn't start anywhere else, could you?
Thankfully, Lego has taken cues from its very first Lego Super Mario 18+ set and made an interactive showpiece with the Lego Donkey Kong Arcade set that looks good and has a fun gimmick to show off to guests that's worthy of the best Lego sets.
Lego Donkey Kong Arcade features
Price |
$199.99 / £149.99 |
Ages |
18+ |
Pieces |
1,367 |
Minifigures |
0 |
Complexity |
Low to moderate |
Build time |
5-6hrs |
Dimensions |
H: 15.5in (39cm) / W: 10.5in (27cm) / D: 5.5in (15cm) |
Item Number |
72051 |
The Donkey Kong Arcade features a recreation of the original arcade machine, with the addition of a barrel lever to have Donkey Kong (or a plate with a sticker of him on it) send a barrel rolling down the ramps to try and take out Jumpman. Meanwhile, the proto-Mario himself can be controlled with an arcade stick and a jump button to avoid the barrels, making for a recreation of the arcade classic.
Lego Donkey Kong Arcade build
Despite the interactive elements, the Donkey Kong Arcade is a pretty straightforward build. Unlike the Mario NES and TV set that features a rotating background, you're mostly dealing with standard Lego Technic pieces for the mechanisms in Donkey Kong.
You begin with the base of the arcade and build up, slowly crafting the construction site that big Donk has climbed up with Lady (aka: Pauline) as you go. I especially love the pink girder pieces that adorn the set.
Unfortunately, while Mario is a sprite printed onto a piece, the set features nine stickers – four for the arcade machine graphics with another five for the oil barrel, fire, "Help!" as well as Lady and Donkey Kong themselves. It's quite disappointing given the price of the set that Lego couldn't go for printed tiles of at least Donkey Kong and Pauline.
Building upwards means that the grand finale is the "Donkey Kong" letters attached to the top of the arcade machine, which unfortunately is a bit of a damp finish, as it's the least interesting and most fiddly part of the build.
Lego Donkey Kong Arcade design
The main draw of Donkey Kong Arcade (#72051) is its somewhat faithful recreation of the arcade machine that kickstarted the career of Mario, Zelda, Pikmin, and Nintendogs legend Shigeru Miyamoto. I say somewhat, because there's an extra lever attached in front to facilitate the build's main gimmick. However, that gimmick brings forth that Nintendo philosophy of play above all else, making for an enjoyable showpiece among the Lego collection.
Should you buy Lego Donkey Kong Arcade?
I love the Donkey Kong Arcade (#72051) set. Granted, it's pricey at its $200 / £150 price point, but I'd go as far to call it one of the best Nintendo-themed sets alongside the now-discontinued Lego Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 (#77092) and my favourite Lego set of all time – Lego Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block (#71395). Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on your Donkey Kong fandom, but I'd say it was worth it.
✅ You are an old-school Nintendo fan: Donkey Kong is one of the most important games ever made, especially to Nintendo. And the playable nature of this set makes for a great showpiece.
✅ You have open shelf space: Being an arcade machine recreation, it's naturally pretty tall. But it makes great use of its height as one of the most visually appealing sets.
❌ You don't care that much for Donkey Kong: Ultimately this set hinges on your enjoyment of the playable gimmick and arcade nostalgia, so if you don't care for either, maybe give it a miss.
❌You're on a budget: Donkey Kong Arcade is one of the pricier Nintendo sets on the market right now (excluding some of those Pokemon sets), the Game Boy and Zelda Ocarina of Time sets could be a good alternative.
How we tested Lego Donkey Kong Arcade
This review was made using a kit bought for the reviewer by friends/family. For more info on our methods, see the GamesRadar+ review policy.
I built Donkey Kong Arcade (#72051) over the course of three days and five or so sittings. I have it displayed on my shelves in my office, heading over to tinker with the arcade mechanism every so often.
I'm a Nintendo diehard, with the majority of my Lego sets being based on their games, my pride and joy is the Super Mario 64 Question Block, but outside of the Bowser, Ocarina of Time Final Battle, and Mario Kart Luigi sets, I own all of the Nintendo 18+ sets to date.
This is far from the only cool Nintendo set out there right now; Lego Luigi & Mach 8 is a great model that ticks all the right boxes, for example.
