Yes, a small number of LEGO video game promotional minifigures are worth real money today, mainly the pack in exclusives that only came bundled with a specific game preorder, console bundle, or retailer exclusive edition. Most game tie in figures are not rare at all. LEGO reused a lot of these molds and prints in regular sets, so value comes down to how limited the original giveaway actually was and how clean the figure has stayed since.
I've been buying and selling LEGO on eBay for years, and video game promo figures are one of those categories new resellers either ignore completely or wildly overvalue. In my experience the truth sits in the middle. A handful of these figures are genuinely scarce because they were tied to a short preorder window at one retailer. Most are worth a few dollars and nothing more, no matter how cool the game was.
Key takeaways:
- Scarcity comes from a limited preorder window or retailer exclusive, not from how popular the video game itself was.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game (2005) and LEGO Batman: The Videogame (2008) kicked off a wave of game tie in merchandise, but true exclusive minifigures from that era are rarer than most sellers assume.
- LEGO Dimensions (2015 to 2017) figures are a separate category from preorder bonus figures and trade differently on the secondary market.
- Condition, completeness, and whether the figure still has its original accessories matter as much as rarity.
- Always check current sold listings before pricing a promo figure. Don't price from memory or from what it sold for years ago.
What Are LEGO Video Game Promotional Minifigures?
LEGO video game promotional minifigures are figures LEGO or a retailer handed out as a bonus for buying or preordering a LEGO video game, rather than figures sold inside a normal set. They typically shipped bundled with a preorder, a console bundle, or a limited edition, and most were never sold through LEGO's regular retail channels at all.
That matters for resale because it means the only way to get the figure new was to preorder from the right store during a short window. A lot of casual buyers missed that window entirely, which is part of why some of these figures became sought after years later. I personally look for figures tied to a specific retailer promotion rather than anything that shipped loose with every copy of a game, since broad distribution kills scarcity fast.
Why Do Some Video Game Tie In LEGO Figures Hold Value?
Video game tie in LEGO figures hold value when three things line up: a short or regional preorder window, a character buyers actually wanted, and a print or color that LEGO never reused in a mainline set. When all three line up, demand can stay well ahead of supply for years. When even one is missing, the figure tends to settle into bargain bin territory.
From what I've seen buying lots over the years, the figures that hold up best are the ones collectors can't just pull from a common set on brick'em's minifigure database and buy for a couple dollars. If the exact color combination or accessory only ever existed in that one promo run, the figure has a real floor. If not, it's mostly nostalgia value.
Which LEGO Video Games Came With Exclusive Minifigures?
Several LEGO video game releases came packaged with exclusive or near exclusive minifigures, most of them tied to preorders rather than the base game box itself. LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game launched in 2005 and helped establish the whole LEGO video game line, and later Star Wars game releases followed with their own preorder bonus figures at various retailers over the years.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame came out in 2008 and kicked off the LEGO Batman games as their own merchandising category, with later entries in that series getting their own store exclusive bonus figures too. LEGO Dimensions, which launched in 2015 and was discontinued by 2017, is really its own category. Those figures came as part of toy to life gameplay packs rather than as pure promotional giveaways, and I'd treat them separately when you're sorting inventory since buyers search for them differently than they search for a preorder bonus figure.
I won't list exact set numbers or current values here because LEGO's promotional runs varied by region and retailer, and I don't want to hand you a number that's already stale. Pull up the actual figure in brick'em's database and compare it against recent sold listings before you trust any price you read online, including this article.
How Can You Tell If Your Promo Figure Is Actually Rare?
You can usually tell a promo figure is genuinely rare by checking three things: whether it was ever included in a regular retail set, whether the exact print or color was reused anywhere else, and how tightly the original giveaway was restricted by store or region. If a figure checks all three boxes, it's probably scarce. If it checks none, it's common no matter how it was packaged.
In my experience sorting bulk lots, sellers get this backwards all the time. They assume anything that came free with a game must be special, when a lot of these giveaways were actually produced in huge numbers because the retailer wanted every single preorder covered. Rarity comes from restriction, not from the word "exclusive" printed on a flyer.
| Signal | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Figure also appears in a mainline set | Likely common, value is close to a standard minifigure |
| Unique print or color not used elsewhere | Possible rarity, worth deeper research |
| Tied to a single retailer's short preorder window | Stronger scarcity signal |
| Still has original accessories and no paint wear | Condition premium on top of any rarity |
| Loose, no packaging, missing accessory | Value drops even if the figure is otherwise rare |
Where Should You Sell Video Game LEGO Exclusives?
Where you sell a video game LEGO exclusive depends on how rare it actually is. Genuinely scarce figures do well on BrickLink, where serious collectors search by exact figure and will pay up for the right print. More common promo figures move faster as part of a themed lot on eBay or in a live show on Whatnot, where buyers are shopping by vibe and nostalgia rather than hunting one specific piece.
BrickLink is the closest thing LEGO resale has to a Wall Street of LEGO, since its pricing data reflects actual completed sales across thousands of sellers rather than asking prices alone. I use that pricing data as my baseline before I ever list a figure anywhere else. eBay reaches the widest possible audience, but promoted listings can push your effective take rate close to 25% of the sale once you add them up, so I only promote listings on pieces I'm confident will sell. Whatnot works differently again. I built a following to over 3,000 followers and past $30,000 in sales in about five months without ever showing my face on camera, and character driven pieces like game tie in figures tend to do well live because buyers can ask questions in real time. A lot of sellers I know also check Facebook Marketplace and Mercari for cheap bulk lots that might be hiding a promo figure nobody bothered to identify.
How Do You Price a Promotional LEGO Minifigure?
You price a promotional LEGO minifigure by starting with recent completed sales for that exact figure in that exact condition, then adjusting down for missing accessories or wear and up for sealed or mint examples. Never price off a single old listing or a number you remember from a few years back, since LEGO secondary market prices move constantly in both directions.
I run every figure I'm unsure about through brick'em's collection value calculator before I commit to a listing price, and I'd recommend doing the same rather than guessing. If you're weighing whether a whole lot of promo figures is worth buying in the first place, the haul calculator is useful for sanity checking a purchase before you hand over cash at a garage sale or a Facebook Marketplace meetup.
Heads up: This is not financial or legal advice. We're sharing what we've learned from the LEGO reselling community.
I also want to be upfront that I'm not going to quote you a dollar figure for any specific promo minifigure in this article. Prices shift by condition, region, and whatever's happening in the market that month, and a lot of sellers I know have gotten burned trusting a number that was already outdated by the time they listed.
What Mistakes Do Sellers Make With Promo Figures?
The most common mistake sellers make with promo figures is assuming scarcity based on the figure feeling special to them personally, rather than checking actual production numbers and reused prints. The second most common mistake is listing a loose, worn figure at the same price as a mint one with all its original accessories.
- Assuming every "exclusive" figure is actually exclusive instead of verifying it against the database.
- Pricing from an old memory instead of current sold listings.
- Selling a rare figure in a random bulk lot instead of listing it individually where collectors can find it.
- Ignoring missing accessories, which can cut value more than buyers expect.
- Skipping promoted listings entirely on eBay, even when a figure is genuinely hard to find and worth the extra exposure.
I started out making a few of these mistakes myself, mostly the first one. I noticed pretty quickly that treating every promo figure as a hidden gem just slows down inventory turnover for no reason. Now when I sort a bulk lot, I set video game tie in figures aside, check them properly, and only pull the ones with a real case for rarity out to sell on their own.
Is It Worth Hunting for Video Game LEGO Exclusives in Bulk Lots?
Yes, it's worth keeping an eye out for video game LEGO exclusives when you're sorting bulk lots, because most sellers unloading a mixed box have no idea which figures are tied to an old game promotion. That knowledge gap is exactly where resellers who do their homework make their margin.
When I sort a bulk lot, I'm scanning for anything that looks like it doesn't belong to a normal set first, since odd prints or unusual accessory combinations are often the tell. If you're building out an inventory system to track this kind of thing at scale, it's worth setting up a proper process rather than relying on memory, and you can start your 14-day free trial of brick'em to log and identify figures as you sort through lots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are LEGO Dimensions figures the same as video game promo figures?
Not really. LEGO Dimensions figures were sold as part of toy to life gameplay packs between 2015 and 2017, so they were a core part of the product rather than a bonus giveaway. Promo figures came free with a preorder or bundle. Both categories can hold value, but collectors search for and price them differently.
Do all LEGO video game preorder bonuses increase in value?
No. Most preorder bonus figures were produced to cover every preorder at a major retailer, which means supply was often higher than people assume. Only figures with a genuinely short, restricted distribution tend to hold or gain value over time. Check current sold listings before assuming any promo figure is automatically worth more than a regular minifigure.
Where can I find out if my LEGO promo figure is rare?
Start by searching for the exact figure in a minifigure database to see if it appears in any regular retail set. If it's unique to the promotion, cross check recent completed sales on BrickLink or eBay rather than relying on asking prices, which tend to run higher than what figures actually sell for.
Should I sell a rare video game LEGO figure individually or in a lot?
Individually, almost always. A figure with real scarcity gets lost and undervalued inside a bulk lot where buyers are pricing the whole box, not hunting for one specific piece. Listing it on its own, with clear photos of any unique print or accessory, lets the right collector actually find it and pay a fair price.
Why don't resale guides list exact prices for these figures?
Because LEGO secondary market prices move constantly based on condition, region, and current demand, a number that's accurate today can be stale in a few months. A lot of sellers I know got burned trusting an old printed price guide. Checking live sold listings right before you list or buy is always safer than trusting a fixed number.
.png)
