The Greatest Toys of 2025

The yr is sort of over, and our wallets have spent a lot of it being drained by all of the cool new toys we added to our assortment in 2025. How cool? Effectively, io9’s resident toy collectors banded collectively and took a glance again at our favourite justifications for all that pockets draining—listed here are our picks for the perfect additions to our collections.

Hasbro Star Wars Black Collection Anakin and Obi-Wan Mustafar Duel

Hasbro went all out for San Diego Comedian-Con’s Star Wars exclusive this year, giving us not simply brand-new figures of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s Revenge of the Sith appearances for the movie’s twentieth anniversary, however a litany of good equipment, paired with a lavish show platform of the Mustafarian lava platforms and droids their remaining duel climaxes over.

Positive, it was nice Hasbro ultimately sold the figures separately so everybody may no less than take pleasure in the most effective iterations of those characters the corporate has made to date, however the single-carded releases misplaced numerous the equipment that made this launch such a implausible celebration of the movie.

Funko Pop Vinyl Wild Robotic Roz

We all know that the overall consensus on Funko Pops typically isn’t nice, however a method the model excels is by giving us toys for issues we’d in any other case not have toys of. Living proof, The Wild Robotic was our favorite film of 2024. It was an award-winning field workplace hit and has a sequel on the way in which, however there was little or no merchandise and positively no toy line. That’s the place Funko got here to the rescue with this good little model of Roz together with Brightbill, and it made us cry another time.

Magic: The Gathering – Last Fantasy

It may not be all too honest to place a whole set from a collectible card sport into a listing of greatest toys (despite the fact that you do acquire and play with them), however Magic‘s riskiest Universes Past set but paid off with a wildly ingenious and gloriously celebratory tribute to one of many best fantasy sport collection of all time this summer time with such good type, it reignited our love of taking part in the venerable card sport.

Nice playing cards, a clever translation of iconic Last Fantasy mechanics and moments, and well worth the nightmare scramble it was to get playing cards to chase and construct decks with.

Mattel Jaws fiftieth Sizzling Wheels Orca

There was no scarcity of Jaws merchandise to have a good time the movie’s fiftieth anniversary, however our favourite was one of the smallest. Mattel launched this good, tiny little Matchbox-sized model of the Orca, in addition to Bruce the Shark. The element was implausible, the packaging was superior, and it simply superbly captured the essence of the movie.

Goodsmile Figma Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Hyperlink DX Version

Figma’s Legend of Zelda legacy is powerful, with some actually nice Hyperlink figures impressed by retro-classic designs from Skyward Sword or Twilight Princess, however Hyperlink’s fashionable look, embodied by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, acquired the determine the smash-hit duology deserved this yr.

A delight to pose and full of a ton of enjoyable equipment (particularly so within the deluxe version, giving Hyperlink Zonai gear and results, his glider, and extra), this was the final word motion determine celebration of not one, however two nice video games.

Disney Racers Die-Forged Vehicles

We’re enormous followers of Disney Parks, and any technique to hold that magic going at house is at all times welcome. This yr, Disney discovered a enjoyable technique to do exactly that with Disney Racers. It’s a mashup of Disney theme park rides and funky scorching rods within the type of small, die-cast vehicles. Are they meant for young children? For sure. However the place else are you able to get an Indiana Jones or Area Mountain-themed toy automobile? Plus, it’s the closest we are able to get to the incredible Japanese toys we found this yr, so we’ll take what we are able to get.

Lego Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology USS Enterprise-D

The primary official Lego Star Trek set was a very long time coming, and even with the sharp consumption of breath upon realizing that we very a lot don’t reside within the post-scarcity utopia of the Federation once we noticed its price ticket, the set itself is a wonderful tribute to the long-lasting Starfleet flagship.

The minifigures are a delight, the Galaxy-class is replicated nearly spot-on with tons of intelligent constructing methods, and it’s so good that it has us craving that Lego will boldly go into a complete Star Trek line that would rival its Star Wars output for breadth and scope.

Spin Grasp DC Universe Batman Ceaselessly Figures

For many people, the toys launched across the Nineteen Nineties Batman movies are burned into our reminiscences. The packaging, the karate chop motion, the equipment. They allow us to relive these great movies many times, lengthy earlier than the VHS arrived. So, when Goal teamed up with DC to launch model new figures primarily based on 1995’s Batman Ceaselessly, it was like traveling back in time.

Bandai Cell Swimsuit Gundam GQuuuuuuX HG Mannequin Kits

Say what you will about GQuuuuuuX, the mecha designs have been nice, and everybody beloved them. Okay, okay, Gundam followers like to argue: say what you’ll concerning the GQuuuuuuX mecha designs, we are able to (hopefully) broadly agree that they made for some completely exceptional gunpla kits this yr.

The usual Excessive Grade line leveled up once more this yr, topping the good Witch from Mercury collection with the sheer, wild intricacy of the way it managed to adapt the lithe, intricately detailed aesthetic of GQuuuuuuX‘s mechanical design into 1/144 scaled mannequin kits that appeared nice and didn’t instantly collapse for those who checked out them humorous. The entire line has been nice to date, however a particular shoutout to Sugai’s Gelgoog and the Pink Gundam for being high tier in a collection of bangers.

Hasbro Haslab Ghostbusters Plasma Collection Ecto-1

Arriving simply within the nick of time, we’re in awe of Hasbro’s new Haslab of the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. Have you ever ever held a toy in your hand and been like, “I can’t consider this factor exists?” That’s what the large, sixth-scale Ecto-1 seems like. It’s actually probably the most spectacular toys we’ve ever had the pleasure of proudly owning. Simply please don’t decide us if we sit on the ground and vroom-vroom it round like we’re 10.

Lego Sport Boy

All of us love Lego’s grand and elaborate units whilst a lot as our wallets worry their worth tags—we’ve already put one in every of them on our record this yr. However generally, small-scale is what works greatest with the corporate, and its newest Nintendo console duplicate nailed that perfectly with the Sport Boy.

Nearly spot on to the precise dimension of the hand-held, so many intelligent constructing methods and ingenious makes use of of Lego components faithfully recreated the basic to a tee, and that was earlier than you bought to the enjoyable additions just like the lenticular screens depicting scenes from the 2 included buildable sport carts, Hyperlink’s Awakening and Tremendous Mario Land.

Nintendo Amiibo Metroid Prime 4 Samus Aran and Vi-O-La

Are Amiibos really toys? We will save that philosophical debate for an additional time. We simply know that after ready nearly 10 years for Metroid Prime 4, really holding Samus Aran in your fingers, full with a brand new swimsuit and her very personal bike, was simply great. She was lastly again and as wonderful as ever. The truth that it additionally gave you some enjoyable new skins for Vi-o-La within the precise sport was only a bonus. We want many, many extra toys of Samus on this swimsuit.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Daredevil: Born Once more Daredevil

The person with out worry leapt again onto our screens this yr, which suggests Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock acquired to leap again onto our toy cabinets too with a exceptional improve on his first motion determine iteration. The brand new MCU Daredevil is likely one of the greatest Daredevils Hasbro has made, full cease, no matter whether or not he’s from the display or the comics, with good sculpting and minimal however completely picked equipment that make him an absolute pleasure to pose and play with.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the things it’s essential to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.