This article was written by Benjamin W. – Guest Contributor Writer. Reviewed and edited by Toys N Bricks.

Whether you already have a modular LEGO set or you’re thinking about getting one, it is good to know how often they are released.

The short of it is that LEGO releases official modular sets once a year, usually sometime in January at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia). But you don’t have to wait for an annual release to buy your next set.

Keep reading to learn more of the details.

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How Often Does Lego Release New Modular Buildings?

Key Takeaways

LEGO releases one Modular Building set per year, usually in early January.
Retired sets become very valuable in a relatively short amount of time, making them popular with collectors and investors.
Community buzz helps LEGO determine what the next LEGO Modular Building will be.

Shown below is LEGO Designer Jamie with the 2017 release LEGO 10255 Assembly Square Modular Building set.

Historical Overview of LEGO Modular Buildings

LEGO’s Modular Building series has been around for nearly 20 years now, and there have been some truly remarkable entries that have become timeless fan favorites. One of our recent favorites is the Natural History Museum (10326), which was released at the end of 2023, in December.

Shop Now: LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia), Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK

Shown below is 18+ LEGO Icons 10326 Natural History Museum. This set was released in January 2025. It is currently available at regular retail price at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia).

LEGO decided to start the series back in 2007 in response to the demand from Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOL) and Teen Fans of LEGO (TFOL). Given the older fanbase, sets in this series often come with more than 2,000 pieces and more advanced building techniques like SNOT techniques (Studs Not On Top). In addition to the intricate details, these sets also have designs based on a minifigure scale, making the resulting scenes much more immersive for older builders.

The newest LEGO Icons Modular Building set is Tudor Corner (10350), which is a set that highlights Victorian architecture.

Shop Now: LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia), Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK

Shown below is 18+ LEGO Icons 10350 Tudor Corner Modular Building. This set was released in January 2025. It is currently available at regular retail price at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia).

Want to win a copy of this set for free? Be sure to enter our LEGO MicroBuild Tournament Building Contest. This free building contest closes on April 1, 2025 so don’t delay.

Let’s take a look at the evolution of these intricate modular buildings. There have been some significant milestones that every collector should know about.

Milestones in the Release Timeline

With so many iconic releases, there is no shortage of milestones that we could point to. However, the following list of LEGO Modular Buildings are fan favorites, each marking an important step in the development of the modular building series.

Wondering the complete list of all the LEGO modular buildings ever released? Then check out our resource article Complete List of Every LEGO Modular Buildings Collection Sets (Updated February 2025). The article talks about all the LEGO Modular Buildings ever released of all time. Pictures and descriptions are provided for each individual modular building set.

Cafe Corner (10182): This set was the first modular building released by LEGO in 2007. It set several foundational standards that succeeding sets would follow. Most notably, Cafe Corner brought us the first examples of corner building designs, detailed exteriors, and display windows.
Market Street (10190): This set was also released in 2007 and is still one of the smallest sets of the series. Why Market Street made our list is that the famous set introduced the concept of fan-designed modulars and customizable modules.
Assembly Square (10255): Assembly Square was released on the 10th anniversary of the series. It is an important set because it has roof terraces and highly intricate details.
Natural History Museum (10326): Another important set was the Natural History Museum. It features details like a mansard roof, skylights for natural light, a museum curator, and several museum patrons to help round out the scene.
Tudor Corner (10350): The newest set from the series, Tudor Corner, brings many unique design features as well, but it is also the first set in the series to take a significant step towards promoting inclusivity. The set’s designers included the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard, which is worn by a neurodivergent minifigure character.

Shown below is LEGO 10182 Cafe Corner Modular Building. This is the first modular building ever released and it was back in the year 2007. That time modular buildings still had a recommended age of 16+ instead of 18+ like today. You can buy this set at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Notable Releases and Their Impact

In addition to sets marking significant milestones, we also have sets that have had a significant impact on the development of the series.

Green Grocer (10185): The LEGO modular building released in 2008 is important for its expansion on modular realism, much like what we saw with Market Street. Green Grocer featured intricate interiors and went a long way to set new standards for interior detail and design.
Brick Bank (10251): Brick Bank, released in 2016, is notable for the unique and interactive storytelling elements it brought to the series. Fans got a cash register, a jail cell, a bank manager, and police officer minifigures, to go along with the detailed building exterior that makes the set unique.
Jazz Club (10312): A more recent addition to the lineup is Jazz Club. Released in 2023, Jazz Club features cultural inclusivity with its jazz figure minifigure and jazz club theme.

Shown below is LEGO Creator Expert 10251 Brick Bank Modular Building. This set was released back in 2016. You can buy this set at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Frequency and Annual Release Schedule

LEGO usually releases one modular building set per year, but the release schedule is not written in stone. There have been exceptions to the rule, and the better we understand how LEGO chooses to release new sets, the more it helps us anticipate how the release schedule will be in the future.

One example is the VIP incentive that allows certain fans to pick these sets up a few days earlier than everyone else. Given how close the holiday season is to the regular release date, it makes sense for LEGO to find ways to get these sets out a little quicker. However, we haven’t heard about any official plans to change the release schedule to an earlier month.

For now, LEGO Modular Buildings are announced in November or December, and released on January first.

That said, there are also some ‘modular compatible’ sets that are released at other times. The 3244-piece Ninjago City Workshops (71837) set comes to mind as it was available for purchase on March 1st. While it might not be squarely aimed at the same audience, it is a step in the right direction. As more sets are created that generate interest in the modular approach, it is likely that LEGO can respond with special additions and other modular-compatible ideas, and they can easily follow their own release schedule.

Shown below is LEGO Ninjago City Workshops 71837. This set was released on March 1, 2025. You can check out our releases guide for the latest March 2025 sets. This set is currently available at regular retail price at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia).

Comparisons with First Releases

Another thing we can predict with a reasonable degree of certainty is that LEGO Modular Building sets will continue stretching the boundaries of our imaginations. Designers take ideas from sets that we are already familiar with and expand them, finding new ways to add complexity and unique design elements.

One example is the difference between Cafe Corner and the Parisian Restaurant. Cafe Corner designers focused on building exteriors, while Green Grocer (10185) added in more detailed interior spaces. That led to the intricately designed interior spaces of Parisian Restaurant (10243), which made that set stand out in 2014.

Shown below is LEGO Creator Expert 10243 Parisian Restaurant. This set was released back in the year 2014. It has been retired at the official regular retail prices. Though, you can still buy it at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Complexity

In general, the complexity seen in the series has become more advanced over time. Early sets had a more straightforward approach to their design configurations, and the building techniques used to put them together were also relatively standard.

Later sets, like Assembly Square, used more intricate architectural details, and innovative building features like removable roofs and detailed interiors. These changes have proved a huge hit with fans looking for more immersive building experiences.

Thematic Diversity

Similarly, early sets had simpler themes. We had basic residential and commercial buildings that allowed for town building, but they did lack the diverse human element found in today’s cities.

LEGO has made a lot of changes to its approach, and we can now see an entire range of themes to satisfy the diverse interests of the fans. Whether builders are looking for entertainment-based themes, elegance, small businesses, gardens, or anything in between, it is much easier to find what you are looking for now than it was in the past.

Be sure to check out our other resource article How Do LEGO Modular Buildings Compare to LEGO Creator Sets? It compares earlier LEGO Modular Buildings that were branded as LEGO Creator Expert to the later known 18+ LEGO Icons Modular Buildings theme.

Collectible Nature of LEGO Modular Buildings

The release schedule for LEGO Modular Buildings is important for collectors, too. After a certain amount of time (it is different for each set), modular building sets are retired by LEGO, and they are no longer available through official channels. This is, of course, where collectors step in, and demand can have a huge influence on price when that happens.

One example of a retired set that is now much more expensive than it was originally is Town Hall. The classic modular set is now priced between $1,000 and $2,000 on Amazon in the USA. There are plenty of other examples, as well. Retired sets like Pet Shop and Grand Emporium have experienced significant market appreciation, sometimes reaching an increase in price as high as 800%! Shop Now: LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia), Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK

Shown below are three modular buildings all lined up together. They include (from left) LEGO Grand Emporium, LEGO Pet Shop and LEGO Town Hall.

These price increases aren’t just related to availability. They are also caused by collector appeal and interconnectivity with other sets in the series. Prices can also be qualified with value metrics related to the experience the sets provide.

Shown below is LEGO 10224 Town Hall Modular Building. This set had a very short life span where it was officially sold at the retail price at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia). Once it got retired, the set fetched for high dollar amounts in the secondary marketplaces. You can buy it at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Evaluating Value Metrics

Besides comparing set prices on popular marketplaces, collectors look towards metrics like price-per-part (PPP), price-per-gram (PPG), and price-per-minute (PPM) to decide if a set is worthwhile to buy, or to assign value to the sets they are interested in selling. The metrics are also important for collectors when determining the value of custom builds and MOC creations.

The first metric—Price Per Part—is useful when pricing sets based on piece count. With the average price of a LEGO piece being somewhere around $0.10, it can be a quick way to come up with a price for a set. However, many pieces come with differing values, like branded/licensed theme pieces, molded pieces made for specific use cases, and, of course, collectible pieces that are out of production.

Because of the unreliability of the price-per-part metric, collectors often use all three metrics together.

The second metric—Price Per Gram—is useful when collectors want to compare the piece count with the weight of the set. Afterall, a set with 1000 small pieces is not quite the same as a set with 500 large pieces, and different types of builders are looking for different types of parts.

The third metric—Price Per Minute—is an interesting one for modular building fans and MOC builders. It is a pricing metric that represents how much time a collector or hobbyist will spend on a set they purchase. This price is higher for complex builds that are more time-consuming, regardless of how many pieces are involved or how much the set weighs. The biggest issue with this metric is that build time is quite subjective.

Shown below is the inside of 18+ LEGO Icons 10350 Tudor Corner Modular Building. This set is currently available for purchase at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia). It was released back in January 2025.

Want to win a copy of this set for free? Be sure to enter our LEGO MicroBuild Tournament Building Contest. This free building contest closes on April 1, 2025 so don’t delay.

Who uses these metrics?

Advanced collectors: Advanced collectors usually take all three metrics into consideration. They look for value in how the metrics complement one another and will accept a low score in one area if there is more value in another.
MOC Builders: MOC builders who build their own custom designs, whether they be based on LEGO’s Modular Buildings or any other set types, generally prefer to think about value in terms of PPP and PPG. That’s because they want more variety and plenty of pieces to work with.
Investors/Resellers: Investors and resellers often prefer PPG since they commonly sell bulk LEGOs or sets by weight.
General Fans: General fans usually don’t consider these metrics. They just focus on playability, themes, and the interesting designs that LEGO designers come up with.
Modular Building Fans: For modular building fans, all three metrics are important. These sets come with huge piece counts and many specialized pieces, and they take a long time to put together. Value for these kinds of sets generally goes beyond these metrics, as there is a pretty clear supply and demand factor at play.

Retired sets significantly impact the market dynamics of collector sets, so when sets are retired, modular building fans and collectors decide how much value should be placed on them based on how fun they are, how many are available, and many other factors.

Shopping for LEGO can be stressful at times with so many different sales and products. If you want LEGO Shopping Tips, we have the LEGO Sales Shopping Tips & Buying LEGO at LEGO Store Resource Article guide as well.

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*We also have a LEGO Sales & Deals forum (forum account registration is free) where members can post LEGO sales find there.

Impact of Retired Sets on Market Demand

The limited availability of retired sets is one of the biggest things that drives up the price for modular buildings. When sets like Corner Garage and Bookshop were retired, their value climbed pretty quickly, and now they are much more valuable than they were while in production.

LEGO uses a fairly predictable retirement schedule to control the market demand and supply metrics, and collectors keep a very close watch on every one of LEGO’s decisions.

When sets are retired, collectors are quick to pick them up before the price climbs too drastically. That said, premium prices do not usually stop serious collectors from buying what they need to expand their city blocks and other thematic projects.

We should point out that LEGO doesn’t use a chronological system for retiring modular building sets. Some are retired after just a couple of years, and others stay on the official marketplaces for much longer. Much of the decision comes down to the community engagement and the success of the sets themselves.

It is possible to get clues about which sets are likely to be retired by reading into community discussions. Those same discussions can also give clues about what sets are likely to come up next.

Shown below is LEGO Creator Expert 10270 Bookshop Modular Building. This set has been discontinued and retired at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia). Though, you can buy it at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Community Speculation and Anticipation

Since we already know that the next is most likely due for release next January, we can start to get clues about what the community wants right now. By checking popular LEGO forums like Toysnbricksforum.com where fans discuss trends and make predictions, there are a lot of interesting things we can learn.

For example, there is a lot of talk amongst community members that more educational structures would be nice to have. Whether that takes the form of a school, a library, or a university, remains to be seen, but all of the ideas would be welcome as there are haven’t been enough education-related releases.

Shown below is the Toysnbricksforum.com LEGO Forums. Registration for an account is free and fast. Members gain exclusive access to the LEGO Sales & Deals Forum as well as the ability to participate in free LEGO Contests and Giveaways.

More historical buildings are also a hot topic. Gothic cathedrals, retro-futuristic designs, and additional Victorian-era buildings are discussed at length. More variety in residential structures, like townhomes, suburban-style houses, and apartment complexes, is also a common theme amongst fans.

One thing is for sure, LEGO does pay attention to its fan base and these discussion play an important role in helping them decide which directions to go in.

What types of modular building sets would you like to see? We know what we want – here are a few items from our wishlist.

Advanced Color Palettes: Adding in a broader range of colors would provide more opportunity to bring our builds to life or tailor them to a specific theme.
Mansard Roofs: Sets with more detailed roof structures like Mansard Roofs would add to the complexity and variety of our builds.
More Curved Elements: Curved elements like balconies or curved window frames would force a non-linear building style, providing opportunities to bring more of a life-life presense to our modular buildings.
More Interesting Use of Angles: combining any of the community-driven ideas with a more angular approach would give builders an opportunity to explore architecture that doesn’t depend on right angles for every wall or facade.
More Iconic Structures: Along with adding new design elements into the modular building lineup, it would also be nice if there were more examples of some of the world’s most iconic buildings. Like the Avengers Tower, but official sets based on real places like Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, or the Taj Mahal would be very nice to have.

Look to building your own LEGO Modular Building MOC Creation? Be sure to check out our resource article Release Your Creativity with Lego Modular Building Sets and MOCs.

Final Thoughts

LEGO releases a new modular building every year. Newly released sets stay on the market for a few years or longer, before eventually getting retired. Once the sets are retired, they become highly sought after by investors and collectors, and some of the rarest sets sell for prices that are considerably higher than the original price.

To learn more about what the next set will be, you can listen to community buzz or keep an eye out for official announcements. LEGO tends to announce the next set in November or December.

Shown below is LEGO Creator Expert 10260 Downtown Diner Modular Building. This set has been discontinued and retired at LEGO Shop at Home (USA | Canada | UK | Australia). Though, you can buy it at second marketplaces like Amazon.com USA, Amazon.ca Canada and Amazon.co.uk UK.

This article was written by Benjamin W. – Guest Contributor Writer. Reviewed and edited by Toys N Bricks.

That’s a wrap for our “How Often Does Lego Release New Modular Buildings?” Resource Article. Modular Buildings frequency of releases were discussed in this article. What are your thoughts? Join in the discussion in our forums.

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