Looking for the best new toys of 2018? We’ve got you covered here at Heavy.com.
Every year, just before the holiday season, we take a deep dive into all of the toys that were announced and launched in the current year, ciphering through the fluffy PR talk, reviews, and factoring in our own hands-on impressions to compile a list of the year’s best new toys.
In 2018, we’ve seen a lot of great new toys of all different types hit the market. We’ve got new ride-ons, new Nerf guns, new plushies, new dinosaur toys, new board games, and so much more that has released already in 2018.
Now, it’s time to discover the best toys 2018 has to offer for the upcoming holiday shopping season:
1. Nerf Rival Prometheus MXVIII-20K – $199.99
Feels like something out of a video game.
Nerf has a lot of great new toy guns this year, and a couple of them are really different than anything they’ve released before. One of my favorite new toys this year is the Nerf Rival Prometheus MXVIII-20K, which despite sounding like a mouthful, is incredibly awesome.
Instead of the typical handle on the bottom of the gun, it has two top handles to grip, giving it a unique method of firing. Also, it fires up to 8 rounds per second — yes, you read that correctly. This toy fires 8 rounds per second, and it has a tank filled with 200 high-impact rounds, spitting a velocity of 100 ft/second.
It also makes a cool whirrrrrrrrrring sound when you start to fire it — like something cool is happening (and something cool totally is happening).
Think those L.O.L. Surprise toys, but with robots and slime.
Ready2Robot toys are far from the typical collectible toys. They’re actually little mini robots that your kids will click together, and they each come with their own slime that has to be made. Cool, right?
Each figure has its own sort of aura and personality.
There are 18 different styles per wave, and each pod has a 1 in 1000 chance to contain the rare Chase figure.
In my opinion, Ready 2 Robot toys are much more formidable and layered than just the L.O.L. Surprise toys. And, I’ll also note that they include a display stand that can be connected to other display stands.
Zuru, the company behind Bunch o Balloons and the X-Shot brand, has a brand new toy in 2018 that’s going to be huge: Rainbocorns Sequin Surprise. Rainbocorns are these cute plush toys made with sequin tummy heart patches that reveal a new surprise, giving each Rainbocorn they’re own unique special powers.
There are many different varieties available: bunnycorns, hamstercorns, kittycorns, monkeycorns, puppycorns, and the unicorn you see in the image above. There are 12 in-all to collect as of right now, and we’ll undoubtedly see another wave next year.
Dinosaur toys are a staple in the toys industry, and they’re a great go-to for the holiday shopping season. One of this year’s big new dinosaur toys is the Jurassic World Thrash n’ Throw T-Rex.
This baby not only looks great with a high level of detail, but it’s also near 2-feet long! It has chomping and stomping action, so your kids will absolutely love it.
Regardless of whatever you think of the latest Jurassic World movie that released earlier this year, chances are that your kids loved it, which is one of the reasons we think this is going to be one of the hottest toys of 2018.
Scruff A Luvs are the latest toy by Little Live Pets, and it’s safe to say that they’re the toy brand’s cutest yet!
These little unloved, scruffy-looking pets are in need of some serious TLC. The idea is that your kids will buy them and clean them up by washing and grooming them, taking them from drab to fab.
Each Scruff a Luv comes with accessories to help your kids make their new pet feel gorgeous.
There are surprisingly only three different Scruff a Luvs currently available (two blue and the other is pink), but there will definitely be more on the way.
It’s also worth noting that Little Loves will donate a certain portion of every sale of Scruff-a-Luvs to the ASPCA, helping to prevent cruelty to animals here in the United States.
Playmobil has a lot of great new toys every year. In 2018, they’ve introduced the Playmobil Aquarium, a super cool 112 piece set that actually comes with a reservoir for water — which is something unique that they haven’t done before (and to my knowledge, neither has LEGO).
Kids love the aquarium, so an aquarium playset like this makes total sense, right?!
It even has a clock with movable hands so that your child can set the time for the next feeding or aquatic show.
Rollplay quickly made a name for itself in the riding toys sector with their many different cool-looking ride on toys for kids, and this year, they’ve introduced two new GMC Sierra Denali truck ride-ons that look like miniature versions of the real trucks!
They even have working LED headlights and horn/engine sounds. What’s more, there’s an MP3 connector with speakers so that they can cruise to their favorite tunes.
It has a max 5mph (which can be limited to 2.5mph).
No, it’s not your traditional ‘toy’, but this new giant kickball is a must if you want your kids to be active outdoors. It’s 3x the size of the normal red kickball you grew up with, and it comes with four rubber bases to play a game with.
It also comes with a hand pump to make it easier to blow up, so they can be ready to play a game of kickball with this giant ball in no-time! It’s great for all ages.
Barbie has had so many different careers over her lifespan, but her newest career for 2018 is quite possibly our favorite. Meet Barbie Beekeeper, which comes with its very own beehive (not real, of course). She’s available as a brunette or as a blonde.
10. LEGO Star Wars Kessel Run Millennium Falcon – $169.95
Although Solo: A Star Wars Story might not be the best Star Wars movie of all-time, it did spawn some awesome new toys this year.
The new LEGO Kessel Run Millennium Falcon set will most definitely take them awhile to put together, as it comes with over 1,400 pieces (1,414 to be exact). It was expertly created by the fine designers over at LEGO, which is obviously a staple in the toys industry and frequently mentioned here at Heavy.
It also comes with seven minifigs, including Chewbacca, Lando, a Kessel Operations Droid, and more.
It should be no secret that we love LEGO Star Wars stuff, and we’re likely going to be adding this one to our mega list of the best LEGO Star Wars kits here pretty soon, too.
Mega Construx is a Lego-like product, and they have some Pokemon licensing that they’ve been playing with for the past two years. Now, they have a JUMBO Pikachu that looks great and is fun to put together.
The finished product measures just over a foot tall, and it’s fully poseable, thanks to its articulated legs, arms, tail, and ears.
By far, the best new board game for 12-16 year olds is Gloomhaven, which released way back in January. It’s great for 1-4 players (that’s right; you can play it solo), and it’s a co-op experience they’ll want to play over and over again.
Sure, it’s a steep price for a board game, but this is much more formidable than your average board game. It certainly has some legs!
It has a 1-2 hour playtime each campaign, and there are so many different tactics involved that every playthrough adds new value. Check out the official site to learn more about how to play.
Magic the Gathering is a collectible card game that’s back in a BIG way in 2018, thanks to their newly debuted 2019 Core Set.
Magic is an absolutely fantastic way to bond with your children in their teens, especially if it’s something you’re actually into. A lot of thought and discussion goes into building decks, and it’s a great way to get conversation flowing between parent and child.
14. LEGO Jurassic World Indorapter Rampage at Lockwood Estate
While your kids may or may not have been too young to watch Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, one thing is for certain: LEGO has some awesome Jurassic World sets available.
The Indorapter Rampage LEGO set is the best new LEGO set of 2018, and it’s getting great reviews on Amazon. It comes with over 1,000 pieces, and it provides your kids everything they need to build the Lockwood Estates from the film.
Nerf has two of the best new toys of 2018 on our list, and the second is the Nerf Modulus Ghost Ops Evader Blaster. So, what makes this new Nerf gun worthy of being on our list?
Simple. Illumination!
To my knowledge, Nerf surprisingly hasn’t had any toy guns that light-up, and that’s part of the reason we love their newest, the Modulus Ghost Ops Evader Blaster.
Our favorite new toddler toy is the Fisher-Price Think & Learn Rocktopus – a super cool interactive toy that lets your kids toy with making music. It comes with 15 different instruments that you can swap in and out of the Rocktopus, with five different music style options and 3 different ways to play (Math, Music, or Game modes).
Each mode offers something slightly different, giving the instruments different functionalities. The Rocktopus lights up and makes noises, so be prepared for a highly stimulating sensory experience for your child.
Recommended Ages: 3-6 years old
Price: $55.64 (10 percent off MSRP)
17. Power Wheels Jurassic World Dino Racer – $249.99
Power Wheels’ latest uses the popularity of Jurassic World to give themselves an excuse to make this incredible raptor ride-on toy: the Jurassic World Dino Racer.
A dinosaur you can ride-on? Where was THIS when I was a kid?!
As of right now, prices have already begun to creep up on Amazon (which is a sign of low-stock), so the best place to buy one right now is at Target, at its current price of $249.99.
Recommended Ages: 3-7 years
Price: $249.99
Buy the Power Wheels Jurassic World Dino Racer here.
This cool new toy from CoolMaker is called the KumiKreator, and it takes the complication out of braiding friendship bracelets for your friends. It allows your kids to make their own bracelets by simply turning a wheel, instead of having to braid them by hand. They simple pick the spools of thread they wish to make a bracelet with, put it into the KumiKreator, and then start rotating the wheel. Super easy, and it allows them to make bracelets in mere minutes.
Kids really just want to crash cars. All day, every day. With the brand new Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Set, they’re able to do that rather easily.
The track is set up in a cool corkscrew design, complete with loop-de-loops that add to the fun. They’ll spend hours and hours just creating cool crashes with their favorite Hot Wheels cars.
One thing I really respect about the Kano brand is that they’re not pushing out 30 different products and skus a year just to have many different toys on the shelf. Instead, they take their time developing and refining their ideas until they have something that will excite.
And the brand new Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit is definitely exciting, especially if you’re a lover of the Harry Potter franchise.
Kids LOVE magic (which is why Harry Potter is so popular to begin with), and with this coding kit, they’re able to code their own magic wand that they’ll use with an app to create their own spells.
It not only helps teach the basics of coding, but it’s also incredibly fun, so they’ll be learning without actually realizing it.
When I first opened the box that contained my Power Action Pikachu, I thought, “Ok, cute.” But then I squeezed its hand and it made some classic Pikachu sounds. Cool.
But to take it a step even further, which takes the cool factor up a notch, if you shake this little guy, his tail will illuminate with moving lights, as if Pikachu is using his Static ability!
It’s the best Pikachu toy we’ve ever seen. Period.
Heavy, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Our product recommendations are guided solely by our editors. We have no relationship with manufacturers.
Playmobil has a lot of great new toys every year. In 2018, they’ve introduced the Playmobil Aquarium, a super cool 112 piece set that actually comes with a reservoir for water — which is something unique that they haven’t done before (and to my knowledge, neither has LEGO).
Kids love the aquarium, so an aquarium playset like this makes total sense, right?!
It even has a clock with movable hands so that your child can set the time for the next feeding or aquatic show.
Rollplay quickly made a name for itself in the riding toys sector with their many different cool-looking ride on toys for kids, and this year, they’ve introduced two new GMC Sierra Denali truck ride-ons that look like miniature versions of the real trucks!
They even have working LED headlights and horn/engine sounds. What’s more, there’s an MP3 connector with speakers so that they can cruise to their favorite tunes.
It has a max 5mph (which can be limited to 2.5mph).
No, it’s not your traditional ‘toy’, but this new giant kickball is a must if you want your kids to be active outdoors. It’s 3x the size of the normal red kickball you grew up with, and it comes with four rubber bases to play a game with.
It also comes with a hand pump to make it easier to blow up, so they can be ready to play a game of kickball with this giant ball in no-time! It’s great for all ages.
Although Solo: A Star Wars Story might not be the best Star Wars movie of all-time, it did spawn some awesome new toys this year.
The new LEGO Kessel Run Millennium Falcon set will most definitely take them a while to put together, as it comes with over 1,400 pieces (1,414 to be exact). It was expertly created by the fine designers over at LEGO, which is obviously a staple in the toys industry and frequently mentioned here at Heavy.
It also comes with seven minifigs, including Chewbacca, Lando, a Kessel Operations Droid, and more.
It should be no secret that we love LEGO Star Wars stuff, and we’re likely going to be adding this one to our mega list of the best LEGO Star Wars kits here pretty soon, too.
By far, the best new board game for 12-16 year olds is Gloomhaven, which released way back in January. It’s great for 1-4 players (that’s right; you can play it solo), and it’s a co-op experience they’ll want to play over and over again.
Sure, it’s a steep price for a board game, but this is much more formidable than your average board game. It certainly has some legs!
It has a 1-2 hour playtime each campaign, and there are so many different tactics involved that every playthrough adds new value. Check out the official site to learn more about how to play.
Magic the Gathering is a collectible card game that’s back in a BIG way in 2018, thanks to their newly debuted 2019 Core Set.
Magic is an absolutely fantastic way to bond with your children in their teens, especially if it’s something you’re actually into. A lot of thought and discussion goes into building decks, and it’s a great way to get conversation flowing between parent and child.
While your kids may or may not have been too young to watch Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, one thing is for certain: LEGO has some awesome Jurassic World sets available.
The Indorapter Rampage LEGO set is the best new LEGO set of 2018, and it’s getting great reviews on Amazon. It comes with over 1,000 pieces, and it provides your kids everything they need to build the Lockwood Estates from the film.
Nerf has two of the best new toys of 2018 on our list, and the second is the Nerf Modulus Ghost Ops Evader Blaster. So, what makes this new Nerf gun worthy of being on our list?
Simple. Illumination!
To my knowledge, Nerf surprisingly hasn’t had any toy guns that light-up, and that’s part of the reason we love their newest, the Modulus Ghost Ops Evader Blaster.
This cool new toy from CoolMaker is called the KumiKreator, and it takes the complication out of braiding friendship bracelets for your friends. It allows your kids to make their own bracelets by simply turning a wheel, instead of having to braid them by hand. They simple pick the spools of thread they wish to make a bracelet with, put it into the KumiKreator, and then start rotating the wheel. Super easy, and it allows them to make bracelets in mere minutes.
Kids really just want to crash cars. All day, every day. With the brand new Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Set, they’re able to do that rather easily.
The track is set up in a cool corkscrew design, complete with loop-de-loops that add to the fun. They’ll spend hours and hours just creating cool crashes with their favorite Hot Wheels cars.
