In the world of toys – action figures, robots, building kits, cars, and countless others included – there is no other show bigger than New York Toy Fair. We’re in the midst of the show right now, and the TechRadar Team hit the Toy Fair 2025 floor in New York City to find the best of the best.
Toy Fair always brings new debuts, sometimes entirely new categories, and re-releases with new themes from big and small brands. With a new Jurassic World film set to arrive in July, we saw countless dinosaur toys alongside favorite characters and ships from the Star Wars and Marvel universes.
We spotted reimagined board games, including an entirely new version of Connect-4, smarter action figures and dolls with integrated motion sensors, LEDs, and speakers, and exciting new collectibles that could let you get closer to your favorite films, TV shows, and comics.
After visiting countless booths, the TechRadar team narrowed down our favorites into our seven ‘Best-Of’ picks outlined below. And the best part is that all of these toys are either out now or arriving later in 2025, meaning you can also be a part of the fun.
Best of Toy Fair
Spin Master’s Primal Hatch
There’s a moment in the original Jurassic Park movie when they visit the island hatchery and watch a raptor emerging from an egg. It was so well done in the classic film that I challenge anyone to say that that adult dino is not running around somewhere in Hawaii.
I never expected to experience that again, but then I hadn’t witnessed the Jurassic Park-themed Primal Hatch. This $59.99 / £64.99 (Australia to be confirmed) robotic from Spin Master arrives in a sealed, 1-foot wide egg, and its August release is timed to the new Jurassic World: Rebirth movie.
The hatching is a one-time thing, because the robot dinosaur really breaks out of it. It even has that hatchling egg goo you might have to pull off the dinosaur’s toothy face. The entire experience, which includes sights and sounds, is kind of incredible. You can remove the dino from the egg – when it’s done hatching – and it comes with a training clicker and some plastic food.
This is not only our pick for Best of Show but also our favorite robotic toy at Toy Fair.
@techradar
♬ Rock and Roll Session – Canal Records JP
Most innovative toy
Crayola Colourwhirls
Crayola’s latest product is pretty brilliant. The Colourwhirls combines the classic action of a ‘Beyblade’ with one of the brand’s iconic markers to create fantastically fun spiral designs. You can even get an ‘arena’ with four markers, three spinners, and two ramps to help level up the design you might end up with.
Yes, it’s simple, but building a system around one of Caryola’s most iconic products is pretty innovative and puts a spin (pun intended) on drawing. You also don’t need to worry about batteries here. You lock the marker into the spinner, attach the handle, and push the rip cord through. Then, make sure the cap is off, place the marker an inch above the paper or in the arena, pull the cord, and watch what design you might get.
The force you use and the angle at which you hold the Colourwhirl all factor into how long it spins and, ultimately, the design you get. Crayola Colourwhirls will have a wide launch closer to the 2025 holiday season at a suggested retail price of $24.99 / £24.99 (AUS$40 expected) for the arena or $4.99/£4.99 (AUS$7.99 expected) for an individual spinner.
If you’re in the United States, you can get three Colourwhirls at Amazon for $11.99 (originally $14.99), which is a pretty unbeatable deal.
Best construction toy
Lego Ideas River Steamboat
While Lego’s latest boat won’t float, it checks off all the other possible boxes we’d want in a big set from the brand. The Lego Ideas River Steamboat premiered at the New York Toy Fair and instantly caught our attention for its sheer size and brick count. At its tallest point, it’s 15 inches high and 27 inches long, and it contains 4,090 pieces. This great-looking and detailed set is filled with details.
It’s not named after one steamboat, but that kind of ups its allure, as it can evoke memories for the potential builder of any vessel. It features intricate details, including a large, red paddle in the rear that will power the steam engines. There are also plenty of internal details, including various quarters for staff and guests and a main deck with entertainment stages.
Overall, the latest Lego Ideas set is fit for display from any side, and thanks to all the details packed inside, you’ll want to examine it closely. It’s our pick for ‘Best Construction Toy’ at Toy Fair, and maybe best of all, it arrives on April 10, 2025, for $329.99 / £289.99 / AUS$499.99 at Lego’s online store.
@techradar
♬ Rock and Roll Session – Canal Records JP
Best STEM toy
Snap Circuits Soccer Circuit 2
Snap Circuits may have solved the “How do you make STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) fun?” problem by combining a lesson in electricity and electronics with the goal of gameplay. In fact, the word “Goal!” figures rather significantly in the company’s new $99.99 Soccer Shot kit.
What starts as an electronics lesson eventually becomes a complete two-player soccer game. On one side is a motorized pair of wheels that, when you drop the tiny soccer ball between them, shoots it at the goal. The other player gets to shift a goalie back and forth to try to block the shot.
Underneath the flexible game board is all the Snap Circuit work you did to build the whole thing. Snap Circuit’s system is so named because you snap rigid pieces onto a circuit board to make your connections.
What kid wouldn’t want to spend time learning and building when they know the end results will be a real soccer game? It’s a smart piece of work from Smart Circuits and earns its spot on our list as the Best STEM Toy. When it launches, Soccer Shot will be available in the US at launch and Snap Circuits is considering the UK and Australia.
@techradar
♬ lucid echoes – choppy.wav
Best board game
Brio Original Labyrinth Pac-Man
My first thought upon seeing a classic Labyrinth game with a Pac-Man screen printed on it from Ravensburger’s Brio was, “What took you so long?”
Labyrinth is a decades-old board game of sorts, but the board moves. You control it with two knobs and work them together to tip the board this way and that, all the while weaving a metal ball around the board while avoiding the holes (the ball falls through, and you start over again).
In this version, little has changed, but it is a Pac-Man board you’re playing on, and the holes can be thought of as the ghosts that you try to avoid on the original video game.
It doesn’t make sense, and yet it makes perfect sense, and the $54.99 Brio Original Labyrinth Pac-Man is the best classic game glow-up we’ve seen in ages. While we’re working to confirm Australia pricing, the Original Labyrinth Pac-Man is unavailable in the UK at this time.
@techradar
♬ Relaxed (Sped Up) – MC Mablo Dos Paredões
Best robotic toy
Spin Master’s Primal Hatch
Alongside winning our ‘Best of Show’ pick, Spin Master’s Primal Hatch is also our Best robotic toy pick. As we wrote above, this T-Rex will actually hatch out of its egg, and it’s really an eye-catching fun experience.
As you tap on the outside of the shell, at various points, the dinosaur inside will begin cracking the shell by moving its body, and once fully out, you’ll be able to train your very own T-Rex. It’s ultimately the next generation of Spin Master’s Hatchimals products and really a perfect toy for a fan of Jurassic Park or Jurassic World.
The T-Rex you’re left with after eventful hatching features over 200 sounds and comes with a toy plastic steak and a remote that you’ll use to train the beast. You can either up the ferociousness or make it a more friendly creature.
Spin Master’s Primal Hatch will land in August and be ready for hatching for $59.99 and £64.99 (Australia TBC).
Best licensed toy
GraviTrax Star Wars Death Star Action Set
The Battle of Yavin is one of the most iconic in the entire Star Wars series. While this product’s name highlights the Death Star, this unique marble set features all of the major elements. Tie Fighters, X-Wings, and the iconic Death Star let you spin and then watch the red or blue marbles roll through the iconic battle.
True to GraviTrax form, the Star Wars Death Star Action Set lets you recreate the run however you like. The bottom plate takes the shape of the Death Star – a circle – and places various elements on top, including the Millennium Falcon and a large-scale Star Destroyer vessel.
In a demo on the show floor, the marbles gained some good speed, and whether you’re a fan of marble runs or Star Wars, you’ll wind up loving this product … at least, we think so. Plus, it comes in a designed-to-be-displayed box with some embossed logos.
The GraviTrax Star Wars Death Star Action Set is out for $79.99 in the United States and £99.99 in the United Kingdom. We’re working to confirm Australia pricing for this set.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
