The game is based on the first two films in The Hobbit movie trilogy: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug . It allows players to play through different scenes from the films and follow Bilbo Baggins as he is recruited by Gandalf to aid Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves. Bilbo leaves the comforts of the Shire on a journey to help the Dwarves reclaim their lost Kingdom of Erebor within the Lonely Mountain. Many dangers and adventures await and unexpected discovery of a certain ring.
The game features an open-world setting where levels are started, similar to LEGO The Lord of the Rings . New features include an improved inventory system with a backpack, a new buddy mechanic, and resource collection in the form of loot. Players can collect different LEGO pieces while destroying environments, which can then be used in building mini-games to progress in the story and solve puzzles.