Series guide
All Skylanders games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
Skylanders started the toys-to-life idea in 2011 and ended it in 2016: six console games in six years, each with a new kind of figure. Below are all six games in order, with the platforms linked — the Wii and Wii U copies are the ones we stock and test — and the buying notes that matter more here than anywhere else, because a Skylanders disc without the right portal and figure does not even start.
The short answer
Spyro’s Adventure (2011) → Giants (2012) → Swap Force (2013) → Trap Team (2014) → SuperChargers (2015) → Imaginators (2016). Figures work in their own game and every later one; start with Swap Force or Trap Team.
Tested Skylanders games in stock
Wii, Wii U and 3DS copies — every disc play-tested on real hardware, and each listing says whether a portal and figures are included.
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Swap Force
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Giants
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders SuperChargers Racing
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Swap Force
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Giants
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Trap Team
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Imaginators
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders SuperChargers
Personally tested · Good condition
Skylanders Trap Team
Personally tested · Good condition
Every Skylanders game in order
- Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure · 2011 · Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS — the toys-to-life original: 32 figures, the Portal of Power, and Spyro as the face of it — the 3DS version is a separate game with its own levels
- Skylanders: Giants · 2012 · Wii, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS — adds the eight oversized Giants and the light-up figures; a Wii U launch title, and every Spyro’s Adventure figure carries over
- Skylanders: Swap Force · 2013 · Wii, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS — the swappable figures — top and bottom halves that mix into new characters — and the first game to need a new portal
- Skylanders: Trap Team · 2014 · Wii, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS — the Traptanium portal with its crystal trap slot: catch a villain, then play as it — the traps only exist here
- Skylanders: SuperChargers · 2015 · Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One — vehicles on land, sea and sky; the Wii and 3DS got SuperChargers Racing instead, a racing-only game with the same figures
- Skylanders: Imaginators · 2016 · Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, Switch (2017) — build your own Skylander from a Creation Crystal; the Switch version reads figures without a portal — and it is the last game in the series
Do you have to play them in order?
Not for the story — each game is a self-contained adventure through Skylands with Kaos as the villain. The order matters for the toys instead. Every game introduced a figure type that only works from that game onwards: Giants in Giants, the two-part Swap Force figures in Swap Force, traps in Trap Team, vehicles in SuperChargers and Creation Crystals in Imaginators. Playing forward from the oldest game means nothing you buy becomes useless; playing backwards means half your figures stay on the shelf.
Which Skylanders should you buy now?
- The best all-rounder: Trap Team — the biggest campaign of the series, and it accepts every figure from the first four games.
- For the original feel: Giants — Spyro’s Adventure with more levels, more figures and the Wii U version to play it on.
- For the toys: Swap Force — the swappable halves are the most inventive figures Skylanders ever made, and cheap second-hand.
- For a Switch: Imaginators — the only Skylanders on the console, no portal needed.
- For a handheld: the 3DS games — separate adventures that come with their own small portal; check the listing says it is included.
Buying Skylanders second-hand
A disc on its own does nothing — you need a portal and a figure
Every console Skylanders game needs the Portal of Power plugged in and at least one figure on it, even to reach the first level. A used copy sold as “game only” is fine if you already own a portal; if not, look for a starter pack or buy the portal separately. Our listings say whether a portal and figures are included.
Figures go forward, never back
A figure from Spyro’s Adventure works in every later game, up to Imaginators. The reverse is not true: a Giants figure does not load in Spyro’s Adventure, Swap Force halves need Swap Force or later, traps only work in Trap Team, vehicles in SuperChargers, Creation Crystals in Imaginators. Figures are not tied to a console — a Wii figure works on a PS4 portal.
Portals changed twice
The original portal covers Spyro’s Adventure and Giants only. Swap Force introduced a new portal, and Trap Team another with the trap slot; SuperChargers and Imaginators accept any portal from Swap Force onwards. Trap Team needs the trap-slot portal to use its traps. On Wii the portal is wired; on the other consoles it is wireless with its own receiver.
The Wii and 3DS versions are their own games
From Swap Force on, the Wii got a separate, simpler build of each game, and the 3DS games were always different games with their own levels — good handheld games, but not the console campaign. SuperChargers on Wii and 3DS is SuperChargers Racing, which has no adventure mode at all. Check the platform before you buy for the story.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, disc and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Nintendo gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Skylanders games are there?
Six console games: Spyro’s Adventure (2011), Giants (2012), Swap Force (2013), Trap Team (2014), SuperChargers (2015) and Imaginators (2016), plus SuperChargers Racing on Wii and 3DS and a handful of mobile spin-offs. No new game has been released since Imaginators.
Do I need to play the Skylanders games in order?
No. Each game has its own story and stands alone. Playing in order does matter for the toys: figures only work in the game they came with and everything after it, so starting with the oldest game means your collection keeps growing in value as you move forward.
Which Skylanders game is the best one to start with?
Swap Force or Trap Team. Both accept every figure from the first two games as well as their own, the levels are bigger than in the first two, and a starter pack with the portal is easy to find second-hand. Giants is the pick if you want the original Spyro’s Adventure feel with more content.
Do Skylanders figures work on any console?
Yes. The figures store their data in the toy itself and are not locked to a platform — the same figure works on Wii, Wii U, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Only the portal is console-specific.
Is there a Skylanders game on Nintendo Switch?
One: Skylanders Imaginators (2017 on Switch). It reads figures through the console’s NFC reader instead of a portal, and stores them in a digital library so you do not need the toy on the reader while you play.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates were sometimes a few weeks later. Onze Wii-collectie in het Nederlands.