You're sitting there, ready to relive the glory of Emmet’s journey, but the screen looks like a blurry mess of pixels from 2004. It’s frustrating. Most people assume that when they fire up The LEGO Movie Videogame, it'll just magically detect their 4K monitor or high-refresh-rate display. It doesn't. In fact, this game—developed by TT Fusion and released back in 2014—is notoriously finicky about how it handles modern display settings.
Changing the resolution isn't always as simple as hitting "Apply." Sometimes the menu resets itself. Other times, the option you want isn't even listed. If you're trying to figure out how to change resolution LEGO Movie game style, you've probably realized the in-game settings menu can be a bit of a liar.
Why the In-Game Menu Fails You
Let’s be real. The engine used for these LEGO games is a bit of a dinosaur. It was built to bridge the gap between the Xbox 360 era and the PlayStation 4 era. Because of that legacy code, the game often struggles with "Handshake" issues between your GPU and your monitor. If you go into the Video Settings from the main menu, you might see a resolution list that stops at 1080p even if you have a 1440p screen. Or, worse, you select your resolution, hit accept, and the game just ignores you.
It’s annoying.
The problem usually stems from the game's refresh rate detection. If the game thinks your monitor only supports 59Hz but you're trying to force a 60Hz resolution, it might just default back to 800x600. It’s a safety fallback that feels like a slap in the face when you're just trying to see the plastic textures of the LEGO bricks in crisp detail.
The PC Method: PCConfig.txt is Your Best Friend
When the menus fail, you have to go under the hood. Every LEGO game by TT Games uses a specific configuration file. This is the "God Mode" of settings. You aren't going to find this in the Steam folder where the game is installed, though. That’s a common mistake.
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Instead, you need to head to your AppData folder.
- Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
- Type
%appdata%and hit Enter. - Look for a folder named Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
- Inside that, find The LEGO Movie - Videogame.
- You’ll see a file called
pcconfig.txt.
Open that file with Notepad. It looks intimidating, but it’s actually very straightforward. You are looking for two specific lines: ScreenWidth and ScreenHeight. If you want 1080p, you change them to 1920 and 1080 respectively. If you’re pushing 4K, go for 3840 and 2160.
Don't Forget the Refresh Rate
There is a third line that people always overlook: ScreenRefreshRate. If this is set to something your monitor doesn't like—say, 144 if you're on a 60Hz office monitor—the game will crash on launch. Match this number to your monitor’s actual specs.
Once you save the file, right-click it, go to Properties, and check Read-only. This prevents the game from "resetting" your hard work the next time you boot it up. It’s a bit of a brute-force tactic, but it’s basically the only way to ensure your settings stick.
Steam Deck and Handheld Struggles
The Steam Deck has made playing these older titles a joy, but the resolution scaling is weird. Because the Deck uses a 1280x800 screen (a 16:10 aspect ratio), and the LEGO Movie game was built primarily for 16:9 televisions, you might see black bars.
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If you're on a Deck or an ASUS ROG Ally, you should actually use the Steam "Properties" menu before you even launch the game. Under the General tab, look for Game Resolution. Set it to "Native." This forces the container to recognize the handheld's screen properly.
Honestly, playing this game at anything higher than the native handheld resolution is just a battery drain anyway. The art style is stylized enough that 720p looks great on a small screen.
What if the Screen is Cut Off?
High DPI scaling is the silent killer of older Windows games. If you’ve followed the steps on how to change resolution LEGO Movie game and the game looks "zoomed in," Windows is trying to be "helpful."
Windows 10 and 11 often scale text and apps to 125% or 150%. The LEGO Movie Videogame sees this and freaks out. It thinks your 1080p screen is actually much smaller.
To fix this:
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- Go to the game’s installation folder (usually
SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\The LEGO Movie Videogame). - Right-click
LEGOMovie.exe. - Hit Properties, then the Compatibility tab.
- Click Change high DPI settings.
- Check the box that says Override high DPI scaling behavior.
- Select Application in the dropdown.
This forces the game to render at the actual pixel count you specified in that pcconfig.txt file we talked about earlier. It’s a night-and-day difference.
Console Players: You’re Mostly Stuck (But There’s a Catch)
If you're on Xbox or PlayStation, you don't have a config file. You're at the mercy of the console's system settings. However, if you’re playing the PS4 version on a PS5, or the Xbox 360 version via backward compatibility on a Series X, the console might be upscaling the image.
On Xbox Series X, make sure "Auto HDR" is on. It doesn't change the resolution, but it makes the "Master Builder" effects pop in a way the original developers never intended. For resolution issues on consoles, your best bet is actually checking your TV's "Aspect Ratio" or "Just Scan" settings. Sometimes the TV overscans the image, cutting off the HUD elements. Switching your TV to "PC Mode" or "Game Mode" usually fixes the framing issues instantly.
Dealing with Ultrawide Monitors
Let’s talk about the 21:9 crowd. If you have an ultrawide monitor, I have bad news. The LEGO Movie Videogame does not natively support ultrawide resolutions. If you try to force 3440x1440p in the config file, the UI will likely stretch, and Emmet will look like he’s been flattened by a steamroller.
The community has created "Hex Edits" for this, but they are finicky and can break the pre-rendered cutscenes (which are all 16:9 video files anyway). If you’re on an ultrawide, your best bet is to play in 1920x1080 with black bars on the sides. It's not ideal, but it preserves the intended look of the game without breaking the animations.
Actionable Steps for a Perfect Setup
To get the best visual experience right now, follow this sequence:
- Delete the old config: If your game won't start, delete
pcconfig.txtin your AppData folder and let the game regenerate a fresh one. - Manual Override: Use Notepad to set your
ScreenWidth,ScreenHeight, andScreenRefreshRateto match your monitor exactly. - Lock the file: Set the file to "Read-only" so the game doesn't revert to 800x600.
- DPI Fix: Disable Windows Display Scaling on the
.exefile to prevent the "zoomed-in" glitch. - V-Sync Check: If you see screen tearing after changing the resolution, make sure
VerticalSyncis set to1in the config file.
Doing these things ensures that you aren't fighting the software every time you want to play. You get to spend less time in Notepad and more time smashing virtual bricks.