Pokémon Video Game statistics 2026: Sales, revenue & records

The Pokémon video game franchise has sold over 515 million units. Scarlet & Violet sold 28 million.

By Oliver GrantUpdated
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The Pokémon video game franchise is the second best-selling video game series of all time behind Super Mario. As of March 2026, the franchise has shipped over 515 million units worldwide — a figure confirmed by Nintendo’s official investor relations page. The series generates approximately $33.75 billion in video game gross revenue alone, and over $166 billion across all media including merchandise and trading cards. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold 28 million copies by December 2025, making them the second best-selling Pokémon games ever. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (October 2025) sold 12.3 million across Switch and Switch 2 by end of 2025. For broader market context, see our video game industry statistics. Here are the verified numbers.

Pokémon video game key statistics

  • 515 million+ units shipped — total video game as of March 2026.
  • 489 million — as of March 2025 — up 26 million in one year.
  • $33.75 billion — estimated video game gross revenue.
  • $166 billion — total franchise revenue across all media.
  • 28 million copies — Pokémon Scarlet and Violet by December 2025.
  • 12.3 million — Pokémon Legends: Z-A by December 31, 2025.
  • 119.52 million — Pokémon games sold on Nintendo Switch platform alone.

Franchise sales

Pokémon has sold over 515 million video game units as of March 2026

(Source: Nintendo IR sales data page, nintendo.co.jp/ir; VGChartz citing Nintendo IR, 2026)

  • Nintendo’s official investor relations page confirmed the Pokémon series shipped over 515 million units as of March 31, 2026.
  • Up from 489 million as of March 2025 — a single-year gain of 26 million units.
  • The 26 million added in FY2026 includes Pokémon Legends: Z-A (launched October 2025) and continued Scarlet/Violet sales.

Franchise sales milestones (all from Nintendo IR):

MilestoneAs of
489 millionMarch 2025
515 million+March 2026

Best-selling Pokémon games

Pokémon Red and Blue remain the best-selling mainline entries at 31.38 million

(Source: Nintendo IR sales data; VGSales Fandom)

GameYearPlatformSales
Pokémon Red / Blue / Green1996Game Boy31.38M
Pokémon Scarlet / Violet2022Switch28M (Dec 2025)
Pokémon Sword / Shield2019Switch26.72M
Pokémon Gold / Silver1999Game Boy Color23.73M
Pokémon Diamond / Pearl2006DS17.67M
Pokémon Sun / Moon20163DS16.27M
Pokémon X / Y20133DS16.05M
Pokémon Legends: Arceus2022Switch14.83M
Pokémon Legends: Z-A2025Switch + Switch 212.3M (Dec 2025)

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold 28 million copies — the second best-selling Pokémon games ever

(Source: Nintendo IR via Crunchyroll/Statista; Reddit citing Nintendo IR; Facebook/PokémonGlobalNews)

  • Scarlet and Violet launched November 18, 2022 — sold over 10 million in their first three days, Nintendo’s biggest launch of all time at that point.
  • By March 2025: 26.79 million — overtaking Sword and Shield’s 26.72M to become the second best-selling Pokémon games (Crunchyroll citing Nintendo IR).
  • By December 2025: 28 million+ (Nintendo IR via PokémonGlobalNews).
  • Scarlet and Violet sold 119.52 million total Pokémon units on Switch with other titles — the series’ largest single-platform contribution.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A sold 12.3 million across Switch and Switch 2

(Source: Nintendo IR via Facebook/PokémonGlobalNews; ResetEra citing Nintendo IR; VGSales Fandom)

  • Pokémon Legends: Z-A launched October 16, 2025 simultaneously on Switch and Switch 2 — the first Pokémon mainline game to launch on two platforms simultaneously.
  • By December 31, 2025: 12.3 million total — Switch: 8.41M, Switch 2: 3.89M (Nintendo IR via PokémonGlobalNews).
  • Nintendo IR page also shows: Switch version 8.85M, Switch 2 Edition 3.94M (March 31, 2026 data).

Pokémon franchise revenue

Pokémon video games have generated approximately $33.75 billion in lifetime revenue

(Source: VGSales Fandom aggregated sales and pricing data; The Pokémon Company)

  • Estimated video game gross revenue: $33.75 billion (VGSales Fandom).
  • Total franchise revenue across all media (video games, anime, trading cards, merchandise): estimated at $166 billion+ (VGSales Fandom).
  • Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time by total revenue across all media.
  • Video games represent approximately $33.75B of the $166B total — meaning trading cards, merchandise, and anime account for the large majority.

Pokémon on Nintendo Switch

Pokémon is the second best-selling franchise on Nintendo Switch at 119.52 million units

(Source: Nintendo IR sales data)

  • Pokémon: 119.52 million units on Switch — behind only Mario (277.91M) and ahead of Zelda (75.1M).
  • The Switch generation has been the franchise’s most commercially successful hardware platform.
  • Main series Switch titles:
    • Sword and Shield (2019): 26.72M
    • Scarlet and Violet (2022): 28M+
    • Legends: Arceus (2022): 14.83M
    • Legends: Z-A (2025): 12.3M (Switch version: 8.41–8.85M)

Pokémon historical milestones

  • February 1996 — Pokémon Red and Green launch in Japan (Game Boy).
  • 1998 — Western launch of Pokémon Red and Blue; franchise becomes global phenomenon.
  • 1999 copies — Pokémon Gold and Silver; 23.73M.
  • 2016 downloads — Pokémon GO launches; 500M+ (Pokémon Company official press release).
  • 2019 — Pokémon Sword and Shield; Nintendo’s biggest launch of that year.
  • November 2022 — Pokémon Scarlet and Violet; Nintendo’s biggest 3-day launch ever at 10M.
  • 2022 units — Franchise crosses 440 million game.
  • March 2025 — Franchise crosses 489 million game units (Nintendo IR).
  • October 2025 — Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches simultaneously on Switch and Switch 2.
  • December 2025 — Legends: Z-A at 12.3M; Scarlet/Violet at 28M.
  • March 2026 — Franchise crosses 515 million game units (Nintendo IR).

Sources