Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Pok茅mon gaming - Statistics & Facts
In its 29-year history, the Pok茅mon Company has sold close to 500 million units of the game鈥檚 series, with every new addition taking the video game industry by storm. After numerous video games and various spin-offs, Pok茅mon鈥檚 debut series Red/Green/Blue remains the franchise鈥檚 best-selling console game to date, with over 31 million units shipped worldwide.
The next game in the series, due to be released in late 2025, is Pok茅mon Legends: Z-A. It is a sequel to Pok茅mon X and Y (2013), and the second Legends game with real-time instead of turn-based combat. In 2024, together with Tokyo-based developer ILCA, the Pok茅mon Company launched a new joint venture, Pok茅mon Works. The first project of this joint venture is the upcoming game Pok茅mon Champions , a multi-platform title focused on turn-based strategy multiplayer gameplay.
The last animated film, Pok茅mon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, was released in December 2020. Breaking the annual Pok茅mon movie release cycle which had been going strong since 1998, there has been no animated Pok茅mon movie since 2020 , with no new film in sight. Pok茅mon Detective Pikachu, the first official live-action Pok茅mon film, was released in May 2019 and was met with commercial success, placing as the second highest-grossing video game film adaption off all time.
The Pok茅mon animated series is currently wrapping up its 27th season, which is called Pok茅mon Horizons 鈥 The Search for Laqua. The series includes the new Paldea region from the 2022 Pok茅mon Scarlet and Violet games. Since April 2023, the iconic duo Ash and Pikachu have been retired as main characters, and this season is the second to feature new protagonists Liko and Roy.
The Pok茅mon franchise has also used the mobile platform to dip into other gaming genres 鈥 Pok茅mon UNITE (MOBA), Pok茅mon Masters EX (free-to-play gacha RPG), Pok茅mon Quest (adventure) and Pok茅mon Caf茅 ReMix (puzzle) are some of the more successful examples.
However, these apps are eclipsed by Pok茅mon TCG Pocket, a free-to-play mobile app version of the original Pok茅mon Trading Card Game (TCG). Upon its October 2024 release, Pok茅mon TCG Pocket was an immediate hit and generated over 30 million downloads during its first month after launch. Over six million people had pre-registered for the game worldwide.
With regular new mainline games, a steady stream of remakes, and innovative mobile games, the Pok茅mon gaming franchise seems to go from strength to strength while closing in on its 330-year anniversary in 2026.
Current Pok茅mon titles for consoles
The core Pok茅mon series games are released in generations, each with different monsters to tame, characters to encounter, and sometimes new regions to explore. The most recent mainline titles and the first games of the ninth Pok茅mon generation were launched in November 2022. Pok茅mon Scarlet and Violet were instant bestsellers, selling over ten million worldwide copies in the first three days after release and reaching over 26 million units in lifetime sales at the end of 2024. In 2022, the franchise also published its first open-world Pok茅mon game, Pok茅mon Legends: Arceus, which represented a departure from the series鈥 classic gameplay mechanics. The Switch-exclusive title outsold other recent Pok茅mon game launches in Japan (until it was eclipsed by Scarlet/Violet) and moved more than 6.5 million units in its first week of global sales.The next game in the series, due to be released in late 2025, is Pok茅mon Legends: Z-A. It is a sequel to Pok茅mon X and Y (2013), and the second Legends game with real-time instead of turn-based combat. In 2024, together with Tokyo-based developer ILCA, the Pok茅mon Company launched a new joint venture, Pok茅mon Works. The first project of this joint venture is the upcoming game Pok茅mon Champions , a multi-platform title focused on turn-based strategy multiplayer gameplay.
A media empire
Apart from being a global gaming giant, Pok茅mon has also become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Today, the brand鈥檚 empire encompasses a popular anime series with over 1,322 episodes, a trading card game, merchandise, and several movies that continuously draw fans to the theater.The last animated film, Pok茅mon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, was released in December 2020. Breaking the annual Pok茅mon movie release cycle which had been going strong since 1998, there has been no animated Pok茅mon movie since 2020 , with no new film in sight. Pok茅mon Detective Pikachu, the first official live-action Pok茅mon film, was released in May 2019 and was met with commercial success, placing as the second highest-grossing video game film adaption off all time.
The Pok茅mon animated series is currently wrapping up its 27th season, which is called Pok茅mon Horizons 鈥 The Search for Laqua. The series includes the new Paldea region from the 2022 Pok茅mon Scarlet and Violet games. Since April 2023, the iconic duo Ash and Pikachu have been retired as main characters, and this season is the second to feature new protagonists Liko and Roy.
Pok茅mon games on mobile
With the launch of Pok茅mon GO, a location-based augmented reality (AR) mobile game, the franchise managed to create a global sensation. Nine years after its initial release, Pok茅mon GO still enjoys great popularity across the globe. It is one of the leading free-to-play (F2P) game titles worldwide and generated over 544 million U.S. dollars in IAP revenues in 2024, and ranking as one of the highest grossing mobile games worldwide.The Pok茅mon franchise has also used the mobile platform to dip into other gaming genres 鈥 Pok茅mon UNITE (MOBA), Pok茅mon Masters EX (free-to-play gacha RPG), Pok茅mon Quest (adventure) and Pok茅mon Caf茅 ReMix (puzzle) are some of the more successful examples.
However, these apps are eclipsed by Pok茅mon TCG Pocket, a free-to-play mobile app version of the original Pok茅mon Trading Card Game (TCG). Upon its October 2024 release, Pok茅mon TCG Pocket was an immediate hit and generated over 30 million downloads during its first month after launch. Over six million people had pre-registered for the game worldwide.
With regular new mainline games, a steady stream of remakes, and innovative mobile games, the Pok茅mon gaming franchise seems to go from strength to strength while closing in on its 330-year anniversary in 2026.
