Current Pokemon Main Series Sales Numbers

So some things to note:

• Sword & Shield are, as of December 31st, 2021, the second best selling main series Pokemon games, with 23.9 million copies sold, after Gold/Silver held that record for the longest time with 23.1 or 23.7 million copies sold*
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus's only known sales numbers at the moment is that it sold 6.5 million copies in its first week. Current copies sold is obviously higher given that the game has been out for a month already
• Generation VIII is the second best selling generation of Pokemon main series games, selling a combined total (between Sword & Shield, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus**) of 44.37 million copies sold. Previous second place was Generation VII (Sun & Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, and Let's Go!: Pikachu/Eevee**) selling 39.64 millions copies.
• While Sword & Shield are unlikely to surpass Red & Blue's lifetime sales of 32.88 million, Generation VIII is highly likely to dethrone--after decades--Generation I (47.52 million copies sold) as the best selling generation of main series Pokemon games, given that all of Generation VIII's games are still getting copies sold (with Pokemon Legends: Arceus likely to be the biggest contributor)

*I have heard two different numbers of Gold/Silver sales figures, 23.1 million and 23.7 million. SwSh still surpasses either number, but since I have been unable to to find out total VC sales of Gen 2 (unlike with Gen 1), they still could be the second highest selling main series Pokemon games, yet still with the possibility of SwSh surpassing them again anyway.

**Multiple sources consider both LGPE and PL:A as main series titles, and so are included in current numbers, despite their differences with traditional main series games, and me not including LGPE in Gen 7's numbers previously.

And these figures are why I think that despite a big number of (hardcore) fans wishing the games would be bigger experiences, had more time to be created, etc. (or just flat out don't like the direction the way the series are going) are ultimately cries on deaf ears.

Whatever GF's doing is working and the rallying cry of capistalism is "don't mess with what's '''''''''not''''''' broken"

As for the numbers themselves, it's important to keep in mind that a significant number of those SwSh copies also bought the Expansion Pass, which is at least nominally half the price of the game. So realistically, SwSh was even more successful as far as profits are concerned.

Invest your money in Nintendo, yo.

SwSh numbers are crazy, especially with the Switch +Switch games being more expensive! I really hope Legends surpasses 15m+ copies sold especially, it is a great game and I would absolutely love to see more similar titles in the future.

I'm shocked Sword/Shield sold so well considering the sheer amount of anger, hate and outrage they got when they first came out. Despite what the naysayers said, Pokemon is really doing numbers this generation. I find this absolutely astounding and astronomical.

I honestly thought Sword/Shield wouldn't even break 15 million, so it's great that it's doing so well, despite negativity.

I'm surprised how close those numbers are. I mean obviously the 17 million difference between Gen I and II is a lot, but spread out over all the markets they operate in its probably like 1 or 2 people at your school who obsessed over RB didn't get the sequels. I felt like Gen III (when I started) was definitely the end of the 'fad' phase, but it seems like after being primed by Go, Gen VIII might be the second coming of it?

The timing makes a lot of sense actually - a lot of the original players have grown up but its acceptable for you to not "grow out of" video games now, plus they might have even had kids and got the games for them. As for the criticism, I believe it was mostly centred around the missing moves and Pokémon? But realistically, how many Pokémon fans actually bother to complete the Pokédex? I've felt okay (until now) about stopping at Black 2 because realistically when was I going to use all even the majority of the 600? Even the likes of Blissey - an absolute beast in competitive battling - can be exhausting to use during the story as its so slow to get past NPC trainers. Same with the moves. If anything I would think the choice they made in Gen VII to program them in but not copy over their Pokédex entries is worse.

Unfortunately sales will never make a game good. It likely sold so many because it was released with a new console.

Palamon said:

I'm shocked Sword/Shield sold so well considering the sheer amount of anger, hate and outrage they got when they first came out. Despite what the naysayers said, Pokemon is really doing numbers this generation. I find this absolutely astounding and astronomical.

I honestly thought Sword/Shield wouldn't even break 15 million, so it's great that it's doing so well, despite negativity.

Click to expand...

They did get a boost in sales because the pandemic boosted pretty much everything related to the Switch, really. But realistically I think the anger and outrage are more of a "vocal minority" kinda thing.

Most of the people that buy Pokemon games do so very casually (or buy them for their kids) and so most of the problems people brought up just don't really register or are fairly minor as far as they're concerned.

So, an update

As of March 31st, 2022, PL:A has sold 12.64 million copies. SwSh and BDSP have also seen minute increases (to 24.27m and 14.65m). This now makes Generation VIII Pokemon's highest selling generation, sitting at 51.56 million copies sold.

Nah said:

So, an update

As of March 31st, 2022, PL:A has sold 12.64 million copies. SwSh and BDSP have also seen minute increases (to 24.27m and 14.65m). This now makes Generation VIII Pokemon's highest selling generation, sitting at 51.56 million copies sold.

Click to expand...

This is crazy. I knew Legends would sell well but didn't realize BDSP would hit 14m - crazy! There were a lot of people who voiced complaints but they're clearly not the majority if numbers are anything to go by aha. Legends selling as well as it has despite coming out a few months after BDSP is awesome too. Really looking promising for fans who want another game in this series down the line.

BDSP sold purely off of the hype of it being Sinnoh remakes tbh, what I feel is much more telling is Legends Arceus sales, a complete shift for a franchise, not released in the holiday season, released only 2 months after BDSP, doesn't have multiple versions, and a new game was announced less than a month after it released.

Yet it still sold 12m copies in 2 months. And has definitely sold more than BDSP by this point.

a lot of criticism from some parts of the internet for BDSP but yet it's the best selling remake by quite a lot.. i know sales aren't the definitive tell of quality, but it'd also be disingenuous to suggest that they're objectively bad. so i'm not surprised by the sales numbers. o:

pleased by the sales numbers of L:A. i was sort of concerned because i wasn't sure how well it'd mesh with the general fanbase being a different concept than what most were used to, but it seems very well received! hoping to see more like it n.n