Although the franchise as a whole is phenomenally successful, some Pokémon games have still sold better than others, and those that rank as the best-selling titles of all may come as a surprise. Of course, Pokémon has produced some of the most popular video games in the world, with any new title all but guaranteed to sell extremely well. Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, not every Pokémon game is equally successful, and the sales figures of some titles are undoubtedly a cut above the rest.
Although there is a discernible what the best Pokémon games are. Moreover, the actual sales for each title cannot be expected to follow a simple upward trajectory over time, with a multitude of factors affecting these figures.
Pokémon Red/Blue/Green Is The Best-Selling Pokémon Game Of All Time
Pokémon's Greatest Success Is Also Its Origin
Despite Pokémon's reach only growing over time, its best-selling titles are also the originals. According to numbers published by Statista, Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green have sold a combined total of more than 31.38 million units. Technically, this means that Pokémon has never managed to equal its original success with any given release, although in practice, this means little given how much the franchise has grown. Regardless, this fact may still come as a surprise to some, who may understandably assume the most recent games to have enjoyed the greatest success.
10 Best Pokémon Spin-Off Games That Deserve More Credit
There are so many great Pokemon spin-off games that have either flown under the radar or have been lost to time, with people rarely mentioning them.
It is worth noting that the original Pokémon titles had a remarkably complex release history. Japan's Pokémon Red and Green released in 1996, and then an updated version, Pokémon Blue, was released in three separate waves; two mail order distributions in 1996 and 1997, and then commercially in 1999. This updated version also formed the basis of the U.S.'s own original Pokémon release, the iconic Red and Blue versions, which arrived in 1998. With so many different incarnations of the same games, it is easy to see how so many copies could have been sold over the years.
Which Best-Selling Pokémon Games Come In At Second & Third
The Next Most Popular Games Are Among The Most Recent Releases
On the other hand, in stark contrast to the superior sales figures of the first Pokémon games, the second and third best-selling releases are far more modern. Pokémon Sword and Shield have sold 26.6 million units, and the most recent entry core titles, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, have sold 26.38 million units. Naturally, these figures can and likely will still rise, given that they are ultimately far easier to purchase and play than the classic Game Boy Pokémon titles, but the vast majority of their lifetime sales are presumably already ed for.
The fact that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's sales place third may again be a surprise, given their recency in the ever-growing franchise, but it is worth considering that their infamous technical issues likely had a negative impact here. Moreover, compared to the gap between first and second place in the sales rankings, second and third place are very close. As such, especially with the advent of the more powerful Switch 2, it is far from inconceivable that future games will grow closer to eclipsing the franchise's current sales record.
As more languages become ed by Pokémon games, with the most recent example being Pokémon Legends: Z-A ing Latin American Spanish, more people around the world will find them accessible, something that will also likely increase overall sales.
Collectively, the original Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green versions sparked a worldwide craze and spawned one of the largest entertainment franchises ever. With that in mind, it is understandable that they have also been able to maintain a significant lead in sales over any of their successors. While this may not last forever, there is no denying that reaching over 31 million sales is an incredible feat, and a true testament to the impact that the Pokémon games have had on the world.
Source: Statista
Pokemon
- Created by
- Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda
- First Film
- Pokemon: The First Movie
- Latest Film
- Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle
- First TV Show
- Pokémon
- First Episode Air Date
- April 1, 1997
Summary
Spanning over twenty-five years, Pokemon, known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is the multimedia franchise created tly by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in association with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in fictional worlds where people live together with tamable creatures known as Pokemon. Humans who catch, raise, and battle the creatures are known as Pokemon Trainers. They head out on extensive journeys across their continents to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become the champion. Pokemon spans several massive properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful trading card game, to the medium that started it all, video games. In addition, Pokemon began the "two-game" trend where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between the versions, encouraging players to meet up with others and trade so they could "catch 'em all."
