There are now over 120 different Pokémon games, but which editions are the most popular? These five titles have been sold the most worldwide
Pokémon is considered one of the biggest franchises in the world of video games. The studio Game Freak laid the foundation for the phenomenon in 1996 with the Red and Blue editions – and immediately took the world by storm.
The original 151 different Pokémon have become 1,010 monsters in the past 25 years. The number of games has exploded in a similar way: officially there are over 120 different Pokémon games, if you count all the spin-offs.
The two latest instalments, Crimson and Purple, set a new record shortly after their launch. With over 10 million units sold in the first 3 days, they are the fastest selling titles on the Switch so far. However, there are already a lot of negative reviews about the current generation.
But which titles are the most popular? The top 5 best-selling Pokémon games of all time.
Table of Contents
5. Pokémon X & Y: 16.5 million sales
X & Y represent the sixth generation of the Pokémon franchise. The games were released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. For the first time, the journey in the game went to Europe. The fictional Kalos region is based on France and includes several familiar elements such as the Eiffel Tower.
Graphically, there was a modern twist as the game was in 3D for the first time. With the mega-evolution, the battle system was also spiced up. Certain Pokémon were given new abilities for the duration of a battle.
4th Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: 17.6 million sales
The fourth generation was released in Europe in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. With the change to a device with two screens and the stylus, things also changed visually. For example, battles were split up. The actions could be selected in the lower screen, the upper display then had more space for the battle animations.
There were a total of 493 Pokémon to collect. These could be exchanged much more easily than in the past. The DS’s Wi-Fi connection meant that each Pokémon Centre had an extra floor where players could swap and battle with other trainers from around the world.
3. Pokémon Sword & Shield: 21.1 million sales
Pokémon Sword and Shield make up the eighth generation of the main series and are still current with a release year of 2019. Despite this, the Nintendo Switch games are among the most financially successful editions, as well as the most popular.
Sword and Shield takes you to the fictional region of Galar, which is based on the real-life United Kingdom. In addition to a number of new Pokémon, Dynamaximisation was also introduced in this generation. This is a system where Pokémon gain strength during a battle and can eventually use special Dynamax attacks.
2. Pokémon Gold & Silver: 23.7 million sales
After the first Pokémon generation turned the entire world upside down, fans eagerly awaited a sequel. This came in 1999 in Japan and 2001 in Europe with the Golden and Silver Editions. Players travelled to the Johto region and were able to catch 100 new monsters compared to the predecessor with a total of 251 different Pokémon.
Those who actually wanted to grab them all and fill the Pokédex had to trade in a second Game Boy and a Red/Blue Edition. Game-wise, Gold & Silver kept very much to its predecessor.
One innovation, however, was the integrated clock, which kept to the real times of day. The time of day not only brought a day-and-night mode, but also partly influenced which Pokémon appeared.
1. Pokémon Red and Blue: 31 million sales
The original, which debuted in Japan in 1996 and laid the foundation for the franchise, is undisputed in first place. There, however, the editions were called Red and Green, since the language, as in some other cultures, does not separate the colours green and blue as in Western nations.
Later, a special yellow edition was released around the mascot Pikachu.
In 1999, the eagerly awaited titles finally appeared in Europe. The player, a little boy from Alabastia, was allowed to choose his first Pokémon from Professor Eich. The choices were Glumanda, Schiggy or Bisasam. To this day, the question of the best starter is one of the most discussed topics between video game fans.
