Pokemon Sword and Shield sales have defied all expectations. The pair of games have become the first games in the Pokemon series to surpass 20 million copies in sales since Pokemon Gold and Silver. Even more, Pokemon Sword and Shield have become the third best-selling Pokemon games of all-time. Sword and Shield have sold 20.35 million copies, while Gold and Silver sold 23.1 million copies. The highest-selling Pokemon games are the originals, Red and Blue, selling 31.38 million copies. Pokemon Sword and Shield are on pace to surpass Gold and Silver, although it’s unclear whether or not they’ll surpass the originals. The games came out in November of 2019. Here’s a breakdown of the sales numbers for each entry in the Pokemon franchise.
Pokemon Red/Blue/Green – 31.38 million
Pokemon Gold/Silver – 23.1 million
Pokemon Sword/Shield – 20.35 million
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl – 17.67 million
Pokemon X/Y – 16.49 million
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire – 16.22 million
Pokemon Sun/Moon – 16.2 million
Pokemon Black/White – 15.64 million
Pokemon Yellow – 14.64 million
Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 14.34 million
Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee – 13.00 million
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver – 12.72 million
Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen – 12.00 million
Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon – 8.89 million
Pokemon Black 2/White 2 – 8.25 million
Pokemon Platinum – 7.693 million
Pokemon Emerald – 7.060 million
Pokemon Crystal – 6.3 million
There are rumors that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are receiving remakes on the Nintendo Switch to celebrate Pokemon’s 25th anniversary this year, though there has been no announcement from Nintendo. Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS are sitting fourth in sales, selling a collective of 17.67 million copies. Regardless if they receive remakes or not, Nintendo is sure to have something up their sleeves to celebrate Nintendo’s 25th anniversary.