It happened again. Last week, I saw someone on a forum claiming that "Pokémon is finally dying." They pointed at the graphics of the last game or the fact that they don't see kids carrying Game Boys anymore. Honestly, it made me laugh. If "dying" looks like breaking every financial record in the book, then every company on earth is praying for a slow death.
Is Pokémon still popular? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that it's actually more dominant right now than it was during the "Pokémania" of the late nineties. We aren't just talking about a cartoon or a video game anymore; we’re looking at a multi-headed hydra of revenue that somehow keeps getting bigger despite being thirty years old.
The Massive Success of Pokémon Legends: Z-A
If you want to know if people still care, just look at the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A in late 2025. It wasn't just another release. It was a litmus test for the "Switch 2" era. Even though it launched on a single platform, it managed to rank ninth in total global revenue for the year according to Newzoo data.
Think about that. A single-platform title held its own against multi-platform giants like Call of Duty and Fortnite. Roughly half of those sales came from the new hardware, proving that fans aren't just sticking around—they’re willing to buy an entire new console just to keep playing.
The game took us back to Lumiose City, and the buzz was different this time. It wasn't just kids. You’ve got thirty-somethings who grew up with Pokémon X and Y coming back for the nostalgia, mixed with a new generation that’s obsessed with the "Legends" style of open-world gameplay. It’s a cross-generational grip that most franchises would kill for.
Why the Trading Card Game is Overheating
If the video games are the "spearhead," the cards are the engine. Seriously, the TCG (Trading Card Game) market is currently in what experts call "parabolic territory."
In 2025, the Pokémon Company produced over 10 billion cards. That’s a staggering number, but here’s the kicker: it was actually a slight dip from the 11.9 billion they printed the year before. You might think that means interest is fading, but the market data shows the opposite. The "Modern Slab" market—graded cards from the latest sets—saw growth rates of over 250% last year.
- The PSA 10 Explosion: High-grade cards aren't just hobby items; they're being treated like alternative assets.
- Top Sellers: In late 2025, the Phantasmal Flames set saw the Mega Charizard X ex hit a market price of nearly $500 almost instantly.
- New Players: It’s not just collectors. The TCG is currently one of the most affordable competitive games to actually play, which has led to a massive influx of "Unique Buyers" on platforms like TCGplayer.
The weirdest part of 2025 was seeing Pokémon cards officially overtake sports cards in grading volume. PSA is now grading more Pokémon than all sports combined. Let that sink in. Pikachu has more "investor" pull than Ken Griffey Jr. ever did.
The Pokémon TCG Pocket Factor
We have to talk about the "Pocket" version. When Pokémon TCG Pocket launched, a lot of purists thought it would fail. They were wrong. Dead wrong.
In its first year, the app generated $1.3 billion in revenue. To put that in perspective, Pokémon GO—the game that literally changed the world in 2016—only hit $1 billion in its first year. TCG Pocket didn't just meet the bar; it shattered it. By February 2025, the game was pulling in over $11 million per day during expansion drops like Space-Time Smackdown.
It’s basically digital cardboard, and people can’t get enough of it. It’s quick, it’s shiny, and it’s accessible. You don't have to carry a deck box to the local card shop anymore; you just pull your phone out while waiting for a latte.
Pokémon GO is the Undying Zombie of Gaming
Speaking of mobile, let’s address the "Pokémon GO is dead" myth.
As of January 2026, Pokémon GO is still pulling in roughly 67 million monthly active users. That is not a "dead" game. That is a small country's worth of people walking around parks every single day. While it’s true that numbers fluctuate—August 2025 saw a massive peak of 40 million users on Android alone during GO Fest—the baseline stays incredibly high.
Niantic has managed to turn a 2016 fad into a 2026 staple. The game has stabilized into a predictable upward trajectory. It’s become a social layer for a lot of people’s actual lives. You see them at Community Days—grotesquely large crowds in local parks, all staring at their phones, trying to catch a shiny Grookey.
The World Championships and the "Esports" Shift
The competitive scene is also hitting a fever pitch. The 2025 World Championships in Anaheim weren't just a tournament; they were a full-blown festival. We’re talking 25,000 attendees and nearly 2,500 competitors from 48 different countries.
The production value has shifted too. It’s no longer just some kids on a stage with handhelds. It’s LED-lit "battlegrounds," professional commentary, and viewership numbers that rival major traditional sports. The Pokémon UNITE World Championship alone hit a peak of over 92,000 concurrent viewers.
Even the meta-game is intense. If you followed the VGC (Video Game Championships) in 2025, you saw the absolute dominance of Calyrex-Shadow Rider and Zamazenta. It’s a deep, complex strategy game that has finally shed the "it's for kids" label in the eyes of the broader gaming community.
Why the Popularity Won't Fade
So, what’s the secret sauce? Why does Pokémon stay popular while other 90s hits fade away?
It’s the "trans-generational" effect. The kids who caught Charmander in 1998 are now parents. They’re buying Scarlet and Violet (which, by the way, became the second best-selling games in the series' history in 2025 with nearly 27 million copies) for their own kids.
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But it's also the constant evolution. The Pokémon Company doesn't just rest on its laurels. They’re constantly horizontal-scaling. They have:
- Mainline RPGs: The core experience that anchors everything.
- Mobile Apps: Hooking the casual crowd who wouldn't buy a console.
- Physical Cards: Tapping into the massive "collectors" and "investors" market.
- Animation: Pokémon Horizons is successfully carrying the torch after Ash Ketchum’s retirement, keeping the "lore" alive for the youngest fans.
The Verdict: Pokémon in 2026
Basically, the franchise is a juggernaut. It’s the highest-grossing media franchise of all time for a reason. Even in years where there isn't a "main" game release, like much of 2024, the company still reports record-high profits—¥410 billion (roughly $2.9 billion USD) in their 2025 fiscal year.
If you’re looking to get back into the hobby or wondering if it’s "safe" to start collecting again, the numbers say yes. The market is "overheating" in some areas (especially high-end cards), but the player base is more active and diverse than it has ever been.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the "Switch 2" updates for older titles and the upcoming 2026 Championship Series. Whether you're a "Gen 1" veteran or a new trainer who started with TCG Pocket, there has never been a more stable time to be a Pokémon fan.
Next Steps for Players and Collectors:
Check your local TCGplayer prices for Phantasmal Flames singles before the next rotation, as prices for Mega Evolution cards are currently volatile. If you're a player, make sure your Pokémon GO app is updated for the upcoming February events, which usually signal the start of the next major seasonal shift in the AR world.