The firstPokemongames were released for the original Game Boy back in 1996 and proved to be hugely successful both critically and commercially. This led to the rise of the largest media franchise on the planet, which now consists of anime series, movies, and a wide variety of merchandise, such as toys, trading cards, and manga.
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The franchise has seen hundreds of releases over the years, the most recent of which werePokemon Scarlet & Violetfor the Nintendo Switch.Pokemonis now the second best-selling video game franchisebehindSuper Mario, with more than 400 million copies sold worldwide. Needless to say, the best-sellingPokemongames make up a significant chunk of these sales.
Nintendo.co.jpandVG Saleshave been used as sources.
Updated June 20, 2025, by Tom Bowen:Pokemon is one of the biggest and most prominent gaming franchises around, as evidenced by its incredibly impressive sales figures. The franchise has been an ever-present feature in the lives of many gamers since making its debut back in 1996 and has grown to become one of the biggest and most recognizable IPs of all time. Each year brings with it more new installments, with 2022 ushering in the ninth generation of Pokemon games. Despite still being less than one year old at the time of writing, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are already among the best-selling Pokemon games and may well go on to take the number one spot at some point over the coming years.
20Pokemon Emerald (7.06 Million)
Since the franchise’s humble beginnings back in the mid-nineties, mainlinePokemongames have always been released in pairs. What a lot of younger fans may not realize, however, is that the first four generations ofPokemongames also received a third mainline installment which served as a sort of enhanced port of the original two games.
This began back in 1998 with the release ofPokemon Yellow, withCrystal,Emerald, andPlatinumall following over the course of the next decade.Emeraldwas one of the more successful third installments, managing to sell considerably more thanPokemon Crystaldespite the two main Gen 2 games comfortably outperforming their Gen 3 counterparts.
19Pokemon Platinum (7.60 Million)
Pokemon Platinumended up being the last-ever third installment despite being one of the most commercially successful. The DS classic shifted around 7.6 million units: a figure which would likely have been much higher had it been released fora system with better piracy protection.
To put its success into perspective,Pokemon Platinumsold almost as many copies as eitherDiamondorPearldid individually. By comparison,Pokemon Gold & Silversold almost four times as many copies asCrystaldid, which goes to show just how desirablePokemon Platinumreally was.
18Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 (8.52 Million)
Most people considerPokemon Black&Whiteto be some of the greatest games of all time. Consequently, it goes without saying that the announcement of sequels to these games was met with positive reception across the board, turningBlack 2&White 2into the 15th highest-selling titles in the series.
Being the last 2D entries in the series — with the 3D era ofPokemongames being widely polarizing with many hardcore fans — these games are must-plays for any fan. They’re also the first direct sequels to ever grace thePokemonfranchise, though they wouldn’t end up being the last.
17Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (9.15 Million)
WhilePokemon Sun&Moonhave their fair share of detractors, the core gameplay loop was still quite sound and enjoyable. So, it only goes without saying that fans of these titles would be more than pleased with an updated version that improves on most facets of this title.
This is exactly whatPokemon Ultra Sun&Ultra Moonaimed to accomplish, with the end result being quite satisfactory for manyPokemonfans. While the games might still seem too similar toSun&Moonat times,Ultra Sun&Ultra Moonare still great titles that feature notable improvements over its predecessor.
16Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen (12.00 Million)
The originalPokemontitles are definitely legendary in their own right, but there’s no denying the fact that the games have aged quite a bit and can be quite challenging to enjoy in modern times. Thankfully, like most classic games from the era, they’ve received their fair share of remakes and remasters over the years.
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The first of these remakes came in the forms ofPokemon FireRed&LeafGreen, ensuring that dated visuals and mechanics became a thing of the past. With their release, gamers could enjoy the magic of the original games with all the modern nuances they’ve come to expect from aPokemontitle.
15Pokemon Legends: Arceus (14.83 Million)
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis the most recent installment in the series at the time of writing and also one of the best-sellingPokemongames of all time. It successfully built upon many of the ideas that were first implemented inSword&Shieldand marks thelong-running video game franchise’s first tentative foray into the world of 3D.
To say that the game has been successful would be a bit of an understatement, withLegends: Arceusbreaking several sales recordson its way to 14.83 million sales. What’s more impressive is that the game had already sold more than 12 million copies by the time Nintendo published its end-of-year fiscal report for 2021, which came just 102 days after the game’s release.
14Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver (12.72 Million)
Pokemon HeartGold&SoulSilverVersions are the remakes of theGold&SilverPokemongames which were originally published for the Game Boy Color in 1999.The starter Pokemon that players getto choose fromare Chikorita, Cyndiquil, and Totodaille.
Like in the original versions, the story ofHeartGold&SoulSilvertakes place in the Kanto and Johto regions where the player catchesPokemonand fights the gym leaders with an occasional battle against the well-known Team Rocket. The ultimate battle is against Red, the games' final boss. The games received positive reviews and sold 12.72 million copies on theNintendo DS.
13Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (14.57 Million)
Pokemon Omega Ruby&Pokemon Alpha Sapphireare the remakes of the originalRuby&Sapphire Pokemongames. The setting and the story are pretty much the same as in the original games and follow a player on an adventure in the Hoenn region where he needs to catch various Pokemon and defeat eight Gym Leaders.
However, the games were published on Nintendo 3DS, which means 3D polygonal graphics are present, while the Mega Evolution and Super Training options fromPokemonX&Yare also present. The two versions of the game sold 14.57 million copies.
12Pokemon Yellow (14.64 Million)
Pokemon Yellowis a 1998 enchantedPokemongame of the original title loosely based on an animated series of the same name. In this game, the only availablePokemonat the start is Pikachu. Additionally, he is given a voice and personality and follows the player through the whole adventure.
The game also features slightly improved graphics and can print Pokedex entries.Pokemon Yellowreceived favorable reviews and sold 14.64 million copies, ultimately helping to further boost the sales of Game Boy. It also brings total Gen 1 sales past the 45-million mark, helping the trio to leapfrogTetristo take first place on the list of the system’s best-selling games.
11Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (15.06 Million)
Given that they weren’t released until late 2021, it seems likely thatPokemon Brilliant Diamond&Shining Pearlwill go on to sell far more than the 15.06 million units reported by Nintendo at the time of writing. The long-awaited Gen 4 remakes have certainly gotten off to a flying start though, outselling the hugely popularPokemon Yellowin just their first six months on the market.
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Although some fans bemoaned the lack ofPokemon Platinumcontent, most were extremely happy with how the remakes turned out. The introduction of new areas like Ramanas Park ensured that the games enjoyed their fair share ofLegendary and Mythical Pokemon, while the Grand Underground made catching pre-Gen 4 Pokemon a breeze, though only after players had unlocked the National Dex.
