Scarlet/Violet Sales Soar, Outpaced Only by Original Pokémon Games

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have quickly become some of the best-selling titles in the Pokémon franchise. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and reported by Eurogamer, the combined sales of Scarlet and Violet have surpassed 25 million copies, surpassing every other Pokémon game since the original Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies upon its 1996 debut on the Game Boy.

With 26,790,000 sales, Scarlet/Violet narrowly edges out Sword/Shield, which sold 26,720,000 copies, claiming second place. Rounding out the top five are Gold/Silver with 23.7 million sales and Diamond/Pearl with 16.7 million sales.

Despite their impressive sales figures, Scarlet/Violet received a mixed reception at launch, receiving predominantly mixed or average reviews. Fans pointed to technical issues, performance problems, and bugs as major concerns. IGN awarded the game a 6/10, stating, "The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished."

Looking ahead, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is scheduled for release later this year. Set in Lumiose City, the game explores an urban redevelopment project aimed at creating a space shared by both people and Pokémon. A significant leak containing undisclosed details about several Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A, surfaced online last October, prompting Nintendo to issue subpoenas against Discord to identify the source of what became known as the "TeraLeak."