Pokémon TCG Pocket usurps Pokémon Go launch as it closes in on $1bn after six months

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is celebrating its six-month anniversary today, April 30th, with a new set of cards and nearly $1 billion in gross player spending.

With AppMagic estimates placing Pokémon Pocket’s earnings at $915.3 million to date, the TCG title has clearly captured Pikachu-like lightning in a bottle and even surpassed AR goliath Pokémon Go’s first six-month sum.

Pokémon Go generated $800.7m in gross player spending in its first half-year, meaning TCG Pocket has exceeded it by 14%.

Top of the pack

A collaborative effort between The Pokémon Company, DeNA and Creaturs Inc., Pokémon Pocket was first revealed in February 2024 and launched globally on October 30th.

It quickly established itself as a potential mobile titan, thunderbolting onto the scene with 90s nostalgia and playground-style rumours helping to fuel its growth; it wasn’t long before comparisons to Go-levels of Pokémania were made.

After all, Pocket was the closest any Pokémon mobile title has come to achieving anything like Go’s launch month revenue, earning 91% of what the AR flagship did over its first 31 days.

Pocket’s success has only grown since, with new monthly card packs sustaining and even growing interest in the collection and battling game. Ultimately, it’s averaged $152.3m per month, surpassing Pokémon Go’s $133.4m average at the time and usurping that long-worn crown.

Pocket’s lead over other mobile Pokémon titles’ first half-years is even greater, having beaten third-place Pokémon Sleep more than 15 times over. The 2023 sleep tracker made $55.7m in its first six months and has since surpassed $150m, making it another recent, moderate success for the series.

The 2019 gacha game Pokémon Masters made $49.2m in its first six months, and before TCG Pocket, was developer DeNA’s most lucrative Pokémon partnership. Though ranking fourth based on early performance, it’s the third most lucrative Pokémon mobile game going by lifetime revenue, having surpassed $300m last year.

Much further behind, Tencent’s Pokémon Unite generated $25.9m in its first six months on mobile, and puzzle game Pokémon Café Remix earned just $2.7m, equivalent to 0.3% of Pocket’s achievement.

Of course, Pokémon Go still leads the franchise in lifetime mobile revenue, having surpassed $8bn last year. But Pocket has already established itself as the series’ second-biggest game by lifetime revenue.

Celestial steps

Pokémon TCG Pocket has averaged one new card expansion per month, with its sixth set, Celestial Guardians, out today in tandem with the half-year milestone. Its focus is on Pokémon from the Alola region, originally introduced in 2016 3DS games Sun and Moon.

The largest expansion since launch set Genetic Apex, Celestial Guardians features over 230 cards including the highly popular Rowlet, Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and Lunala, and an Immersive Card of fan-favourite character Lillie.

Previous expansions have reliably triggered surges in Pocket’s daily player spending, beginning with Mew-focused Mythical Island last December and peaking with January’s Space-Time Smackdown, just shy of $11m on February 1st.

That record daily revenue didn’t sustain throughout the month, however - down to $3m on February 27th. The Triumphant Light expansion did trigger a huge 217% spending increase on the 28th, returning daily earnings to $9.5m, but November 2024 still remains Pocket's best month overall.

TCG Pocket also officially reached 100m lifetime downloads in February.

More recently, the introduction of elusive shiny Pokémon came in late March and triggered yet another spending rise with a black Charizard front and centre in promotion. The first paid-only card was introduced at the same time - a shiny Mewtwo entirely inaccessible for free-to-play players.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is also celebrating its half-year anniversary with special missions and solo battles, where completion rewards include a chance at a Rayquaza promotional card.

Players can also secure a full-art version of the Legendary by winning 50 battles between April 30th and May 29th, a clear move to encourage collectors to engage with Pocket’s combat gameplay too.

"Pokémon TCG Pocket is throwing a half-year celebration," The Pokémon Company said.

"It’s time to take an island vacation in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket’s latest expansion, Celestial Guardians, in which beloved Trainers and Pokémon from the Alola region make their debuts.

"With so many amazing rewards, now’s the perfect time to start playing Pokémon TCG Pocket - or convincing your friends to join you."