Pokemon Sword and Shield sales have surpassed 20 million units, making them the third best-selling Pokemon games ever.
It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch and a number of its titles continue to perform incredibly well. More than a year after the games were first released, that success extends to Pokemon Sword and Shield. Nintendo’s latest financial report reveals that the latest games in the Pokemon series have now collectively sold more than 20 million copies.
That makes Sword and Shield the fifth best-selling games on the Switch. That stat is impressive in itself considering the monumental success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, it also means Sword and Shield are the best-selling Pokemon games in the franchise’s main series since Gold and Silver, and the third best-selling games overall.
Sword and Shield have now shifted 20.35 million copies. That puts the games less than three million copies behind Gold and Silver at 23.1 million. Chances are Sword and Shield will almost definitely surpass that number. It’ll take something next level to topple the games at number one, though. The OGs Red, Blue, and Green collectively sold 31.38 million copies. They gave Pokemon video games the best start they ever could have hoped for and built the foundation for everything in the series we have enjoyed since.
Game Freak won’t be leaving Sword and Shield behind anytime soon. Just last month, it was revealed that anyone caught hacking the game’s data will suffer severe consequences. Anything from a ban on using Sword and Shield’s online services to a blanket ban that includes using Pokemon Home. One man in Japan was even arrested for selling hacked data since doing so there is illegal.
2021 is going to be a very big year for Pokemon. It marks 25 years since the release of those very first games. We already know that will be celebrated via the release of New Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Unite. Fans are also expecting a Diamond and Pearl remake to be announced, perhaps on Pokemon Day which is coming later this month.
