Scarlet/Violet Sales Surge Past Red/Green/Blue, Despite Mixed Reviews

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have quickly risen to become two of the best-selling entries in the Pokémon franchise to date. According to data shared by Joe Merrick, webmaster of Serebii.net, and later reported by Eurogamer, the duo has surpassed 26.79 million combined sales globally. This impressive figure places them just ahead of Pokémon Sword and Shield (26.72 million) and trailing only the iconic Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which sold 31.4 million copies since its original release on the Game Boy back in 1996.

Further down the list, Pokémon Gold/Silver and Diamond/Pearl hold strong with 23.7 million and 16.7 million units sold respectively, rounding out the top five best-selling Pokémon titles based on unit sales.

Despite their commercial success, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were met with a lukewarm critical reception upon launch. The game received mostly mixed reviews, making it one of the lowest-rated mainline Pokémon titles in the series. Players and critics alike pointed to performance issues, technical bugs, and incomplete features as major detractors from an otherwise ambitious open-world approach.

At IGN, we described the experience as “Okay,” awarding it a 6/10. In our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, we noted: "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, fans are now turning their attention to the upcoming title Pokémon Legends: Z-A, set to launch later this year in a brand-new setting—Lumiose City. The game explores an urban redevelopment plan aimed at creating a space where both humans and Pokémon can coexist harmoniously.

Last October, a notable leak surfaced online revealing previously unknown details about several unreleased Pokémon titles, including Legends Z-A. The so-called "TeraLeak" stirred up considerable buzz across social platforms and gaming forums. More recently, Nintendo initiated legal action by subpoenaing Discord in an effort to identify the individual behind the leak.