Scarlet/Violet Sales Surpass Red/Green/Blue, Despite Mixed Reviews

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet stand out as some of the best-selling Pokémon games of all time. According to Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, and reported by Eurogamer, these two titles have surpassed 25 million copies sold. This impressive figure positions them just behind the iconic Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, which achieved sales of 31.4 million units upon its release in 1996 on the Game Boy.

In terms of sales, Scarlet/Violet have edged out Pokémon Sword/Shield, securing second place with 26,790,000 units sold compared to Sword/Shield's 26,720,000. The top five best-selling Pokémon games are rounded out by Gold/Silver and Diamond/Pearl, with sales of 23.7 million and 16.7 million copies, respectively.

Despite their commercial success, Scarlet/Violet received a mixed reception upon launch, earning scores that rank them among the lowest-rated mainline games in the series. Fans cited numerous technical issues, performance problems, and bugs. In IGN's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, the game was rated 6/10, described as "Okay." The review praised the innovative open-world gameplay as a promising direction for the franchise but criticized the game for feeling "deeply unfinished."

Looking ahead, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for release later this year. Set in Lumiose City, the game will explore an urban redevelopment plan aimed at creating a harmonious space for both humans and Pokémon. Last October, a leak surfaced containing undisclosed information about several Pokémon games, including Legends Z-A. In response, Nintendo has recently subpoenaed Discord to identify the individual responsible for the "TeraLeak."