Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Set to Shatter Sword and Shield Record
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are slowly encroaching on a key milestone for the franchise as the latest games continue to sell well for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
While no one is surprised when a Pokémon game sells well or attracts an audience—just look at Pokémon TCG Pocket’s stellar launch—Scarlet and Violet are poised to become the second best selling game in the franchise’s storied and successful history.
According to Nintendo’s updated sales records, which were included in the company’s Nov. 5 earnings report, Scarlet and Violet have sold 25.69 million units since the games launched for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 18, 2022, as of Sept. 30, 2024. This is up from the 25.29 million copies noted in June’s report and shows the Generation 9 games creeping ever closer to their predecessors' seemingly untouchable accomplishments.
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Despite mixed reviews and complaints about game performance, Scarlet and Violet are less than one million units away from surpassing Sword and Shield’s 26.44 million copies sold. Not only is Sword and Shield currently the sixth best-selling Switch game of all time, but the 2019 title was also the first Pokémon game in over 20 years to break 20 million copies sold, eventually overtaking Gold and Silver as the second best-selling titles in the franchise history.
With Scarlet and Violet’s latest figures, Serebii webmaster Joe Merrick notes that the Gen 9 games are already well ahead of Sword and Shield’s pace, having reached 25.69 million units sold in 22 months compared to the Gen 8 games’ 22.64 in a similar timeframe. By his estimate, this means, by the time sales are no longer recorded for Scarlet and Violet, they should take that second place spot.
The continued success of Pokémon games on Switch is directly tied to the Nintendo hybrid’s longevity, as this report also noted the Switch has reached 146.04m units sold, putting it less than nine million units away from passing the best-selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2, at roughly 155 million units sold over its lifetime.
Nintendo sold in 4.72m Switch consoles during the first half of the fiscal year, bringing the all-time sales total to 146.04m. The Switch has to clear 154 million (Nintendo DS) and at least 160 million (PS2) to become the best-selling console in history. pic.twitter.com/2BcbalSBRH
— Andy Robinson (@Andy_VGC) November 5, 2024
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Even with this milestone on the horizon and the Switch’s success, Scarlet and Violet still won’t come close to touching Pokémon Red. Green and Blue’s 31.38 million units sold. However, the sales trajectory of Pokémon post-Switch does bode well for a future game to potentially do the impossible.
