Pokémon TCG Pocket Hits $975m in Two Years, But Year Two Fell 68%

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has netted an estimated $975.2 million across Google Play and the App Store in its first two years, according to AppMagic — a figure that puts it among the most lucrative mobile launches of recent years, led by Japan, and one that even outpaced Pokémon Go's early performance.

The DeNA and The Pokémon Company title launched globally on October 30th, 2024, and its immediate popularity boosted DeNA's games segment by more than 8,000% at the time. The second anniversary arrived on October 30th, 2026, with a campaign offering a guaranteed rare pull, special missions and promo cards.

The headline number conceals a sharp slowdown. After earning $741.4 million net in year one, TCG Pocket picked up just $233.7 million in year two — a 68% year-over-year decline, per AppMagic's estimates. Actual spending may run higher, since the estimates exclude the game's web shop, and publishers have been generating significant revenue from direct-to-consumer platforms that sidestep store fees.

How the money was made

The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. and DeNA unveiled TCG Pocket in February 2024 as a digital, mobile version of a physical card game that has shifted tens of billions of cards over decades — some worth millions in resale. The mobile model gave players two free card packs per day, with premium resources available for more. Paying subscribers got a third daily pack, a retention hook that clearly worked.

The launch leaned on the original 151 Pokémon, nostalgia, secret cards and playground-style rumours. It generated $150.5 million net in its first month — an average spend of almost $4.9 million per day, peaking at $6.3 million on November 9th, 2024. November 2024 remains the game's most lucrative month to date.

What drove the record days?

The daily spending record actually came in 2025, tied to the third card set, Space-Time Smackdown, which shifted focus from the 90s to the DS era of the mid-2000s. Daily spending hit a then-record $6.8 million on January 30th, then $7.4 million on February 1st, driving the game's return to growth that month.

Another DS-themed pack, Triumphant Light, delivered the best single day in the game's history: close to $7.5 million net on February 28th, 2025, coinciding with the pack's launch. Those two highest-earning days alone accounted for 19% of February 2025's revenue and almost 2% of lifetime revenue.

New packs still spike spending every month, but the scale has changed. Daily earnings in year two never surpassed $3 million, and the game hasn't cleared $2.5 million since March 2026.

Where does the game sit now?

Context matters. TCG Pocket currently ranks 30th in the 2026 top-grossing charts — above Honkai: Star Rail, Clash of Clans and Disney Solitaire, but well down from 10th place in 2025. It has no in-game ads as a supplementary revenue source.

Set design has moved beyond generational nostalgia. Team Rocket's Ambition, released August 27th, 2026, themed the UI around Team Rocket and drew cards from across the 30-year-old franchise; spending spiked 149% on release, reaching $2.1 million.

The current set, Dual Fusion, is more mechanically interesting: it introduces cards with two types for the first time in Pokémon TCG history. Mega Greninja, for example, is both Water and Darkness, dealing bonus damage in combat to opponents weak to either listed type. Dual Fusion launched October 29th and the game made $1.3 million that day, with the anniversary campaign following on the 30th.

A new weekly special pack now sits alongside the daily free cards — currently featuring full-art cards of every starter Pokémon from Bulbasaur to Quaxly.

The game's performance helped land DeNA in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2026. Whether the two-type mechanic and the weekly pack rhythm can reverse the 68% decline is the question the next two quarters of AppMagic data will answer.