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As the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, a lot of Pokemon's success can be credited to the beloved RPG games the franchise is known for. Throughout its lifespan, the franchise has spawned a variety of different game titles, each varying in quality. Nevertheless, a majority of these titles still sell record numbers.
With this in mind, it can be fun to look back on some of the franchise's most successful titles and analyze what worked for these games to see why they are so beloved. Here are the top five best-selling Pokemon games ever.
Top 5 most sold Pokemon games of all time
5) Diamond and Pearl
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Starting off strong are the first games to come from the fourth generation, Diamond and Pearl. These games were released on the Nintendo DS, the new console at the time. The portability of the console was the reason why casual gamers picked the games up, but manywere also in search of a fun experience.
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These games may not be as well-loved as the improved Platinum versions, but many players still have a share of fondness for their first romp through the Sinnoh region. These were also the first games in the main franchise to have mainstream online play thanks to the DS' ability to connect to the internet.
4) Scarlet and Violet
Despite how many may feel about the game now, the concept of an open-world Pokemon game was very alluring leading up to the launch of these two titles. These two games were arguably the most hyped-up in the franchise due to them appearing to be an overall improvement to the formula and gameplay loop seen thus far.
While the games do have more than their fair share of issues, these titles still sold amazingly well, quickly becoming the fourth best-selling mainline games in the franchise. Hopefully, Game Freak does not abandon this project entirely and provides the playerbase with the patch updates they deserve.
3) Gold and Silver
The long-anticipated sequel to Red and Blue, Gold and Silver had some pretty big shoes to fill, being the successor of one of the best-selling Gameboy games. With the Pocket Monster craze of the 90s still alive and well across the globe, expectations were set astronomically high. Thankfully, many felt these games were amazing, with sales records reflect this as well.
Taking place in the Johto region, an entirely new land filled with many species of monsters not present in the Kanto region, these games drew in young fans like moths to a flame. The games were also the first to be featured in full color thanks to the new Gameboy Color's hardware.
2) Sword and Shield
Players had high expectations for Sword and Shield since they were the first mainline games on home consoles. Although it ultimately fell short in the eyes of the community, these games were far from unplayable and definitely had some high points in their campaign, with some nice character development for the main cast as well.
Although these games don't hold up in the quality department, they still sold incredibly well and are the best-selling modern games for the franchise. These titles were also the first Pokemon games to branch into paid DLC content for a mainline title, which was also met with mixed reactions.
1) Red and Blue
The original Red and Blue games for the Gameboy are famous for being some of the best-selling video games of all time. These titles sparked the powder keg that was the Pocket Monster craze in the West during the mid to late 90s. Of course, this generation also has the advantage of having the additional Green version, which was the Blue version in the West, added to its total sales record as well.
Although the game definitely shows its age, even when compared to the many remakes of the Kanto region we have seen throughout the franchise, it can still make for a fun afternoon to this day. With a lot of the old games being available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, playing them now is easier than ever.
