Published long ago in 1996 on a GameBoy, without color, with what now would be considered archaic graphics, the first Pokemon game was a massive critical and commercial success which led to the creation of the best media franchise on the planet, that consists of anime series, movies, and various merchandise, such as toys, trading card game, and manga.
The franchise features numerous games and the most recent game in the series is Pokemon Sword and Shield published on Nintendo Switch. Pokemon is the second bestselling video game franchise, after Nintendos Super Mario. To this day more than 300 million Pokemon games have been sold worldwide, across 76 titles including spin-offs, and below is the list of ten bestselling.
10 Pokemon Heart Gold / Soul Silver – 12.72 Million
The first on the list are Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver Versions which are the remakes of the Gold and Silver Pokemon games published in 1999. The starting Pokemon to chose from are Chikorita, Cyndiquil, and Totodaille.
Like in the original the story takes place in Kanto and Johto regions where the player catches Pokemon and fights the gym leaders with an occasional battle against well-known Team Rocket, with the ultimate battle against Red – the games final boss. The game received positive reviews and sold 12.72 million copies on Nintendo DS.
9 Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire – 14.23 Million
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire are the remakes of the original Ruby and Sapphire Pokemon games. The setting and the story is pretty much the same as in the original games and follow a player on an adventure in the Hoenn region where he needs to catch various Pokemon and defeat eight Gym Leaders.
However, the game was published on Nintendo 3DS, which means 3D polygonal graphics are present, while the Mega Evolution and Super Training options from X nad Y Pokemon games are present. The two versions of the game sold 14.23 million copies.
8 Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition – 14.64 Million
Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition is a 1998 enchanted Pokemon game of the original title loosely based on an animated series of the same name. As it is the case with the series, here also, the only available Pokemon at the start is Pikachu, unlike in the original game. Additionally, he is given voice and personality and follows the player through the whole adventure.
The game also features slightly improved graphics and can print Pokedex entries. The game received favorable reviews and sold 14.64 million copies which additionally helped in boosting the sales of GameBoy.
7 Pokemon Black / White – 15.64 Million
Published in 2010 for Nintendo DS, Pokemon Black and White version introduced the fifth generation of pokemon to the audiences – there are 156 of them to catch. The game is set in the Unova region which resembles the are of New York City featuring an urban environment with big bridges and skyscrapers.
Like the previous entries, the game has a linear storyline where a player in the role of a teenager must collect eight Gym Badges and ultimately challenge the Elite Four of the Pokemon League, and its Champion in order to complete the game. The game sold 15.64 million copies.
6 Pokemon Sun / Moon – 16.17 Million
Pokemon Sun and Moon versions were published in 2016 for Nintendo 3DS commemorating the 20th anniversary of the franchise. The game features a new setting – the group of islands known as the Alola region which was heavily inspired by Hawaii and the developer’s studio staff actually visited them to conduct research for the game.
It introduced the seventh generation of Pokemon with new 81 of them to catch, as well as the new powerful moves known as Z-moves. The game sold 16.17 million copies, slightly less than Pokemon X and Y versions also published on Nintendo 3DS.
5 Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire – 16.22 Million
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire version were published in 2002 and for the first time introduced the third generation of Pokemon, also known as an advanced generation. The game is set in a new region called Hoenn and unlike all other games before it, does not feature all Pokemon from the previous generations.
With the popularity of the Pokemon franchise waning at the time, the game sold less than the two previous entries in the series but still, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire versions managed to become the bestselling games for GameBoy Advance with 16.22 million units sold.
4 Pokemon X / Y – 16.42 Million
Pokemon X and Y version were the first Pokemon games published on Nintendo 3DS, therefore featuring Pokemon in fully 3D polygonal graphics, which was, speaking of it, very well received. Aside from that, the two versions of the game feature 72 new Pokemon as well 30 Mega Evolutions for already fully evolved Pokemon such as Charizard and Blastoise.
The two versions of the game managed to sell 16.42 million copies which is impressive considering the game was published on Nintendo 3DS. The commercial success followed the critical and the game won the Golden Joystick Award for the Best Handheld Game of the Year.
3 Pokemon Diamond / Pearl – 17.67 Million
The Nintendo DS Pokemon game from 2006 came in two versions – Diamond and Pearl and with combined sales of 17.67 units that make them the third bestselling Pokemon games. This game is set in a fictional region of Sinnoh and it follows an adventure of a new Pokemon trainer who wants to become a new Pokemon League Champion by collecting and training them.
The gameplay of the game is largely the same as with the previous entries but does add a multiplayer option where players can battle against other trainers. The game received favorable reviews and won an award for the Best Handheld Game at G-Phoria 2007.
2 Pokemon Gold / Silver – 23.1 Million
Considered as one of the best games in the series, Pokemon Gold and Silver Versions were published in 1999 for GameBoy Color and managed to sell 23.1 million copies.
The game includes 100 new Pokemon to collect and new additions like choosing your gender upon the character creation at the beginning of the game and Pokemon breeding as well adding some new classes of Pokemon and a new item called Pokegear. Unlike the previous game, which was based in the Kanto region this one is based in the Johto region, where the player has the opportunity to “catch them all”.
1 Pokemon Red / Green / Blue – 31.38 Million
A game that started a multibillion-dollar franchise. The original Pokemon game was published in 1996 for GameBoy and came in three versions: Red, Green, and Blue. The game was conceived by Satoshi Tajiri who, as a kid had a hobby of collecting insects and on that basis created a world where players could collect, train and battle with their miniature creatures – which resulted in creating the first 151 pokemon.
After the release, the game became a massive hit, both commercial and critical, and today is considered as one of the best games ever made and with 31.38 million sold units the bestselling Pokemon game.
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