Pokémon Legends: Z-A captures No.1 in Europe, but it’s the smallest mainline Pokémon launch since 2018
The game delivered a boost in Nintendo Switch 2 sales
Pokémon has knocked Battlefield 6 off the European top spot after just one week, with the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
It’s a solid launch for the new Pokémon title, but its launch sales are roughly 28% lower than its predecessor: 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The game is available across both Nintendo platforms, but has been pushed as a key Switch 2 game, and, in the UK at least, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has sold best on the newer machine (despite a vastly inferior install base).
It’s the smallest ‘mainline’ Pokémon release in terms of unit sales since the Pokémon: Let’s Go games came out in 2018.
Note: Digital data for Nintendo-published games are not in this chart, so this is purely based on physical sales. Nintendo games sell better at physical retail than via the eShop, in contrast to PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
The game was included in an official Switch 2 hardware bundle, which has helped drive an uplift in Switch 2 console sales this week. As a result, the other big Switch 2 game on the market – Mario Kart World – saw a 15% increase in sales week-on-week.
Battlefield 6 drops to No.2 with a typical 70% drop in sales week-on-week, while Little Nightmares 3 falls four places to No.8 after a 72% sales drop.
Price activity on Hogwarts Legacy sends that game up to No.4 (sales up 244% week-on-week), while a 20% price reduction on Borderlands 4 sees that game return to the Top Ten at No.9.
The data is courtesy of GSD, which tracks all physical game sales and digital game sales from most major publishers.
European Top Ten Unit Sales (week ending October 19)
1. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (New)*
2. Battlefield 6 (-70%)
3. EA Sports FC 26 (-30%)
4. Hogwarts Legacy (+244%)
5. Ghost of Yotei (-51%)
6. Red Dead Redemption 2 (+5%)
7. Grand Theft Auto 5 (+4%)
8. Little Nightmares 3 (-72%)
9. Borderlands 4 (+45%)
10. Mario Kart World (+15%)*
European Top Ten Revenue (week ending October 19)
1. Battlefield 6 (-72%)
2. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (New)*
3. EA Sports FC 26 (-35%)
4. Ghost of Yotei (-51%)
5. Mario Kart World (+18%)*
6. Borderlands 4 (+35%)
7. Little Nightmares 3 (-73%)
8. Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (-39%)
9. NBA 2K26 (-31%)
10. Digimon Story: Time Stranger (-41%)
*Digital data unavailable
For more on the GSD data and how to acquire the information yourself. Head to gamesalesdata.com
These charts cover physical and digital game sales across Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Guadeloupe, Italy, Martinique, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
It covers all physical game sales, but digital game sales from these companies: Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, CI Games, Crystal Dynamics, Disney Interactive, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Gameforge, IO Interactive, Konami, Marvelous, Microsoft, Milestone, MyGames, Nacon, Plaion, Saber Interactive, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Supermassive Games, Take-Two, Tencent, Ubisoft, UsTwo. Warner Bros, Wizards of the Coast and Zenimax Media.
Interesting. If this is only focusing on physical sales though, couldn’t it be that people are more likely to download it digitally now?
Manipulative headline from a group of online gamers who believe they can trick people into thinking this is weird.
Spending is down ACROSS almost every single industry. Customer aren't buying much of anything right now. Around the world. Your headline is just meant to try to continue the failed dogpile on Pokemon because a bunch of 30-40 year old weirdos are upset the games aren't worth it to them... Even though no one is actually trying to sell Pokemon to their age group.
30-40 year olds with money being into really childish things like Pokemon is why scalping the cards is happening to rampantly. And it won't stop as long as those scalper keep seeing that grown people want to be able to throw their money at something that wasn't even designed for them.