The Pokemon Company has officially announced that Pokemon Legends: Z-A has sold 5.8 million copies in its first week, encompassing both physical and digital sales. Notably, this title serves as a spiritual successor to Pokemon X/Y, contributing to heightened anticipation leading up to its release.

Previously, in January 2022, the company had launched Pokemon Legends: Arceus for the original Nintendo Switch, characterized by an action-based gameplay format that allowed gamers to capture Pokemon in real-time. Pokemon Legends: Z-A advances this dynamic gameplay style further, returning players to Lumiose City.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Sells 5.8 Million Copies in its First Week

On October 24, 2025, The Pokemon Company confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Z-A achieved 5.8 million copies sold globally since its launch on October 16. Remarkably, almost half of these sales were for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game.

Recent reports from Famitsu indicate that Pokemon Legends: Z-A sold approximately 1.486 million copies in Japan, with 613,000 being the Nintendo Switch 2 version and 872,000 belonging to the earlier Switch model. Consequently, it is estimated that around 4.314 million copies were sold in markets outside Japan during the launch week.

However, a report from Christopher Dring at The Game Business highlighted that, although Pokemon Legends: Z-A topped the UK sales charts upon its release, its sales figures were 40% lower compared to Pokemon Legends: Arceus during its initial week. This pattern appears consistent, as while the 5.8 million copies sold are indeed impressive, they do not reach the heights of some of the franchise’s earlier titles.

Comparative sales numbers reveal that Pokemon Legends: Z-A outperformed both Pokemon X/Y (4 million copies) and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee (3 million). However, its launch performance still trails behind Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, which achieved an astounding 10 million copies in its first week. Furthermore, Pokemon Legends: Arceus sold 6.5 million copies, while Pokemon Sword/Shield and Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl each reached sales of 6 million.

Overall, Pokemon Legends: Z-A remains a significant success within the gaming industry, especially considering the long lifespan associated with Pokemon titles. For instance, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has continued to perform well post-launch, exceeding 14.83 million copies sold just over a year after its release. It’s likely that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will continue its upward trajectory.