Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the largest physical launch for a video game in over 2 years, and fans on Reddit feel validated

Today, according to Mat Piscatella from Circana, Pokémon Legends: Z-A had the largest physical launch of a new video game in over 2 years, and fans on Reddit feel validated. This news seems to confirm for many fans that there is a distinct separation between the online sentiment and that of players in real life. Common complaints about Legends: Z-A included its visuals, performance on Switch 1, and other quality-of-life features. Over the last 29 years, Pokémon has made itself an easy target for criticism, and Legends: Z-A is no exception. But as usual, this hasn’t impacted sales.

Pokémon fans feel validated as sales data for Legends: Z-A shows impressive launch

The news was shared on BlueSky by Piscatella, where he said: “Pokémon Legends: Z-A had a massive US launch at retail. Launch week physical unit and dollar sales of Pokémon Legends: Z-A were the biggest for a new physical video game release since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom back in May of 2023.” Circana, for which Piscatella is Senior Director, tracks video game industry data, including sales figures, and Piscatella often shares insights on social media.

Mat Piscatella explains the impressive news about Pokémon Legends: Z-A's physical launch.Source: Mat Piscatella on BlueSky

Piscatella’s information was shared on the Nintendo Switch subreddit, prompting many fans to share their appreciation for Legends: Z-A and feel validated by the strong sales numbers. One user wrote: “…it’s honestly a really good game. The Reddit discourse is so different than every conversation I’ve had in real life.” Another user added, “I really, really, really liked this game, this is in my top 5 Pokémon games for sure… Also, it helped me filter out people I don’t want on my timeline anymore.” This second statement appears to be a common experience for many players, as the top comment by a fair margin was: “Hope this is a reminder to everyone that social media discourse is not real life…”

There are many valid criticisms to level towards Pokémon games, but there’s no denying how popular they are, either. Even Pokémon Scarlet and Violet from 2022, which were regarded by many as a horribly optimized mess, still sold over 10 million copies in their first three days, according to Nintendo. Ultimately, while there are certainly issues, many people find Pokémon a fun franchise despite its flaws. This was the first new full game release in the series since November 2022, so it makes sense that the large fanbase was excited for the new experience.

If you’re playing through Pokémon Legends: Z-A, check out our guides on how to build the perfect team around your starter, whether that’s Chikorita, Totodile, or Tepig. Even if you’re farther along in the game, there’s still some great advice about how to best support your starter Pokémon of choice.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

October 16, 2025

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• Overview
• Review

• Pokemon (franchise)
• Game Freak
• game sales
• The Pokemon Company
• Nintendo Switch
• Nintendo Switch 2