How Many Pokémon Cards Are There?

How many different Pokémon cards exist? The answer grows every few weeks as new sets come out, so any fixed number goes stale fast. The figures on this page are counted from our card database every night, which tracks every English and Japanese Pokémon TCG release we price.

Total Pokémon Cards Right Now

The English count runs from Base Set in 1999 to 30th Celebration, the newest set we list. You can browse every English set in release order on our Pokémon sets page, and every Japanese set on the Japanese Pokémon sets page.

Pokémon Cards by Era

The Pokémon TCG is usually split into eras named after the main game series of the time. Here is how the English cards divide between them:

We assign each set to an era by its name where the name says it (TCGplayer prefixes series sets with codes such as SWSH or SV). Otherwise we use the release date: a set belongs to the era of the most recent era-opening set released before it. Sets our data doesn't date, mostly older promo series, are counted on the "Undated" row. Recent eras have more cards per year, partly because modern sets include many secret rares and special subsets.

Pokémon Cards Released per Year

Here is how many English cards were released each year, counted by the release date of the set they belong to:

So far in 2026, 7 English sets have added 713 cards. The year with the most new cards in our data was 2018, with 1,972 cards. Years with large special sets or promo collections stand out, because a single big product can add hundreds of cards.

Biggest and Smallest Pokémon Sets

Comparing expansions only (promos, decks, trainer kits, subsets and product lists are left out), these are the largest and smallest English sets by card count:

The biggest sets have grown over time, mostly because of secret rares numbered beyond the main set. The smallest are special sets released alongside the main series.

How Many Pokémon Cards Are Worth Money?

Most aren't worth much. Here is how the English cards with a recent market price split by ungraded price:

That means 49% sell for under $1, and only 4% are worth $100 or more. This counts each priced printing once, so a card with a normal and a reverse holo version can appear twice. For the cards at the top, see our live list of the most expensive Pokémon cards and our guide to the rarest Pokémon cards. To check a card of your own, use the Pokémon card value checker.

How We Count

Card counts are easy to get wrong, so here are our rules:

• We count unique cards, not copies. A "card" is one card number in one set. Billions of physical cards have been printed. The Pokémon Company publishes a running production total on its Pokémon in Figures page, but that counts printed copies, not different cards.
• Included: every main set, special set, subset (such as Classic Collection and Trainer Gallery lists) and promo series that TCGplayer lists, because each contains distinct cards.
• Excluded: sealed products (booster packs, boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes, bundles, tins), digital code cards, and duplicate listings of the same card number, such as reverse holo patterns listed separately.
• Released sets only. A set dated after today is listed ahead of release and isn't counted until it comes out.

Our data also has known gaps, and we'd rather show them than hide them:

Counts on other sites differ because they draw these lines differently. Some count every variant separately, some leave out promos, and some only count main expansions. Read where our prices and data come from for more on our source.