Seven sets. That’s how many expansions the Pokémon TCG released last year, made up of four standard ones and three special ones. That’s roughly one every two months (slightly under, actually). On the other hand, the Palworld TCG has just two for 2026, and that is a sigh of relief on my side.
Don’t get me wrong, I love collecting Pokémon TCG sets. I’ve written about each and every expansion since Stellar Crown, giving insights into the various chases, potential deals, and more. It’s become a routine of mine with every expansion, but it’s sometimes hard to manage. The Palworld TCG, on the other hand, is starting fresh - and it shouldn’t make the same mistake.
Admittedly, that would be bad for me. Kanto Post’s dedication to the Pokémon TCG, as well as constant releases and new information, is exactly why I write consistently on this website. If it wasn’t for a flurry of new expansions, content would dry up - I’m basically asking The Pokémon Company to make things harder for me.
The consistent release cycle also keeps the excitement rolling. Collectors and players are never left with a dry patch between releases - it’s a constant feeling of ‘go, go, go’. Before a new set is even out, the next is announced, and discussion across the community begins anew. It’s become familiar, and safe. It’s expected, and that’s nice. But, I think it’s necessary to slow things down for the foreseeable future.
For one, Pokémon cards have been flying off store shelves since late 2024, and with continuous sets releasing every couple of months, the demand hasn’t caught up with the stock levels. Even with billions printed every year, the sheer amount of cards in each expansion, in multiple languages, soon gets split up across various sets. By the time Pitch Black is available, all of the printing needs to focus on future expansions, meaning stock of that particular set dries up.
Financially, constant expansions also make it hard for those with less budget to spend on sets. It becomes less of a hobby, and more of a strategy - which expansion should I buy? Am I interested in enough of these Pokémon to buy it? I skipped Chaos Rising simply because I’m not a huge fan of many of the Pokémon that the set focuses on, and I didn’t want to spend money for an expansion I wouldn’t be able to complete. If it was only one of three sets in a year, I would’ve bought it.
It’s made even harder by the sheer amount of products each set has. Blisters, booster boxes, ETBs, Ultra-Premium Collections, poster collections, pin collections, and entirely separate products like the First Partner Collections. As a Pokémon-dedicated journalist, that’s content I get to write about. As a consumer, it’s exhausting.
Even taking away three of those sets a year, based on last year’s amount, we’d still be left with one every quarter. That’s a pretty healthy amount, and it would allow The Pokémon Company to focus efforts on one expansion at a time, rather than moving onto the next as soon as another is released.
Admittedly, the Palworld TCG is currently following that one every three months approach, with the sophomore set releasing in October this year. That gives it a healthy amount of breathing time for each expansion, and I personally think that’s the best way to be. I hope Bushiroad doesn’t get too confident and start amping up the pacing - it could lead to a similarly challenging position for the TCG.
It’s not impossible for Pokémon to reverse the tide. Simply doing three standard sets and one special set per year would take some adjusting of the schedule, but I’m not sure how far ahead the company is planning. It could be that the entirety of Mega Evolutions era is already set in stone - The Pokémon Company is so secretive, it wouldn’t surprise me. But, I think there’s a future where stock can balance with demand, and I think it requires less releases.
If Bushiroad decides to amp up Palworld releases, it could have a slow, catastrophic effect. That freshness, that new-experience feel is giving it a very strong launch, but it’s easy for collectors to be worn out by endless products. Collecting Dawn of Palpagos chase cards, as well as Legends Awaken in three months' time, will be more fun if there’s not another expansion peeking around the corner straight away.
