Pokémon 30th Celebration pre-orders, release date, and set guide
The Pokémon 30th Celebration officially has a name, and here’s what you need to know about pre-ordering the new set, as well as what to expect.
Months after its initial reveal, we’ve finally got more information on the Pokémon 30th Celebration set - including, as you can tell, its official name. Full of nostalgic reprints and brand-new chase cards worthy of joining your binder, there’s a lot to enjoy about the new expansion - so long as you can actually find stock.
Pokémon 30th Celebration release date
The Pokémon 30th Celebration set releases on Friday, 16th September 2026 - worldwide. This is unusual, as typically Japan gets expansions prior to the English versions, making a simultaneous release a very special event.
Technically, due to time zones, Japan will still get it earlier than us - but that's a difference in a few hours compared to a couple of months. You win some, you lose some.
Pokémon 30th Celebration pre-orders
Unfortunately, we can’t be sure when pre-orders for the Pokémon 30th Celebration set will go live. As this is a worldwide release, well, it’s all up in the air right now. However, I’d recommend checking the following retailers and bookmarking these pages:
- Pokémon Center (global) - best for Pokémon Center exclusive ETB, but high queues
- Magic Madhouse (UK) - biggest Pokémon TCG specialist retailer, so plenty of stock for UK buyers
- Chaos Cards (UK) - invite system - rejoice!
- Walmart (US) - based on previous experiences writing about Walmart, this is one of the easier US retailers to get stock in
- Amazon (UK) - invite system!
- Amazon (US) - reports of returned stock are common, but a good last resort
Usually, the pre-order window lands around a month to a week prior to the set’s release. Considering how anticipated this expansion is, all bets are off - it could get a pre-order window sooner rather than later.
I’d recommend joining our Kanto Post Discord server - we will be pinging as and when we see stock appear.
Pokémon 30th Celebration details
Like I predicted when the set was first revealed, Pokémon 30th Celebration is packed with nostalgic chases alongside brand-new cards for collectors. To be fair, the reveal trailer made it fairly obvious, but it’s still nice to get confirmation.
Every card will be a foil one, making every pull from those basic cards to the new Futuristic Rares feel special. Interestingly, packs don’t contain the typical 11 cards (10 play cards and one basic energy); instead, it’s six, with five normal cards and one energy.
There’s also 30 Pikachu cards to collect, each illustrated by a different artist. Personally, this is the most exciting part of the set - I love it when a bunch of artists can showcase their unique vision, and we get the benefit of collecting them all. I hope they’re fairly prevalent so the price doesn’t skyrocket after launch.
I am hoping that, with the on-the-nose futuristic rarity added to the new set, the next five years of expansions will focus on Pokémon’s present, especially as Wind & Waves' release date lands next year. We’ve had plenty of nostalgia - now it’s time to focus on what the future may hold.
Pokémon 30th Celebration products speculation
While the full list of products for the 30th Celebration expansion has yet to be revealed, based on previous Pokémon sets, I can make a pretty good estimate.
- Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box: As with every expansion, an ETB with nine packs and a nifty promo is expected. For those lucky enough to secure the Pokémon Center version, you'll get an additional two packs and an exclusive promo with the familiar stamp.
- Pokémon 30th Celebration blisters: A small collection with a couple of packs and an additional promo.
- Pokémon 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection: These usually launch a little later, but typically have plenty of packs compared to ETBs, as well as exclusive promos and other little goodies that make the higher price worth it.
- Other Pokémon 30th Celebration collection products: Like Ascended Heroes, I suspect we'll get binder or poster collections, as well as other little boxes full of packs for collectors to enjoy.
