All Pokémon sets since the start and the upcoming release schedule
Here’s a list of every Pokémon set that has been released (as of June 2026), as well as the upcoming TCG expansions you should keep a lookout for.
There’s a new Pokémon TCG set every couple of months, so it can certainly become overwhelming. By the time you’ve made a dent in collecting all of the Pokémon cards for the latest set, chances are, there’s already been another one (or even a few) launched in that time span. So, if you need to catch up, here are all Pokémon sets in order of release.
I’m going in order from the very first Pokémon TCG set to the latest, and, unsurprisingly, there have been quite a few since the TCG’s release in 1997. This is quite a lengthy list, which I’ve broken up into eras to make things a little easier.
Base Era
- Base Set (BS) - January 9, 1999
- Jungle (JU) - June 16, 1999
- Fossil (FO) - October 10, 1999
- Base Set 2 (B2) - February 24, 2000
- Team Rocket (TR) - April 24, 2000
Gym Heroes
- Gym Heroes (G1) - August 14, 2000
- Gym Challenge (G2) - October 16, 2000
Neo Series
- Neo Genesis (N1) - December 16, 2000
- Neo Discovery (N2) - June 1, 2001
- Neo Revelation (N3) - September 21, 2001
- Neo Destiny (N4) - February 28, 2002
Legendary Collection
- Legendary Collection (LC) - May 24, 2002
E-Card
- Expedition Base Set (EX) - September 15, 2002
- Aquapolis (AQ) - January 15, 2003
- Skyridge (SK) - May 12, 2003
EX Ruby & Sapphire
- EX Ruby & Sapphire (RS) - June 18, 2003
- EX Sandstorm (SS) - September 18, 2003
- EX Dragon (DR) - November 24, 2003
- EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua (MA) - March 15, 2004
- EX Hidden Legends (HL) - June 14, 2004
- EX FireRed & LeafGreen (FL) - August 30, 2004
- EX Team Rocket Returns (TRR) - November 8, 2004
- EX Deoxys (DX) - February 14, 2005
- EX Emerald (EM) - May 9, 2005
- EX Unseen Forces (UF) - August 22, 2005
- EX Delta Species (DS) - October 31, 2005
- EX Legend Maker (LM) - February 13, 2006
- EX Holon Phantoms (HP) - May 3, 2006
- EX Crystal Guardians (CG) - August 30, 2006
- EX Dragon Frontiers (DF) - November 8, 2006
- EX Power Keepers (PK) - February 14, 2007
Diamond & Pearl
- Diamond & Pearl (DP) - May 23, 2007
- Mysterious Treasures (MT) - August 22, 2007
- Secret Wonders (SW) - November 7, 2007
- Great Encounters (GE) - February 13, 2008
- Majestic Dawn (MD) - May 21, 2008
- Legends Awakened (LA) - August 20, 2008
- Stormfront (SF) - November 5, 2008
Platinum
- Platinum (PL) - February 11, 2009
- Rising Rivals (RR) - May 16, 2009
- Supreme Victors (SV) - August 19, 2009
- Arceus (AR) - November 4, 2009
HeartGold SoulSilver
- HeartGold & SoulSilver (HS) - February 10, 2010
- Unleashed (UL) - May 12, 2010
- Undaunted (UD) - August 18, 2010
- Triumphant (TM) - November 3, 2010
Call of Legends
- Call of Legends (CL) - February 9, 2011
Black and White
- Black & White (BLW) - April 25, 2011
- Emerging Powers (EPO) - August 31, 2011
- Noble Victories (NVI) - November 16, 2011
- Next Destinies (NXD) - February 8, 2012
- Dark Explorers (DEX) - May 9, 2012
- Dragon Vault (DRV) - October 5, 2012*
- Boundaries Crossed (BCR) - November 7, 2012
- Plasma Storm (PLS) - February 6, 2013
- Plasma Freeze (PLF) - May 8, 2013
- Plasma Blast (PLB) - August 14, 2013
- Legendary Treasures (LTR) - November 6, 2013
XY
- Kalos Starter Set (KSS) - November 8, 2013
- XY (XY) - February 5, 2014
- Flashfire (FLF) - May 7, 2014
- Furious Fists (FFI) - August 13, 2014
- Phantom Forces (PHF) - November 5, 2014
- Primal Clash (PRC) - February 4, 2015
- Double Crisis (DCR) - March 25, 2015*
- Roaring Skies (ROS) - May 6, 2015
- Ancient Origins (AOR) - August 12, 2015
- BREAKthrough (BKT) - November 4, 2015
- BREAKpoint (BKP) - February 2, 2016
- Generations (GEN) - February 22, 2016*
- Fates Collide (FCO) - May 2, 2016
- Steam Siege (STS) - August 3, 2016
- Evolutions (EVO) - November 2, 2016
Sun & Moon
- Sun & Moon (SUM) - February 3, 2017
- Guardians Rising (GRI) - May 5, 2017
- Burning Shadows (BUS) - August 4, 2017
- Shining Legends (SLF) - October 6, 2017
- Crimson Invasion (CIN) - November 3, 2017
- Ultra Prism (UPR) - February 2, 2018
- Forbidden Light (FLI) - May 4, 2018
- Celestial Storm (CES) - August 3, 2018
- Dragon Majesty (DRM) - September 7, 2018
- Lost Thunder (LOT) - November 2, 2018
- Team Up (TEU) - February 1, 2019
- Unbroken Bonds (UNB) - May 3, 2019
- Detective Pikachu (DET) - March 29, 2019
- Unified Minds (UNM) - August 2, 2019
- Hidden Fates (HIF) - August 23, 2019
- Cosmic Eclipse (CEC) - November 1, 2019
Sword & Shield
- Sword & Shield (SSH) - February 7, 2020
- Rebel Clash (RCL) - May 1, 2020
- Darkness Ablaze (DAA) - August 14, 2020
- Pokémon Futsal (FUT) - September 11, 2020
- Champion's Path (CPA) - September 25, 2020
- Vivid Voltage (VIV) - November 13, 2020
- Shining Fates (SHF) - February 19, 2021
- Battle Styles (BST) - March 19, 2021
- Chilling Reign (CRE) - June 18, 2021
- Evolving Skies (EVS) - August 27, 2021
- Celebrations (CEL) - October 8, 2021
- Fusion Strike (FST) - November 12, 2021
- Brilliant Stars (BRS) - February 25, 2022
- Astral Radiance (ASR) - May 27, 2022
- Pokémon GO (PGO) - July 1, 2022
- Lost Origin (LOR) - September 9, 2022
- Silver Tempest (SIT) - November 11, 2022
- Crown Zenith (CRZ) - January 20, 2023
Scarlet & Violet
- Scarlet & Violet (SVI) - March 31, 2023
- Paldea Evolved (PAL) - June 9, 2023
- Obsidian Flames (OBF) - August 11, 2023
- 151 (MEW) - September 22, 2023
- Paradox Rift (PAR) - November 3, 2023
- Paldean Fates (PAF) - January 26, 2024
- Temporal Forces (TEF) - March 22, 2024
- Twilight Masquerade (TWM) - May 24, 2024
- Shrouded Fable (SFA) - August 2, 2024
- Stellar Crown (SCR) - September 13, 2024
- Surging Sparks (SSP) - November 8, 2024
- Prismatic Evolutions (PRE) - January 17, 2025
- Journey Together (JTG) - March 28, 2025
- Destined Rivals (DRI) - May 30, 2025
- Black Bolt (BLK) - July 18, 2025
- White Flare (WHT) - July 18, 2025
Mega Evolution
- Mega Evolution (MEG) - September 26, 2025
- Phantasmal Flames (PFL) - November 14, 2025
- Ascended Heroes (ASC) - January 30, 2026
- Perfect Order (POR) - March 27, 2026
- Chaos Rising (CRI) - May 22, 2026
Upcoming Pokémon sets
- Pokémon Pitch Black - July 17, 2026
- 30th Celebration - September 16, 2026
The next available expansion after Chaos Rising is Pokémon Pitch Black, which launches in July 2026. After this, the next set will be the 30th Anniversary expansion, which is called 30th Celebration, the final special set of this year.
Pokémon Pitch Black - July 17, 2026
Pokémon Pitch Black is the twin to Japan’s Abyss Eye, which launched on the same day as Chaos Rising. This is a Darkrai-led set, as well as being another smaller expansion similar to Perfect Order and Chaos Rising.
Unsurprisingly, Darkrai isn’t stealing the show here alone. Chandelure, Zeraora, and Excadrill are all on the booster pack arts, giving us a clear indication of some that may get SIRs in the set (Mega Chandelure’s SAR has already been revealed with Abyss Eye).
30th Celebration - September 16, 2026
The 30th Celebration expansion will celebrate three decades of our favorite franchise, including classic chases coming back with fresh reprints and some new cards, including the Futuristic Rarity. Each pack only contains five play cards, but there are 30 Pikachu cards to hunt for - and there's one in every pack.
Iconic chases, including Pikachu & Zekrom Tag Team and Shadowless Charizard, are returning. If you didn't manage to get your hands on these essential cards years ago, this is the perfect opportunity, as long as you can find stock.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many Pokémon sets are there?
There are 129 Pokémon TCG sets available in English as of May 2026, including the latest release of Chaos Rising. This doesn’t include the small, mini-sets such as the McDonald’s Collections or the Black Star Promos for each era of the TCG.
In recent years, the pace has certainly picked up, which has also (according to speculation) added to the stress of the printing, therefore affecting stock in the recent wave of hype. Based on the recent Mega Evolutions expansions, it seems English sets are closer to Japanese variants, offering smaller, bite-sized collections in order to make printing more manageable. Previously, multiple Japanese sets would culminate into one bigger English expansion.
What are the different Pokémon sets?
There are two types of Pokémon TCG sets, those being standard expansions and ‘special sets’, also known as ‘High Class sets’ in Japan:
- Standard sets: These are your basic expansions, with each one being a twist on the existing meta. Usually, one Pokémon and certain types take the focus of each set (Greninja for Chaos Rising, Lucario and Gardevoir for Mega Evolutions), and they’re typically printed for a couple of years with a wide range of products.
- Special sets: These are the more ‘exclusive’ sets, limited to ETBs and collection products - that means no individual booster packs or booster boxes are available. These typically have a theme, release only a couple of times a year, and are highly sought after, like Pokémon 151, Prismatic Evolutions, or Ascended Heroes.
How many Pokémon sets are released each year?
There are usually between five and seven Pokémon TCG sets released each year, made up of roughly four standard sets and two or three special sets. 2025 had seven in English, with Black Bolt and White Flare releasing at the same time, similar to how the videogames would split into two copies.
Based on 2024, the typical number of expansions released in a year is six. So far in 2026, we’ve had four expansions released, with at least two coming up - so, it seems like this year could be a record-breaking schedule for The Pokémon Company.
What’s the best Pokémon TCG set to buy?
The best set to buy is the one with your favorite Pokémon in it, whether you like Evolving Skies’ Umbreon chase or prefer the Zygarde from Perfect Order. Of course, older, more vintage sets like the original Base Set are more valuable from a collector’s perspective, but in reality, what's best is very subjective, to say the least.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the more niche Pokémon. While Pokémon like Charizard see regular chases, options like Zygarde, Darkrai, and Zekrom or Reshiram are far less prevalent, and that makes me more excited when they come around once again. If you love collecting Pokémon cards, picking favorites is like choosing a starter every single day - and that’s a blessing as much as it is a curse.
In reality, I’d recommend checking the card list for each expansion and deciding which ones you like the most. Older expansions from early Scarlet & Violet / Sword & Shield will be less available, and sets older than that are even harder to find. In those cases, I’d recommend buying singles as opposed to sealed products.
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