Pokémon TCG sets in release order: the Mega Evolution era
Pokémon releases move quickly enough that keeping track of what came out when — and what is still available at retail — is genuinely difficult. This is the running order for the current era, most recent first.
A caveat worth stating up front: release dates shift, and regional availability varies. Treat this as the order things landed rather than a schedule.
The Mega Evolution era, newest first
- 30th Celebration — the anniversary set, and the kind of release that tends to sell through its allocation fastest.
- Mega Evolution: Pitch Black
- Mega Evolution: Chaos Rising
- Mega Evolution: Perfect Order
- Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes
- Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames
- Mega Evolution — the base set that opened the era.
Before that: the Scarlet & Violet era
The Scarlet & Violet block ran for several years and produced some of the most sought-after modern sets. Working backwards from its end: Black Bolt and White Flare, Destined Rivals, Journey Together, Prismatic Evolutions, Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown, Shrouded Fable, Twilight Masquerade, Temporal Forces, Paldean Fates, Paradox Rift, 151, Obsidian Flames, Paldea Evolved and the Scarlet & Violet base set.
Prismatic Evolutions and 151 in particular have proved hard to find at retail price since their print runs closed — a useful illustration of the general rule that sealed Pokémon rarely gets cheaper after release.
And before that: Sword & Shield
Crown Zenith, Silver Tempest, Lost Origin, Astral Radiance, Brilliant Stars, Fusion Strike, Celebrations, Evolving Skies, Chilling Reign, Battle Styles, Shining Fates, Vivid Voltage, Champion's Path, Darkness Ablaze, Rebel Clash, Pokémon GO and the Sword & Shield base set.
Evolving Skies is the standout here and is now firmly in the territory where sealed product trades well above its original retail price.
What this means if you are buying
Two things follow from the release pattern:
New sets are at their cheapest and most available in the first few weeks. Distributor allocation is finite and set months in advance. Once it runs out, booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes are usually the first products to become hard to find at retail.
Waiting rarely saves money. The sets people wait on are, with some consistency, the sets they end up paying more for. If you know you want a set, pre-ordering fixes the price at retail.
Keeping up
Upcoming sets appear on our pre-orders page before release, and everything that has just landed is on new releases. You can also filter by set on any collection page — the set dropdown is ordered by release date, newest first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the newest Pokémon TCG set?
The most recent set in our catalogue is 30th Celebration, following Pitch Black and Chaos Rising. New sets are listed on our new releases page as they arrive from distribution, and upcoming sets appear on the pre-orders page first.
How often do new Pokémon sets release?
The English Pokémon TCG typically sees a main expansion every two to three months, with special sets and seasonal releases in between.
Do older Pokémon sets get reprinted?
Main expansions are generally not reprinted once their print run ends. Some popular products get additional print runs, but as a rule sealed product from a closed set only gets harder to find.