Pokémon Legends: Z-A surpasses 5.8 million sales in a week with half on the Nintendo Switch 2

Pokémon Legends: Z-A has achieved impressive sales figures in under a week since its release. The game has sold 5.8 million units in its first week across a tracked total of 4 days, launching on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on October 16, 2025.

In an official press release, the Pokémon Company announced:

We are pleased to announce that the Nintendo Switch 2/ Nintendo Switch software 'Pokemon Legends: Z-A’, which was released worldwide on Thursday, October 16, 2025, recorded sales of 5.8 million units worldwide in its first week of release, with approximately half of those units being played on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s respectable performance places the title as the fifth-best Pokémon launch in the franchise’s history, that is, for first-week sales.

However, these sales figures are not surprising, given the franchise’s recent sales track record. According to insider leaks, Pokémon Legends: Z-A reportedly needs to ship another 200,000 units to break even on its $13 million or 2 billion Yen budget.

According to sales tracker Pierre485 on X, the top four spots are held by Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, selling 10 million in three days, Pokémon Legends Arceus at 6.5 million in its first week, Pokémon Sword and Shield with 6 million over its launch weekend, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, raking in 6 million in three days.

In Japan, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has dominated sales charts, moving 1.485 million units, 872,552 on the original Switch and 615,905 on the Nintendo Switch 2. Looking at the UK, the game has topped physical charts, with 51% of sales on the Switch 2. However, the launch figures are around 40% lower than Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which released on January 28, 2022.

Released as the second entry in the Pokémon Legends series following Arceus, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, despite commercial success, has drawn mixed reactions from owners. Critics have awarded the game a 79 out of 100 on Metacritic; however, user scores paint a different picture. 

Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s user scores sit at a “Generally Unfavorable” rating of 4.6 from 2,553 reviews, with many players critiquing the game’s lackluster graphical fidelity, minimal exploration, and a “flat” depiction of Lumiose City.

Many Pokémon fans had even resorted to review-bombing the game upon release, just giving an idea of community frustration over Game Freak’s alleged “refusal” to introduce innovations in the Pokémon series.

Buy Pokemon Legends: Z-A on Amazon