Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-orders are already breaking records in Japan

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company/Nintendo)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is seeing record-breaking numbers of pre-orders in Japan.

The launch of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on Switch is now less than two weeks away, and judging by pre-order figures, the latest entry in the long-running Nintendo series could be the most popular yet. 

As shared by Twitter user Pierre485 (thanks Nintendo Life), data from Japanese retailer COMG reveals combined pre-orders of Scarlet and Violet reached 1,208 14 days prior to launch. As the graph below shows, this is considerably higher than any of its predecessors. According to Pierre485's analysis, the game has "surpassed the first 3 days of sales made by any Pokemon game on Switch with only pre-orders."

To show how Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is performing on a wider scale, the Twitter user shared COMG's pre-order figures for other popular Switch exclusives. According to the data, pre-orders for Monster Hunter Rise were 797 two weeks before its release. Next was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 641, followed by Splatoon 3 with 497, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which managed 434. 

It's worth noting that these figures are from just one retailer in just one country, and the popularity of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could vary from one seller to another. Still, given the game's intriguing new additions and expansive open world, it's pretty much guaranteed to be among Switch's most popular titles. 

Our recent hands-on with the upcoming Pokemon game has left her wanting more. Getting to roam around Paldea for just one hour she said, "I really don't know how to feel about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet." 

Check out the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex to see all the Pokemon confirmed so far.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and 12DOVE. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.

Read more
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A just catapulted to the top of my most anticipated games thanks to its single-city setting
Eevee looks nervous in a costume in an episode of the Pokemon anime
The Pokemon Company addresses Prismatic Evolutions and TCG shortages as scalpers feast: "We are actively working to print more"
Images of three Nintendo Switch Pokemon games on a purple GamesRadar patterned background.
I've been a Pokemon fan since the 90s and I'm finding it impossible to ignore these incredibly low Switch game deals at Woot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends Z-A: Everything we know so far
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
A single frame in the new Pokemon Legends Z-A trailer gives hardcore shiny hunters and Nuzlocke runners hope for a huge quality-of-life change
Sheep-like creatures holding mounted machine guns in Palworld
Palworld has revealed what a Pokemon game should be capable of – here's everything we want to see from Gen 10
Latest in Pokemon
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has been bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"
Lapras seen in the Pokemon anime.
Former Pokemon world champ uses a "stupid strategy" that "should never work" to transform a Lapras into an OHKO machine so powerful it can even take out enemies in alternate dimensions
an ai chatbot plays a modded verion of pokemon red and jumps down a ledge to talk to an npc
An AI's mission to 'teach' itself Pokemon Red is going as well as you think - after escaping Cerulean City after tens of hours, it went right on back
Pokemon Legends Z-A screenshot showing Mega Charizard
Pokemon Legends Z-A's visuals aren't "great" say former Nintendo marketing leads, but hope Switch 2 could allow Game Freak to "go back to the drawing board" and add more detail to future RPGs
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks to finally bring my anime-inspired dreams of truly active combat to life
Zoomed in art of the Sudowoodo illustration rare card in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Pokemon's literal god of the universe is almost unstoppable in TCG Pocket – the only thing that can save us is a smiley tree and a concussed dinosaur
Latest in News
A AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being put into it's socket by a reviewer
AMD's new Ryzen 9 X3D processors launch today, here's the stock I've found so far
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Deltarune
Undertale creator Toby Fox's tomfoolery leaves Deltarune testers thinking an intentional nerf was actually a bug after they "independently" discovered it
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has been bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"
A Minecraft Movie
Minecraft movie's popcorn bucket is an explosive, game-accurate continuation of a cinema trend that shows no signs of slowing down