Pokémon Sword and Shield may have been cast into the shadow of the Diamond and Pearl remakes in 2021 and further thanks to Legends: Arceus launching last month, but it has moved up the charts once again to become the second best-selling Pokémon title ever.
Thanks to Nintendo’s latest sales report, we now know that Pokémon Sword and Shield have moved 23.9 million units as of Dec. 31, 2021. This pushes the game up past Pokémon Gold and Silver for the Gameboy Color, which sold 23.1 million units in its sales lifetime.
During the six months between April and December of 2021, the games sold 2.8 million copies globally. As you’d expect, the most selling Pokémon game for that period was the newly released Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl generation four remakes that sold 13.9 million copies worldwide.
The Pokémon Company continues to support Pokémon Sword and Shield years after release with regular competitive competitions and raid battle content being held in-game for players to participate in.
With its new count of almost 24 million units sold, Pokémon Sword and Shield could potentially take that number one spot in the coming years from Pokémon Red and Blue, which moved more than 31 million copies for the Gameboy.
At the time of Red and Blue’s release, digital sales were not a factor. Given the relevance they have in today’s gaming space, it would seem only a matter of time until a new Pokémon game takes the No. 1 spot.
