GameStop Discontinues Pokemon TCG Pre-Orders

GameStop has discontinued pre-orders for Pokemon TCG products, and purchase limits will be set for select products going forward. Although this decision was intended to help more fans have access to new Pokemon TCG products at launch, many Pokemon fans are unhappy and voicing their concerns.

More than 30 years later, Pokemon TCG fans around the world are still forming decks featuring their favorite Pokemon. Many fans enjoy playing the card game and battling their friends, and others enjoy collecting the cards and reselling rare cards. In some cases, rare Pokemon TCG cards can be sold for thousands or even millions of dollars. Pre-orders are one way that fans can get ahead and ensure they have new cards on launch day, but it’s also an opportunity for resellers to pre-order subsets in bulk. To address the long-standing issue, GameStop is making changes to the way fans can purchase new Pokemon TCG packs and products.

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The official Twitter account for GameStop announced that the company will no longer offer pre-orders for Pokemon TCG products. Purchase limits will be set for select Pokemon TCG SKUs, and GameStop will offer free card savers and sleeves for PSA grading submissions on launch weekends at Rip and Submit events. According to GameStop, the company’s goal is to ensure fans have more opportunities to experience exciting Pokemon TCG releases in stores instead of limiting access to early buyers and resellers through pre-orders.

GameStop Discontinues Pokemon TCG Pre-Orders and Imposes Purchase Limits on Select SKUs

However, Pokemon TCG collectors and fans aren’t happy, with many saying that they now have to wait in line at GameStop for hours during Pokemon TCG launches. Other fans are worried that their hobby of collecting Pokemon cards is ruined, since access to cards will be more restricted if there’s heavy demand on launch day. For some fans, pre-orders ensured that they were able to purchase and obtain Pokemon TCG products online or in-store at GameStop, and now there’s some uncertainty in the community.

The next Pokemon TCG release is the Hot Wind Arena subset on March 14 in Japan, with 30 booster packs per box and more than 60 cards to collect. Sinnoh Champion Cynthia is a main highlight of Hot Wind Arena, and she will be featured alongside several other cards from Pokemon Gold and Silver and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s unclear when exactly Hot Wind Arena will release outside of Japan, but pre-orders being discontinued at GameStop could make the Pokemon TCG subset’s release more contentious among fans in the community once it’s available in the US.

Pokemon TCG

Original Release Date

October 20, 1996