How many Pokemon cards are there? All sets released so far

While the Pokemon TCG doesn’t have the busiest release schedule out there (that title would likely go to Magic: The Gathering), it does provide a constant stream of new cards, products, and expansion sets for fans to get excited about.

That’s been the case ever since the cards were released initially, meaning that there are a lot of expansion sets to work through if you’re a collector. It can feel hard to keep track of how many cards there are in the mix, especially with Rarities like Illustration Rares and Hyper Rares to consider.

Here, you’ll find a guide to the current number of Pokemon cards, expansion sets, and release dates, looking at how many English-language Pokemon cards actually exist and which expansion sets feature the most cards.

How many Pokemon cards are there in total?

Considering every release that’s happened since writing this article, we estimate that there are a total of 16,766 Pokemon trading cards released in English. This immense number was calculated by adding up every officially released card so far, ignoring promo cards, booster toppers, and the like.

It’s important to note that our estimate is just for the English-language sets, too. Expansion sets in other languages – like Stellar Miracle – have not been included in our line-up.

All Pokemon Trading Card sets released so far

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of every Pokemon TCG expansion set so far, looking at their official names, card numbers (including all Rarities and Secret Rares), and Western release date. 

First generation sets

Number	Name	Number of cards	Release Date
1	Base Set 1	102	January 9, 1999
2	Jungle	64	June 16, 1999
3	Fossil	62	October 10, 1999
4	Base Set 2	130	February 24, 2000
5	Team Rocket	83	April 24, 2000
6	Gym Heroes	132	August 14, 2000
7	Gym Challenge	132	October 16, 2000

Second generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
8	Neo Genesis	111	December 16, 2000
9	Neo Discovery	75	June 1, 2001
10	Neo Revelation	66	September 21, 2001
11	Neo Destiny	133	February 28, 2001
12	Legendary Collection	110	May 24, 2001
13	Expedition Base Set	165	September 15, 2002
14	Aquapolis	186	January 15, 2003
15	Skyridge	182	May 12, 2003

Third generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
16	EX Ruby & Sapphire	109	June 18, 2003
17	EX Sandstorm	100	September 17, 2003
18	EX Dragon	100	November 24, 2003
19	EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua	97	March 15, 2004
20	EX Hidden Legends	102	June 14, 2004
21	EX FireRed & LeafGreen	116	August 30, 2004
22	EX Team Rocket Returns	111	November 8, 2004
23	EX Deoxys	108	February 14, 2005
24	EX Emerald	107	May 9, 2005
25	EX Unseen Forces	145	August 22, 2005
26	EX Delta Species	114	October 31, 2005
27	EX Legend Maker	93	February 13, 2006
28	EX Holon Phantoms	111	May 3, 2006
29	EX Crystal Guardians	100	August 30, 2006
30	EX Dragon Frontiers	101	November 8, 2006
31	EX Power Keepers	108	February 14, 2007

Fourth generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
32	Diamond & Pearl Base Set	130	May 23, 2007
33	Mysterious Treasures	124	August 22, 2007
34	Secret Wonders	132	November 7, 2007
35	Great Encounters	106	February 13, 2008
36	Majestic Dawn	100	May 21, 2008
37	Legends Awakened	146	August 20, 2008
38	Stormfront	106	November 5, 2008
39	Platinum Base Set	133	February 11, 2009
40	Rising Rivals	120	May 20, 2009
41	Supreme Victors	153	August 19, 2009
42	Arceus	111	November 4, 2009
43	HeartGold & SoulSilver Base Set	124	February 10, 2010
44	Unleashed	96	May 12, 2010
45	Undaunted	91	August 18, 2010
46	Triumphant	103	November 2, 2010
47	Call of Legends	106	February 9, 2011

Fifth generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
48	Black & White Base Set	115	April 25, 2011
49	Emerging Powers	98	August 31, 2011
50	Noble Victories	102	November 16, 2011
51	Next Destinies	103	February 8, 2011
52	Dark Explorers	111	May 9, 2012
53	Dragons Exalted	128	August 15, 2012
54	Boundaries Crossed	153	November 7, 2012
55	Plasma Storm	138	February 6, 2013
56	Plasma Freeze	122	May 8, 2013
57	Plasma Blast	105	August 14, 2013
58	Legendary Treasures	138	November 8, 2013

Sixth generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
59	X & Y Base Set	146	February 5, 2014
60	Flashfire	109	May 7, 2014
61	Furious Fists	133	August 13, 2014
62	Phantom Forces	122	November 5, 2014
63	Primal Clash	164	February 4, 2015
64	Roaring Skies	110	May 6, 2015
65	Ancient Origins	100	August 12, 2015
66	BREAKthrough	164	November 4, 2015
67	BREAKpoint	123	February 3, 2016
N/A	Generations	115	February 22, 2016
68	Fates Collide	125	May 2, 2016
69	Steam Siege	116	August 3, 2016
70	Evolutions	113	November 2, 2016

Seventh generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
71	Sun & Moon Base Set	163	February 3, 2017
72	Guardians Rising	169	May 5, 2017
73	Burning Shadows	169	August 4, 2017
N/A	Shining Legends	78	October 6, 2017
74	Crimson Invasion	124	November 3, 2017
75	Ultra Prism	173	February 2, 2018
76	Forbidden Light	146	May 4, 2018
77	Celestial Storm	183	August 3, 2018
N/A	Dragon Majesty	78	September 7, 2018
78	Lost Thunder	236	November 2, 2018
79	Team Up	196	February 1, 2019
N/A	Detective Pikachu	18	March 29, 2019
80	Unbroken Bonds	234	May 3, 2019
81	Unified Minds	258	August 2, 2019
N/A	Hidden Fates	163	August 23, 2019
82	Cosmic Eclipse	271	November 1, 2019

Eighth generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
83	Sword & Shield Base Set	216	February 7, 2020
84	Rebel Clash	209	May 1, 2020
85	Darkness Ablaze	201	August 14, 2020
N/A	Champion’s Path	80	September 25, 2020
86	Vivid Voltage	203	November 13, 2020
N/A	Shining Fates	195	February 19, 2021
87	Battle Styles	183	March 29, 2021
88	Chilling Reign	233	June 18, 2021
89	Evolving Skies	237	August 27, 2021
N/A	Celebrations	50	October 8, 2021
90	Fusion Strike	284	November 12, 2021
91	Brilliant Stars	216	February 25, 2022
92	Astral Radiance	246	May 27, 2022
N/A	Pokemon Go	88	July 1, 2022
93	Lost Origin	247	September 9, 2022
94	Silver Tempest	245	November 11, 2022
N/A	Crown Zenith	230	January 20, 2023

Ninth generation sets

Number	Name	Number of Cards	Release Date
95	Scarlet & Violet Base Set	258	March 31, 2023
96	Paldea Evolved	279	June 9, 2023
97	Obsidian Flames	230	August 11, 2023
98	151	207	September 22, 2023
99	Paradox Rift	266	November 3, 2023
N/A	Paldean Fates	245	January 26, 2024
100	Temporal Forces	218	March 22, 2024
101	Twilight Masquerade	226	May 24, 2024
102	Shrouded Fable	99	August 2, 2024
103	Stellar Crown	175	September 13, 2024
104	Surging Sparks	252	November 8, 2024

What about all the promotional Pokemon cards?

The section above contains every official Pokemon expansion set on the books in 2024 so far, but we’ve left out niche exclusives like event promo cards, ‘box toppers’, or movie promotional cards. There are heaps of them dotted throughout Pokemon history, and we wanted to focus on the official releases.

That’s not to say that they’re not worth your time as a collector, though – if you come across an Ancient Mew while digging through online listings, it’s worth adding to your collection if you can stomach the undoubtedly high price tag.

If you want to add some event promos and rare pieces to your collection, it’s worth checking out pre-release events and card shows. This is a great way to find cards with rare stamps or interesting holofoils, and these promo cards can become valuable collector’s pieces down the line.

If any of the expansion sets in the list above appealed to you, why not check out our list of the rarest cards or best Booster Packs to find your next grail card? You may end up stumbling across a rare find during your next card shop visit.