Wednesday, September 16, 2026 will go down as a landmark date in Pokémon Trading Card Game history. For the very first time, an expansion launched worldwide and simultaneously: whether fans were in Tokyo, Los Angeles, or a small town in France, everyone got to crack open their 30th Celebration boosters on the exact same day.
Queues around the block
The reaction was immediate. As soon as doors opened, scenes of crowded stores popped up everywhere. In Paris, an hour after the Fnac Saint-Lazare store opened, around a hundred customers were still lined up hoping to get their hands on product. French toy chain JouéClub, which operates roughly 300 stores, reported being swamped for weeks by customers calling ahead to check stock availability.
The most eager collectors didn’t even wait for the morning: early access opened the night before, on September 15 at 7 p.m., through the Pokémon TCG Live app, letting players crack digital packs ahead of the physical release.
A set unlike any other
Part of the hype comes from the set itself. Every single card in the expansion is foil, including basic Energy cards — a first for the TCG. Each booster pack contains five foil cards plus a foil basic Energy, and guarantees one of 30 exclusive Pikachu illustrations created for the anniversary. Chase cards include Mewtwo ex, Mew ex, Umbreon ex, Salamence ex, Greninja ex, and a highly sought-after full-art Nidorina.
In the United States, the release rolls out across five retail waves running through December, and notably there’s no traditional English booster box this time around. In Japan, only three products were available on day one, allocated through a Pokémon Center Online lottery system rather than open checkout.
Keep it friendly out there
With demand this intense, staying respectful matters: be kind to store staff and fellow collectors, even in the middle of the rush.
To mark the occasion, The Pokémon Company released its official video celebrating 30 years of the franchise:
More waves of products are scheduled for October 2, October 30, and November 6, keeping the 30th anniversary celebrations going well beyond this historic first day.