In a world where the line between hobby and hysteria has never been blurrier, Pokémon cards have firmly reestablished themselves as not just a nostalgic relic but the reigning champions of trading card games (TCGs) in 2025. According to a revealing report from GemRate, Pokémon has not only held its ground but has ascended to dizzying new heights in the trading card grading landscape.
The year 2025 has seen Pokémon take over the world of third-party card grading with the kind of fanatical dedication typically reserved for die-hard sports teams. The numbers are dizzying: out of the top 100 most-graded cards at the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a staggering 97 hail from the Pokémon universe. This phenomenon is indicative of a larger trend across the industry, with non-sports and TCG cards accounting for 59% of all graded submissions across the four main authenticators.
When we delve into the sheer volume of this cardboard conquest, it’s clear that Pokémon mania is far from a fleeting phase. A total of 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards were graded from January through June alone, representing an explosive 70% increase from the previous year. Compare this to the dwindling fortunes of sports cards, with only 5.1 million submissions—a notable 9% decline—and the shift in collector interests becomes evident.
What’s driving this Pokémon-powered grading surge? At the forefront is the ever-enigmatic Pikachu, whose ventures in every conceivable form are iconic. More than 345,000 Pikachu cards have been graded in 2025, from electrifying reissues to beguiling collaborations like the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat.” This particular card, part of a culturally significant Van Gogh Museum partnership, has achieved near-mythical status with almost 84,000 submissions, despite the haunting ubiquity.
Not to be outdone, the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo card has captivated collectors, with over 45,600 copies submitted, proving that trading card culture in Japan is as robust as ever. Across the Pacific, the dramatic evolution of Pokémon grading is perhaps best illustrated by the relative scarcity of sports cards in PSA’s top ranks. Among the top 100 submissions, only three belonged to sports, with Jayden Daniels and Caitlin Clark making rare cameo appearances.
As June’s figures echoed what enthusiasts have been whispering in forums and card shops worldwide, trading card game and non-sports cards comprised 63% of the monthly grading submissions. PSA alone graded an extraordinary 911,000 cards in this category, decisively overshadowing the combined sports card total of 743,000.
Meanwhile, CGC Cards has become a veritable Pokémon powerhouse, grading a mammoth 2.18 million cards by midyear, nearly as many as their entire output in 2024. Of these, over a staggering 1.8 million were of the TCG or non-sports variety, seamless data in the global Pokémon narrative.
The winds of fortune, however, have shifted for Beckett, another major player in the grading realm, whose submissions have plummeted, currently sitting fourth among the grading titans. Of the 366,000 cards they have graded this year, a substantial 214,000 are Pokémon or TCG-related.
PSA’s unprecedented momentum owes much to its fruitful partnership with GameStop, launched in October of the previous year. This collaboration seems to have struck a chord with collectors, galvanizing over 1 million submissions, and fueling the Rip to Flip phenomena that Pokémon now embodies.
If the grading wars are any indication, the feverish demand for Pokémon is mirrored in the retail space, where shelves have been left bare, much as a field after a stampede of Tauros. New releases vanish as quickly as they appear, with desperate enthusiasts often facing long lines and strict purchase limits.
Stay alert, because while tomorrow’s hobbies are unknown, today, one thing is clear; in the clash of cardboard champions, Pokémon has undeniably caught them all. In this intriguing new chapter of the trading card saga, Pokémon reigns supreme, leaving sports cards looking not just overpowered, but distinctly benched. The trading card cosmos has been reshaped, and it seems that Pokémon’s charm isn’t fading—but charging up.
