Why Pokemon FireRed Probably Outsells Pokemon LeafGreen (And It Has Nothing To Do With Charizard)

This article was updated by Andrea Trama on March 16, 2026, with mentions of recent changes to the Nintendo eShop bestseller list. It was first published on March 2.

Once confirmed by The Pokemon Company and Game Freak Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen were coming to the Switch, these two games were at the top of the sales charts. There is a clear demand for simple ways to play the classics Pokemon games and the price is little disputed. Combined with the inclusion of event-specific Legendary and Mythical Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreenas well as quality of life upgrades, this seems safe Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen they are safely raking in solid sales.

Interestingly, Pokemon FireRed takes the #1 spot Pokemon LeafGreen takes the #2 spot. What the sums will look like in the end is not known, but history tells it FireRed will be sold Pokemon LeafGreen. This is interesting because it flies right in the face of the typical Pokemon sales. Whatever color association fans have with it, everyone Pokemon a game that is red, tinged with red, or has shades similar to red is outsold by its counterpart. There are only 3 known exceptions to the rule, s Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen to be one of them.

Upon release, Pokemon Pokopia topped the Nintendo eShop sales charts, with FireRed coming in second. Interestingly, LeafGreen alternates between #3 and #4, sometimes being surpassed by Super Mario Party Jamboree; this could be due to the recent MAR10 Day sales, but it further shows that FireRed is outselling LeafGreen.

A screenshot of Pikachu and Ditto in front of the Pokemon FireRed LeafGreen mountain Poke Center

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen cost $20 a pop, but that hasn't stopped them from dominating the sales charts

Despite their price causing some pressure from fans, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are already dominating the eShop sales charts ahead of their release.

Nintendo usually packs Pokemon sales of the versions combined, making it almost impossible to find out the worldwide figures for the independent versions. However, some regional and Japanese sales figures (via Bulbapedia) clearly show this color association and can be extrapolated outwards. For example, Pokemon Sapphire and SoulSilver outperformed their red-oriented counterparts but FireRed and LeafGreen act as an exception. By January 2, 2011 original edition Pokemon FireRed sold 1.6 million a Pokemon LeafGreen sold 1.2 million in Japan.

Someone has reportedly gained access to Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch 2 early.

Estimated Pokemon Sales by Version (if applicable)

Red (5.02m)
Blue (4.83m)
Gold (3.4m)
Silver (3.5m)
Ruby (2.5m)
Sapphire (2.6m)
FireRed – 1.6m
LeafGreen (1.2m)
Diamond (3.1m)
Pearl (2.6)
HeartGold (1.8m)
SoulSilver (2m)
Black and white (Irrelevant)
Black 2 (1.6m)
White 2 (1.4m)
X (2.2m)
Y (2m)
Omega Ruby (1.4m)
Alpha Sapphire (1.6m)
Sun (1.9m)
Moon (1.7m)
Ultra Sun (1.3m)
Ultra Moon (1.2m)
Sword (2.3m)
Shield (1.7 m)
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Unknown)

Pokemon FireRed is high, while almost every other “red” version falls short

In almost all cases, the equivalent “red version” was resold by its companion: Sapphire oversold Ruby, Diamond oversold Pearl, SoulSilver oversold Heart of Gold, Black 2 oversold White 2 (Zekrom fusion was in red)X oversold Y, Alpha Sapphire oversold The Omega Ruby and the Sword oversold Shield. There are only a handful of exceptions, p Red outselling Blue, FireRed outselling LeafGreen and Sun/Ultra Sun outselling Moon/Ultra Moon.

In other words, the “red version” sells less than its counterpart in all major games except Gen 1 and 7, with FireRed is the only remake version to outsell its non-red counterpart. In some cases the difference was as little as 20-100,000 copies, but sometimes the difference was in the millions. The overall picture is simple: the version associated with any shade of red is sold less for whatever reason, except for three cases in 9 generations. It remains to be seen if this will be confirmed at all, how FireRed and LeafGreen versions are sold on Switch, but at least they are selling well.

It will most likely be true to history Pokemon FireRed outselling LeafGreen again. In theory, it could defy this exception and adapt to the trend it would require Pokemon LeafGreen resell FireRed. But with FireRed topping the sales charts, that seems less likely.

Sales of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are unknown

pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-hosting-year-of-the-snake-mass-outbreak-event

While Pokemon sales are usually matched worldwide, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet they are the first gen with no known difference in sales in Japan or any region. This means they are the best sellers Pokemon games in the series' history in Japan, selling a combined total of over 8.3 million units. This makes it highly likely that no different data will be provided Pokemon winds and waves either

There is no real reason to believe that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet they are the exception to the rule, with high probability Pokemon Violet resold Pokemon Scarlet.

Pokemon Winds and Waves can't exactly contribute to this trend (yet)

pokemon winds and waves launcher official

Pokemon black and white they are excluded from this data for obvious reasons: neither box art nor legendaries have any hint of red. With Zekrom fusions on Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 box art, the trend is returning to normal. Pokemon Black 2The black and blue color combination is sold out Pokemon White 2association of white and red colors. The first games seem to be ruled out, as well as the next generation.

Obviously, the next generation of games has no color (yet). Pokemon Winds' color scheme is seafoam green, while Pokemon blue is common sea blue. One of the legendaries box art may have some red, with a reliable Pokemon winds and waves leaks that there is a “windy grandfather and a waving grandmother” in the game. If one of the legendaries was red, then they would count and count, but as of this writing, not a single game seems to have any red association with it.