Here’s every English Pokémon TCG set in the order it came out, from Base Set in January 1999 to 30th Celebration, released September 16, 2026. That’s 106 main expansions and 25 special sets, grouped by era, each with its set symbol, code, release date and card count.
The list shows main and special sets to start with. Tick the boxes to add Black Star Promos and one-off products like McDonald’s collections and POP Series packs. The numbers down the left update to match.
Main sets, special sets and promos
- Main sets are the regular expansions, about four a year, sold in booster boxes. Each era starts with a base set named after the video games of the time, like Sword & Shield or Scarlet & Violet.
- Special sets come out between them and usually have no booster boxes, only collection boxes, tins and bundles. They’re often the most collected sets of their era: Hidden Fates, Celebrations, 151 and Prismatic Evolutions are all special sets.
- Black Star Promos are cards given away in products and at events, numbered in their own series (SWSH001, SVP 001) and running for a whole era.
- Other products are small one-off sets: McDonald’s Happy Meal cards, the POP Series packs from 2004 to 2009, trainer kits and the like.
Want to identify a card rather than browse? The set symbol finder has a search box, and the rarity chart explains the symbol next to the card number.
The eras at a glance
Wizards of the Coast published the English cards from 1999 until 2003, covering Base Set through Skyridge. Nintendo took over with EX Ruby & Sapphire later that year, and every era since has followed a new generation of the video games. The last Wizards sets (Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge) worked with the Nintendo e-Reader, which is why they’re called the e-Card series.
Scarlet & Violet changed the look of the cards in 2023: silver borders instead of yellow, a three-letter set code in place of the set symbol, and new rarities marked with gold stars. Mega Evolution, which started in September 2025, kept that design.
FAQ
What was the first Pokémon card set?
Base Set, released in English on January 9, 1999. It came out in Japan in 1996. It’s the only main English set with no set symbol, which is how you tell its cards apart from the later Base Set 2 reprints.
What is the newest Pokémon set?
The newest English set is 30th Celebration, released September 16, 2026. This list adds each new set when it’s released.
How many Pokémon card sets are there?
There are 106 main English expansions and 25 special sets so far. Counting promo lines, McDonald’s collections, POP Series and other small products, the list has 166 in total.
Are Japanese sets released in the same order?
No. Japanese sets come out first, usually a few months earlier, and they’re often smaller sets that get combined into one English set. So a single English expansion can hold the cards of two Japanese ones. This list covers English sets only.
Set data comes from the open Pokémon TCG data project. Spotted a mistake? Tell me and I’ll fix it.