Pokémon 30th Anniversary: Release Date, Schedule and Pre-orders

Short answer: September 16, 2026. That is the worldwide release date for the Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary expansion, and for the first time in the game's history, it is the same everywhere in the world. But that date only covers the first wave of products: the full lineup rolls out through November, which explains the "series 1" and "series 2" labels you keep seeing at retailers. Here is the complete schedule, what each wave contains, and when pre-orders open.

Article last updated August 19, 2026. Dates for waves 2 through 4 come from retailer planning documents and may shift by a few days; the September 16 date is officially confirmed.

The Release Date: September 16, 2026

The expansion is officially called Pokémon TCG: 30th Anniversary in English, and 30th Celebration under its international designation - that second name is the one you will see on most websites and product boxes.

September 16, 2026 marks a first: it is the first simultaneous worldwide release in Pokémon TCG history. Until now, the Japanese market received expansions several months before Europe, and English versions often preceded other languages by a few days to a few weeks.

In practice, this changes two things for you. You no longer have to choose between waiting for your local version or buying in another language to get it first. And the speculation that usually followed early Japanese releases will not happen, since nobody gets a head start.

Why People Talk About "Series 1" and "Series 2"

This is the most common question, and it comes from a very understandable confusion.

There is only one expansion. "Series 1" and "series 2" are not two different sets: they are the retail labels used for staggered release waves. The anniversary products do not all arrive on the same day - they come in successive batches from September through November, and retailers number them to keep track of their pre-orders.

In other words, the cards are the same. What changes from one wave to the next is which product contains those cards: an Elite Trainer Box in September, a binder collection in October, an Ultra-Premium Collection in November.

This has a practical consequence: if a wave 2 product is what you want, there is no point rushing on September 16. And on the flip side, do not miss a wave 1 product thinking you will find it later - each item has its own window.

The Complete Release Schedule

Wave 1 is the one that matters for most collectors: that is when individual booster packs and the Elite Trainer Box arrive, the two classic entry points for any new expansion.

Wave 4 is the collector piece wave. Ultra-Premium Collections are consistently the most sought-after products in any anniversary expansion, and the fastest to sell out.

When Pre-orders Open

Official pre-orders open late August and early September 2026, a few weeks before the first wave. By the time you read this, they are imminent or already live at some retailers.

A useful habit before you confirm: compare the listed price to that of a comparable expansion. Official euro prices have not yet been announced by The Pokémon Company, and some shops are opening pre-orders well above the suggested retail price, betting on scarcity. With previous anniversary expansions, those gaps often closed in the weeks after release once restocks arrived.

Two reference points to orient yourself:

• An Elite Trainer Box for a standard expansion typically sits around 50 euros.
• An Ultra-Premium Collection ranges between 120 and 180 euros depending on the expansion.

These are historical ballpark figures, not the prices for this expansion - I will update them as soon as official pricing is published.

On Release Day, Do Not Give In to FOMO

This is the most important advice in this article, and the one people follow least.

On September 16, shelves will empty within hours at many stores, and you will immediately see listings appear at twice the suggested retail price, sometimes more. Resellers buy in volume on launch day precisely to sell to people who are afraid of missing out. Fear of missing out is their business model.

Keep this in mind: a sellout on release day is not proof of scarcity. It is a logistics distribution problem. Anniversary expansions are printed in very large quantities, precisely because demand is anticipated, and restocks arrive in the weeks that follow. With recent releases, products that were impossible to find the first weekend were back at retail price a month later.

Three simple rules, which cost a little patience and a lot less money:

• The suggested retail price is a ceiling, not a starting point. If a listing exceeds the store price, the answer is no. There is no urgency: this set will be printed for months.
• Never pay double for a sealed product on release day. You are paying for the performance of scarcity, not the product itself. Wait two to four weeks and compare.
• Buy what you want to open or keep, not what everyone else is buying. FOMO pushes you to grab three identical boxes "just in case"; six months later they are sitting in a cupboard worth retail price.

The only category that justifies moving early is genuinely limited print runs - typically Ultra-Premium Collections, produced in a fixed quantity. And even then: at the suggested retail price, through an official pre-order, not through a middleman.

The best tool against FOMO is a simple piece of data: knowing what something is actually worth. Before confirming a purchase from a private seller, check the real market price of the card or product rather than relying on the listing in front of you.

What the Expansion Contains

Without going card by card, here is what makes this expansion special.

Every card is foil. This is an absolute first in Pokémon TCG history: 100% of cards in the set have a foil treatment, including basic Energy cards. There is no plain non-foil common in any booster pack.

Six cards per booster instead of five. Each pack contains 5 foil cards plus 1 foil basic Energy card.

A guaranteed Pikachu in every booster, drawn from 30 different illustrations by 30 artists - one for each year the game has existed.

A new rarity, the Futuristic Rare (FUR), with a pearlescent finish. Mewtwo-ex and Mew-ex are the most anticipated representatives, illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN.

A Classic Collection bringing back 30 iconic cards from different eras of the game, reprinted with a commemorative "30" stamp. The Base Set Charizard is among them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 30th Anniversary expansion release at the same time in Japan and in Europe?

Yes. September 16, 2026 is a simultaneous worldwide release, the first in Pokémon TCG history. There is no longer a gap between the Japanese market and Western markets for this expansion.

Are "series 1" and "series 2" two different expansions?

No. It is one single expansion, whose products release in several waves between September and November 2026. The cards are identical across waves; only the products that contain them differ.

What is the price of the 30th Anniversary expansion?

Official euro prices had not been announced at the time this article was written. Be cautious of pre-orders listed well above standard pricing: an Elite Trainer Box typically runs around 50 euros, and an Ultra-Premium Collection between 120 and 180 euros.

How many cards are in the set?

The main set contains approximately 128 numbered cards, with secret rares on top of that, for a total estimated at around 150 to 160 cards depending on the source. The definitive number will be known at release.

Will prices drop after release?

Historically, prices charged by private sellers on launch day come back down within the following month as restocks reach stores. A sellout on day one reflects staggered deliveries, not lasting scarcity. Paying double on September 16 almost always means paying for impatience.

Should you pre-order or wait?

Ultra-Premium Collections and limited-print products sell out fast and are worth pre-ordering at the suggested retail price. For individual booster packs and Elite Trainer Boxes, waiting a few weeks after release often means buying at the normal price rather than the launch premium.

Tracking Your 30th Anniversary Collection

An expansion with 150 foil cards and 30 Pikachu variants to collect is hard to manage in a spreadsheet. On PokéItem, you scan each card to add it to your collection - recognition succeeds on more than 98% of scans, measured across more than 150,000 scans, in under three seconds. You can see what you still need to complete the set, the value of what you already have, and sell your duplicates on the Marketplace to collectors who are looking for exactly those cards.

It is free up to 1,000 cards - in your browser or by downloading the app.