Pokémon Legends: Z-A physical launch sales in the US were the biggest for a new title since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released in 2023

Pokémon Legends: Z-A
(Image credit: Nintendo)

  • Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the biggest physical game launch in the US since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
  • Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reports that the Pokémon game had a successful launch week in both physical units and dollar sales
  • The sales do not include physical sales made from the latest Nintendo Switch 2 bundle

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the biggest physical game launch in the US since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023.

That's according to Circana senior director Mat Piscatella, who wrote on BlueSky (via GamesRadar) that the latest Pokémon entry had a hugely successful launch week in both physical units and dollar sales, surpassing Tears of the Kingdom.

"Pokémon Legends: Z-A had a massive US launch at retail," Piscatella said.

"Launch week physical unit and dollar sales of Pokémon Legends: Z-A were the biggest for a new physical video game launch since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom back in May of 2023."

Piscatella also confirmed that this does not include physical sales made from the latest Nintendo Switch 2 bundle, which includes a digital code for Legends: Z-A.

The Circana analyst didn't provide any specific numbers, but last week, Nintendo announced in a press release (via IGN) that Pokémon Legends: Z-A had sold 5.8 million copies after a week, which also included digital copies.

In comparison, Tears of the Kingdom sold 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in the history of the Legend of Zelda series.

In TechRadar Gaming's Pokémon Legends: Z-A review, Hamish Hector called the game "a mega evolution for the franchise".

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now available on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

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Demi is a freelance games journalist for TechRadar Gaming. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as GameSpot, NME, and GamesRadar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.

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