Pokémon Cards Are Back—No Binders Needed

In the mid-1990s, the masterminds behind Pokémon were building a powerful trifecta: a handful of role-playing adventures for Nintendo’s Game Boy, a physical card game, and an animated kids’ TV show following the adventures of a tween and his best friend, Pikachu. It was the early days of one of pop culture’s most beloved and enduring franchises, an intoxicating combination of cute, colorful creatures and the jingle-friendly demand to collect everything.

“Gotta catch ’em all” remains a powerful mandate, even as physical media has fallen out of style. As a kid, I kept my Pokémon cards in carefully preserved laminate sleeves. Today, they live on my phone, thanks to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, which lets players collect digital cards and use them to battle, just like they used to with physical cards.

Pocket, released October 30 for iOS and Android, ditches the physical binders and booster packs in favor of a slick, mobile version that can sink its fangs into your wallet faster than you can finish a match. Like Pokémon Go, a hit game that grew into a worldwide phenomenon, Pocket has legs. In its first week, the game was downloaded more than 30 million times. On Monday, it was nominated for Best Mobile Game of 2024 at The Game Awards—a notable distinction given that it’s been available to play for less than a month.

Hype around the game is widespread, from YouTube to X to everyone’s new go-to, Bluesky. In a video on TikTok, Kinda Funny host and producer Blessing Adeoye Jr. calls it “ridiculous” how much he enjoys playing the game, from opening packs to battling. “I’m into it to an extent where I’m like, oh no,” he says in the video. “They got my ass.”

Adeoye says Pocket acts as a jumping-in point that allows players to feel like they’re experiencing the Pokémon card craze from the beginning. Because there are only three pack types available, everyone is collecting the same cards. “It feels special to open a full-art Pikachu or a Mewtwo EX card that comes with a unique animation,” Adeoye tells WIRED. “There’s a shared experience happening currently, which feels like what it felt like as a kid opening up your first Pokémon card packs.”

Getting lots of people into the Poké-fold is, of course, the point of Pocket. Like Go, which used the allure of a pop cultural powerhouse to get people to dip their toes into augmented-reality gaming on their smartphones, Pocket’s appeal lies in taking some part of that ’90s fandom and putting it in your palm. Go wants you to catch your own collection of little monsters; Pocket wants you to replicate the feeling of going to the store, opening a pack, and scoring a rare card. And like those trips to the comics shop, your chances of landing something cool can depend on how much you spend. (The game has reportedly made millions since launch.)