When do new Japanese Pokémon sets come out?

A new Japanese set comes out roughly every two months, almost always on a Friday. On top of the main expansions there is a special set or two each year. The biggest of those is the high class set, which has landed in late November or early December every year since 2022. Japanese sets also arrive first, usually around two months before their cards come out in English.

The Mega Evolution era so far

The Mega era started with twin sets, Mega Symphonia and Mega Brave, on 1 August 2025. A new set has followed every seven to ten weeks since then, with Mega Dream ex as the high class set at the end of 2025. Every one of them came out on a Friday. The 30th Celebration set, made for the card game's 30th anniversary, broke the pattern by landing on Wednesday 16 September 2026.

Scarlet & Violet

The Scarlet & Violet era ran from January 2023 to mid 2025 and followed the same rhythm. Several of its releases were twin sets that came out on the same day and were later combined into one English set, such as Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, which became Paldea Evolved. The high class sets came at the end of each year, with Shiny Treasure ex in December 2023 and Terastal Festival in December 2024.

How far ahead of English?

Japanese sets usually come out around two months before the English set that uses their cards. Twin Japanese sets are often merged into a single bigger English set, so the names rarely line up. The Japanese set list shows which English set each Japanese one became.

How to hear about new sets

Pokémon announces each Japanese set on the official card game site, pokemon-card.com, with its release date, its box contents and a preview of the cards. In Japan new boxes often sell out on release day. Pokémon Center Online sells many of them by lottery with a limit of one per person, while convenience stores set purchase limits of their own. Our guide to buying Japanese cards in Australia explains how that affects stock here.

New sets land in our shop as soon as stock reaches Sydney. The Mega era guide covers every set of the current era in more detail.

Sources

• Pokémon Card Game official site, Japanese expansion list
• Pokémon Card Game official site, Storm Emeralda (Japanese)
• Pokémon Card Game official site, Nihil Zero (Japanese)
• Pokémon Card Game 30th anniversary site, 30th CELEBRATION (Japanese)
• Pokellector, Japanese set lists
• Screen Rant, Mega Evolution set release date
• Pokémon Center Online, Storm Emeralda BOX lottery sale (Japanese)
• Lawson, purchase limits on Pokémon Card Game products (Japanese)

More guides

• 🦘Buying Japanese Pokémon boxes in Australia without the queuesLotteries and limits in Japan, what importing involves and buying from a shop in Australia.
• 💰How much does a Japanese booster box cost in Australia?Live price ranges by kind of box, why prices differ and the cheapest way to open a set.
• 🔍How to spot a resealed Japanese Pokémon booster boxThe perforated top, the shrink wrap, the packs and what Australian law says when a box is not what it claims.
• 🔦How to spot fake Japanese Pokémon cardsPrint, fonts, texture, the light test, edges and the seller red flags.
• 📈How to check what a Japanese Pokémon card is worthWhere to look up Japanese card prices and how to read them from Australia.
• 🏬Pokémon Center Japan exclusives explainedHow Pokémon Center Online sells exclusives and what is in the Tohoku, Hiroshima and Fukuoka Special Boxes.

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