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    Trading card game industry tracker 2026

    Trading card games are having a strong 2026: Magic: The Gathering passed $500 million in quarterly revenue for the first time in the second quarter,[1] and Pokémon card production passed 85 billion cards.[2] Newer games are gaining ground, with One Piece and Riot Games' Riftbound in TCGplayer's top five in early 2026.[3][4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Gaming

    What we know

    • Magic earned $545.3 million in Q2 2026, up 32% year on year[7]
    • Magic revenue grew 59% in 2025, its strongest year[5]
    • More than 85 billion Pokémon cards had been produced by March 2026[2]
    • TCGplayer's Q1 2026 top five: Magic, Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Riftbound[3]
    • Magic and Pokémon tournaments allow only genuine cards plus judge-issued proxies[15]

    What we don't know yet

    • How Magic's third-quarter 2026 sales compare with the record second quarter; Hasbro had not reported them as of 10 October 2026
    • Whether Riftbound and One Piece keep their top-five positions through the rest of 2026
    • Whether speculative buying in newer card games such as One Piece and Dragon Ball Super Fusion World holds up
    • How The Pokémon Company's card output for the fiscal year to March 2027 compares with earlier years
    Story status

    Story status

    State
    developing
    Started
    2026-01-01
    Timeline entries
    8
    Last entry

    Timeline data (JSON)

    What this tracker covers

    This tracker logs dated, sourced news about the trading card game business in 2026: company results, sales rankings, production milestones and official rule changes. The newest entries appear first in the timeline above.[1][3]

    Magic: The Gathering

    Magic had its strongest year in 2025, with revenue up 59%, and its Final Fantasy set became the best-selling Magic set of all time by net revenue.[5][6] In the second quarter of 2026 Magic earned $545.3 million, up 32%, its first quarter above $500 million, led by Secrets of Strixhaven and Marvel Super Heroes.[7][8] Hasbro raised its full-year guidance after the results.[9] More on the game: magic-the-gathering.

    Pokémon

    More than 85 billion Pokémon cards had been produced by the end of March 2026.[2] Ascended Heroes was the best-selling new set of the first quarter on TCGplayer, and a Mega Charizard X ex was the top single card by dollar sales.[10][11] More on the game: pokemon-trading-card-game.

    The challengers

    The One Piece Card Game outsold one of the “Big Three” on TCGplayer for the second quarter running in early 2026, after releasing two sets in the first 60 days of the year.[12] Riot Games’ Riftbound held fifth place after its debut in the previous quarter.[4] TCGplayer reported a popular view that speculators had moved from Pokémon to One Piece in late 2025 and were looking for the next game to speculate on.[13]

    Rules and counterfeits

    Both major games restrict proxies in official play. Magic’s Tournament Rules, effective 27 February 2026, and Pokémon’s tournament handbook, revised 1 September 2026, allow only genuine cards plus judge-issued proxies.[14][15] For what this means for custom and proxy cards, see custom and proxy trading cards.

    TCGplayer ranks games by the dollar value of sales on its own marketplace, so its rankings measure activity on that marketplace, not publishers’ total sales.[3]

    Timeline

    8 confirmed

    1. confirmed

      Play! Pokémon revises its TCG tournament handbook[15][17]

      The revised handbook still allows only genuine cards and treats unauthorised proxies as counterfeits.

    2. confirmed

      Magic passes $500 million in a quarter for the first time[1][7][8][9]

      Revenue rose 32% to $545.3 million on Secrets of Strixhaven and Marvel Super Heroes, and Hasbro raised its full-year guidance.

    3. confirmed

      TCGplayer's first-quarter ranking puts One Piece and Riftbound in the top five[3][12][4]

      One Piece outsold a "Big Three" game for the second quarter running; Riftbound held fifth after its debut quarter.

    4. confirmed

      Pokémon's Ascended Heroes is the quarter's best-selling new set[10][11]

    5. confirmed

      Pokémon card production passes 85 billion[2]

      The Pokémon Company's figures, as of the end of March 2026, also list 16 languages and more than 90 countries and regions.

    6. confirmed

      New Magic Tournament Rules take effect[16][14]

      The rules keep the requirement for genuine cards and judge-only proxies.

    7. confirmed

      Hasbro says Final Fantasy is Magic's best-selling set ever[6]

      The annual report says the 2025 Universes Beyond set was the highest-selling Magic set of all time by net revenue.

    8. confirmed

      Hasbro reports Magic's strongest year, with revenue up 59% in 2025[5]

      Hasbro credited the fourth-quarter Avatar The Last Airbender set, back-catalogue sales and Secret Lair.

    Questions readers ask

    What is the biggest trading card game in 2026?

    By dollar value of sales on TCGplayer in the first quarter of 2026, Magic The Gathering, followed by Pokémon and the One Piece Card Game.[3]

    How much did Magic make in 2026?

    Hasbro reported Magic revenue of $545.3 million for the second quarter of 2026, up 32%, the first quarter above $500 million.[7][1]

    What is Riftbound?

    A trading card game from Riot Games that debuted in late 2025 and held fifth place on TCGplayer in the first quarter of 2026.[4]

    What was the best-selling new card set in early 2026?

    Pokémon's Ascended Heroes, according to TCGplayer's first-quarter 2026 sales data.[10]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      Magic - The Gathering passed $500 million in quarterly revenue for the first time in the second quarter of 2026, led by the debut of its Marvel Super Heroes set. confirmedas of 2026-07-21

    2. [2]

      As of the end of March 2026, more than 85 billion Pokémon Trading Card Game cards had been produced, in 16 languages, and sold in more than 90 countries and regions. confirmedas of 2026-03-31

    3. [3]

      By the dollar value of sales on the TCGplayer marketplace in the first quarter of 2026, the top five trading card games were Magic - The Gathering, Pokémon, One Piece Card Game, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Riftbound. confirmedas of 2026-04-15

    4. [4]

      Riot Games' Riftbound trading card game stayed fifth on TCGplayer in the first quarter of 2026 after its debut in the previous quarter. confirmedas of 2026-04-15

    5. [5]

      Magic - The Gathering revenue grew 59% in 2025, its strongest year ever, helped by the Avatar - The Last Airbender set, back-catalogue sales and Secret Lair. confirmedas of 2026-02-10

    6. [6]

      Hasbro said Magic's Final Fantasy set, released in 2025, was the highest-selling Magic set of all time by net revenue. confirmedas of 2026-02-25

    7. [7]

      Magic - The Gathering revenue was $545.3 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 32% from $412.0 million a year earlier. confirmedas of 2026-07-21

    8. [8]

      Hasbro attributed Magic's second-quarter 2026 growth to the Secrets of Strixhaven and Universes Beyond Marvel Super Heroes sets. confirmedas of 2026-07-21

    9. [9]

      Hasbro raised its full-year 2026 guidance in July 2026 after its second-quarter results. confirmedas of 2026-07-21

    10. [10]

      Pokémon's Ascended Heroes was the best-selling new trading card set of the first quarter of 2026 on TCGplayer, ahead of Magic's Lorwyn Eclipsed. confirmedas of 2026-04-15

    11. [11]

      The top-selling single card by dollar value on TCGplayer in the first quarter of 2026 was a Mega Charizard X ex from Pokémon's Phantasmal Flames set, with a market price of $826.41 on 13 April 2026. confirmedas of 2026-04-13

    12. [12]

      In the first quarter of 2026 the One Piece Card Game outsold one of the "Big Three" games on TCGplayer for the second quarter running, after releasing two sets in the first 60 days of the year. confirmedas of 2026-04-15

    13. [13]

      TCGplayer reported a popular view that speculators moved from Pokémon to One Piece in late 2025 and drove prices up, then looked for the next game to speculate on. reportedas of 2026-04-15

    14. [14]

      Under Magic's Tournament Rules, players may not make their own proxies; only the Head Judge can issue one, for example to replace a card accidentally damaged during the tournament. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    15. [15]

      The Play! Pokémon TCG Tournament Handbook, last revised 1 September 2026, allows only genuine Pokémon cards at Play! Pokémon events unless a judge or organiser issues a proxy. confirmedas of 2026-09-01

    16. [16]

      Magic's Tournament Rules, effective 27 February 2026, allow only regulation-sized, genuine Magic cards released by Wizards of the Coast in sanctioned events. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    17. [17]

      The Play! Pokémon handbook says proxies may be used only to replace cards damaged during a tournament, and any other proxy is treated as a counterfeit card. confirmedas of 2026-09-01

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Dec 10, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "Trading card game industry tracker 2026." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/events/tcg-industry-tracker-2026

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