Quick TakeArticle at a glance
- The Pokemon 30th anniversary set is Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration , and it launched in the US on September 16, 2026.
- The Pokémon Company pitches it as a collection celebrating "30 wonderful years of Pokémon," and the timing lines up with the card game's own birthday: the first Pokémon cards went on sale in Japan on October 20, 1996, so the TCG itself turns 30 this week.
- If you're thinking of 2021's Celebrations , that was the 25th anniversary set.
The Pokemon 30th anniversary set is Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration, and it launched in the US on September 16, 2026. There’s no booster box: packs only come inside collections, from the $9.99 Knock Out Collection up to the $179.99 Ultra-Premium Collections landing November 6. Every card in a pack is foil, and 30 different Pikachu cards are hiding in them.
What is the Pokemon 30th anniversary set called?
It’s called 30th Celebration. The Pokémon Company pitches it as a collection celebrating “30 wonderful years of Pokémon,” and the timing lines up with the card game’s own birthday: the first Pokémon cards went on sale in Japan on October 20, 1996, so the TCG itself turns 30 this week.
If you’re thinking of 2021’s Celebrations, that was the 25th anniversary set. Different set, similar idea, and one we’ve been tracking prices on for a while (more on that below).
When did 30th Celebration come out in the US?
The first wave hit US shelves on September 16, 2026, and more products are still rolling out. Pokémon’s own September product roundup confirms the launch-day lineup, and the remaining waves are spread across October, November and December.
| Wave | US date | What’s in it |
|---|---|---|
| Launch wave | September 16, 2026 (out now) | Elite Trainer Box, Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box, Pokémon ex Box, Poster Collection, Tech Sticker Collection, Knock Out Collection, 2-Pack Blister |
| Second wave | October 2, 2026 (out now) | Booster Bundle, Binder Collection, ten Mini Tins |
| Battle Decks | October 30, 2026 | Espeon ex and Umbreon ex Battle Decks |
| Premium wave | November 6, 2026 | Ultra-Premium Collection (Day and Night), Figure Collections (Mew and Mewtwo), Ditto Premium Collection |
| ex Tins | December 4, 2026 (reported, not confirmed by Pokémon) | Sylveon ex and Greninja ex Tins |
Every 30th Celebration product and its price
Here’s the US lineup with suggested retail price next to what each one actually sells for on TCGplayer today, October 17. The gap is the whole story of this set so far.
| Product | Packs | MSRP | TCGplayer market, Oct 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knock Out Collection | 2 | $9.99 | $24.60 |
| Mini Tin (any of 10) | 2 | $9.99 | $23-$33 |
| Poster Collection | 3 | $14.99 | $36.30 |
| Tech Sticker Collection | 3 | $14.99 | $34-$35 |
| Pokémon ex Box (Sylveon or Greninja) | 4 | $21.99 | $57-$60 |
| Booster Bundle | 6 | $26.94 | $72.42 |
| Binder Collection | 5 | $31.99 | $109.35 |
| Elite Trainer Box | 9 | $49.99 | $124.26 |
| Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box | 11 | $59.99 | $295.21 |
| Figure Collection (Mew or Mewtwo) | 5 | $29.99 | $138-$163 |
| Ditto Premium Collection | 8 | $39.99 | $192.70 |
| Ultra-Premium Collection (Day or Night) | 29 + 1 Classic Collection pack | $179.99 | $561 (Day) / $646 (Night) |
The Elite Trainer Box is the one most people will look for first: nine packs, a full-art Nidorina promo, 65 sleeves and the usual storage box. The Pokémon Center version adds two more packs and a second Nidorina promo stamped with the Pokémon Center logo, which is why it trades at nearly five times its price.
Can you buy 30th Celebration booster packs on their own?
Not from Pokémon. There’s no official booster box and no single-pack release, so every pack comes out of a collection. Loose packs pulled from those collections sell for about $11.78 each on TCGplayer right now. That makes the $9.99 Knock Out Collection and the Mini Tins (two packs each) the cheapest legitimate way in, if you can find them at shelf price.
Each pack holds five foil cards plus a foil Basic Energy. The pull everyone is chasing is the 30 Pikachu rares, each with its own art.
What’s the Classic Collection, and why is it so expensive?
The Classic Collection is a run of reprinted fan favorites, and its packs are the scarce part of this set. Each Ultra-Premium Collection includes exactly one Classic Collection pack alongside its 29 regular packs, according to ICv2’s product listing. With only one per $179.99 box, sealed Classic Collection packs are already listed at about $305 each on TCGplayer, weeks before the boxes ship.
What is the RGB Mew?
RGB Mew is the card nobody was told about. Three secret Mew cards (red, green and blue versions) started turning up in packs after launch, and as Kotaku reported, The Pokémon Company hasn’t acknowledged them or published pull rates. On TCGplayer the red version sits around $6,000 and the green and blue ones around $3,740 each. Above those, the two Futuristic Rares (Mew ex and Mewtwo ex) go for roughly $41 to $51.
How did Celebrations (the 25th anniversary set) hold its value?
This is the part worth reading before you pay three times MSRP. Our Celebrations price guide records TCGplayer market prices every day, and five years after launch the 25th anniversary set looks a lot calmer than the 30th does right now.
| Celebrations card | Price, Oct 17, 2026 | Change since Aug 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Mew | $64.09 | +0.5% |
| Surfing Pikachu VMAX | $5.73 | -27.1% |
| Pikachu | $4.76 | -20.0% |
| Zacian V | $0.73 | +9.0% |
Two things jump out. The best Celebrations card we track is a $64 Mew, and the anniversary Pikachu cards that were the headline in 2021 are under $6 and still sliding. Whatever premium an anniversary set carries at launch, it doesn’t spread across the whole checklist for long.
Our read: if you want to rip packs, 30th Celebration is a great-looking set, but paying $124 for a $49.99 Elite Trainer Box is paying for launch scarcity, not for the cards inside. The premium wave on November 6 and any restocks are your best shot at shelf price. You can watch how the chase cards across every set we follow move on our daily TCG price tracker, and see which sets have held up best in our Pokémon card market report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pokemon 30th anniversary set called?
It’s Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration. It launched in the US on September 16, 2026, with more products arriving through November and a set of ex Tins reported for December.
How much is the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box?
MSRP is $49.99 for the standard Elite Trainer Box and $59.99 for the Pokémon Center version. On October 17, 2026 they sold for about $124 and $295 on TCGplayer.
When does the 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection come out?
November 6, 2026. The Day and Night versions are $179.99 each, with 29 booster packs, one Classic Collection pack and a Pikachu ex promo.
Is there a 30th Celebration booster box?
No. Pokémon isn’t selling a booster box or single packs, so every pack comes inside a collection. The cheapest options are the $9.99 Knock Out Collection and Mini Tins.
