Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have jumped to the top of Nintendo’s UK eShop sales chart shortly after their pre-orders went live. As things currently stand, the re-releases of the classic Pokemon RPGs will be some of the best-selling Switch titles of late winter, despite the fact that their price tags have previously raised some eyebrows among fans.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have been available for pre-order since February 20, when Nintendo and The Pokemon Company formally announced the Switch version of the Game Boy Advanced-era remakes of Pokemon Red and Green. The games are set to launch on February 27, lining up with Pokemon Day and this year’s 30th anniversary celebrations. They are priced at $19.99 a pop.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Change Has Fans Worried
Nintendo quietly changes some Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen listings, leaving a number of fans worried just ahead of the games’ release.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Enjoying Strong Pre-Sales Momentum
Four days after pre-orders went live, both games appear to be enjoying strong commercial momentum, with the UK eShop charts ranking Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen as the country’s top two best-selling Switch titles. The early spike is especially notable because the two versions are competing not just with each other, but with perennial eShop mainstays such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
The pre-release momentum is particularly significant given vocal pushback on social media over the pricing of the upcoming re-releases. While some fans argue that $20 is too much for a 20-year-old game, those views appear to be in the minority, considering Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are topping the eShop sales charts in one of Europe’s largest gaming markets. While time will tell how the Switch versions of the GBA remakes perform in the long term, their immediate chart placement suggests the audience for mainline Pokemon nostalgia is at the very least large enough to overpower the sticker-shock discourse at launch.
Online discussion suggests some fans who pre-ordered either game were pleasantly surprised that both Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are available for standalone purchase at all. For years before their announcement, many had expected Nintendo to tie any re-release of the first two Pokemon RPGs to its Nintendo Switch Online subscription, as it has done with most of its classic titles that made their way to the eShop. The company indirectly acknowledged those expectations in a recently published FAQ, describing Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen as special cases it thought “would be fun” to bring back as standalone releases.
Nintendo eShop UK Charts on February 24, 2026
- Pokemon FireRed Version
- Pokemon LeafGreen Version
- Minecraft
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- EA Sports FC 26
- It Takes Two
Another possible reason they will not be available via Nintendo Switch Online is that the games lack online play. While the re-releases will support multiplayer battling and trading as in the originals, this will be limited to locally connected consoles. Pokemon Home support was initially confirmed through the games’ eShop listings before the reference was removed. Based on recent mainline releases, Pokemon Home integration will likely be added post-launch. The likeliest reason why this feature has historically been added post-launch is that Game Freak is not in charge of it. Instead, Pokemon Home is developed solely by ILCA, a Tokyo-based company that also handled the 2021 Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes.
With FireRed and LeafGreen pre-orders gaining momentum, the Pokemon franchise now holds three of the top 10 spots on the UK eShop best-sellers chart, where Pokemon Legends: Z-A still ranks fourth. The remainder of the chart is largely made up of evergreen titles, with EA Sports FC 26 the most recent release among them. Beyond the launch of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, February 27 will also see The Pokemon Company host a special Pokemon Presents presentation marking the franchise’s 30th anniversary. The event is expected to provide new details about its near-term plans, potentially including the official announcement of Game Freak’s Generation 10 RPGs.
- Released
-
September 7, 2004
- ESRB
-
e
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
