No, Millennials are not the only generation that truly cares about Pokémon card collecting. While they may have the strongest nostalgic connection to the franchise”having grown up with Pokémon’s 1996 launch”the data tells a more nuanced story. Both Gen Z and Millennials are heavily driving the current trading card resurgence, with Gen Z men specifically described as “obsessed” with Pokémon cards, often viewing them as alternative investments. Meanwhile, children and families represent a significant and growing market segment as Millennial parents introduce the hobby to their kids.
According to Pokémon card expert Charlie Hurlocker, the average collector falls between 25 and 35 years old, which technically places most in the Millennial generation, but this single statistic obscures the broader reality of multi-generational appeal. Consider the Pokémon TCG Pocket app, which pulled in $90.4 million in revenue in February 2025 alone”a success driven largely by younger players and collectors who may have discovered the franchise through digital platforms rather than the original Game Boy games. The notion that only one generation cares about Pokémon cards oversimplifies what has become a sprawling, cross-generational phenomenon. This article examines the actual demographics of Pokémon card collecting, explores why different generations are drawn to the hobby for different reasons, and looks at what the market data reveals about who is really buying, collecting, and investing in these cards.
Table of Contents
- Who Actually Collects Pokémon Cards Across Generations?
- Why Gen Z Has Become Equally Invested in Pokémon Cards
- The Family Factor: Millennial Parents and Their Children
- Pokémon’s Dominance in the Broader Collectibles Market
- The Investment Mindset: Who Treats Cards as Assets?
- Regional and Cultural Variations in Collecting
- Where the Hobby Goes From Here
- Conclusion
Who Actually Collects Pokémon Cards Across Generations?
The demographic breakdown of Pokémon card collectors reveals a more diverse picture than the “Millennial nostalgia” narrative suggests. According to Circana’s March 2025 Omnibus Survey, 19% of adults have purchased Pokémon trading cards for themselves in the past six months. That is nearly one in five adults actively engaging with the hobby, and this figure spans multiple age groups. Perhaps more telling is that only about 25% of adult buyers actually play the game”the vast majority are collecting or reselling, which suggests motivations beyond childhood memories. The Pokémon GO mobile app, which launched in 2016, provides an interesting lens into generational engagement.
The app draws primarily 21-to-30-year-olds into both digital and tabletop products, bridging the gap between Millennials and Gen Z. This demographic entered the Pokémon world through smartphones rather than link cables and has proven just as invested in physical card collecting. The distinction between “growing up with Pokémon” and “discovering Pokémon later” matters less than the hobby’s ability to capture interest across different entry points. Adults are now the fastest-growing demographic in toy spending overall, with expenditures up 12% in the last year and accounting for over $1.8 billion in toy sales in Q1 2025 alone. Pokémon cards sit at the center of this trend. However, it is worth noting that “adult collectors” is not synonymous with “Millennials””Gen Z adults, some now in their late twenties, make up a substantial portion of this growth.
Why Gen Z Has Become Equally Invested in Pokémon Cards
Gen Z’s relationship with Pokémon cards differs from Millennials in important ways, yet their enthusiasm matches or exceeds their older counterparts. Fortune reported that Gen Z men are “obsessed” with Pokémon cards, using them as alternative investments in an era of economic uncertainty. For this generation, the appeal is less about reliving childhood and more about tangible assets that can appreciate in value”a preference that makes sense given their skepticism toward traditional financial institutions and their comfort with resale platforms like eBay and StockX. The numbers support the investment angle. Pokémon card values have increased 3,261% over the past 20 years according to Card Ladder data, with average appreciation hitting approximately 46% annually in 2025. That outpaces Nvidia stock and the S&P 500’s average 12% return.
For younger collectors who missed the initial Pokémon craze, these returns represent a compelling financial opportunity rather than a sentimental journey. The hobby becomes a hybrid of collecting and investing, with graded cards serving as speculative assets. However, if you assume all Gen Z collectors are purely motivated by profit, you would be wrong. Many have developed genuine appreciation for card art, set completion, and the social aspects of the hobby. The generation that grew up with digital everything often values physical collectibles precisely because they offer something tangible in an increasingly virtual world. This “preference for tangible assets” that researchers cite as a factor in the trading card resurgence applies strongly to Gen Z.
The Family Factor: Millennial Parents and Their Children
One of the most significant developments in Pokémon card collecting is the intergenerational dynamic between Millennial parents and their children. Millennials who grew up with Pokémon are now in their late thirties and early forties, many with kids old enough to engage with the franchise. This has created a family collecting phenomenon where parents revisit old collections while introducing their children to the hobby. This dynamic serves multiple purposes. Parents get to share something meaningful from their own childhood, children gain a structured hobby with clear goals and achievements, and families have a shared interest that spans generations.
The Pokémon Company has capitalized on this by maintaining accessibility in their products”starter decks and common cards remain affordable enough for children while chase cards and premium products satisfy adult collectors and investors. The games and puzzles category grew 39% in early 2025, driven significantly by Pokémon and NFL trading cards. Family-oriented purchasing accounts for a substantial portion of this growth. When a parent buys a booster box, they are often sharing packs with their kids, creating collecting experiences that bridge generations. This is not Millennials collecting alone in their basements”it is a shared activity that expands the hobby’s reach into Gen Alpha.
Pokémon’s Dominance in the Broader Collectibles Market
To understand the scope of multi-generational interest, consider Pokémon’s position in the broader market. Pokémon was the only toy brand to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2024 according to Circana data. This kind of dominance does not come from a single generation of buyers. GameStop’s Q1 2025 financials revealed that 29% of their sales came from collectibles like Pokémon cards”a figure that outsold video game software. When a collectible category outperforms the core product of a gaming retailer, something fundamental has shifted in consumer behavior across age groups. The global collectible card games market reached $14.70 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit $37.42 billion by 2034. North America holds 46% of global CCG revenues, with the U.S.
trading card games market valued at approximately $2.2 billion in 2025. Pokémon commands a significant share of these figures, competing primarily with Magic: The Gathering and sports cards. The scale of this market simply could not be supported by Millennial buyers alone. The comparison with sports cards is instructive. While Pokémon appeals across generations through franchise loyalty and game mechanics, sports cards tend to skew toward older collectors with specific team or player attachments. Pokémon’s advantage lies in its lack of generational gatekeeping”you do not need to have watched the original anime to appreciate a beautifully illustrated Charizard card. This accessibility keeps the collector base broader than more niche hobbies.
The Investment Mindset: Who Treats Cards as Assets?
The treatment of Pokémon cards as investment vehicles varies significantly across generations, and this distinction matters for understanding collecting motivations. Millennials often entered collecting through nostalgia and later discovered the investment potential when their childhood cards appreciated. Gen Z, by contrast, frequently approaches collecting with investment returns in mind from the start. Neither approach is superior, but they represent different relationships with the hobby. The risk profile also differs. Established Millennial collectors may hold vintage cards with proven track records”Base Set Charizards, first edition holos, sealed product from the late 1990s.
Gen Z investors might focus on modern chase cards, betting on future appreciation rather than historical scarcity. Both strategies have merit, but modern card investing carries more uncertainty. The Pokémon Company printed 10.2 billion cards between March 2024 and March 2025 alone, with over 75 billion total cards produced historically. Modern scarcity is manufactured through pull rates rather than limited print runs. A warning for newer collectors: the 46% annual appreciation figure represents past performance, not guaranteed future returns. The market experienced a significant correction after the 2020-2021 pandemic boom, and certain modern cards that seemed like sure bets have since declined. Treating Pokémon cards purely as investments without genuine interest in the hobby can lead to disappointment when market conditions shift.
Regional and Cultural Variations in Collecting
While North America dominates with 46% of global CCG market share, collecting culture varies significantly by region and generation. Japanese collectors, for instance, have maintained consistent interest in Pokémon cards since launch, with less of the boom-and-bust cycle that characterized Western markets. European markets show strong growth but different preferences in terms of grading standards and language editions.
Within the United States, regional card shops report varying demographic mixes. Coastal urban areas tend to see more adult collectors focused on high-end graded cards, while suburban and rural shops often serve more family-oriented customers buying sealed product for play and casual collecting. These variations remind us that “Pokémon collectors” is not a monolithic category”geography, local community, and access to the secondary market all influence who participates and how.
Where the Hobby Goes From Here
The trajectory of Pokémon card collecting suggests continued multi-generational appeal. As Gen Alpha grows up with parents who actively collect, and as digital products like TCG Pocket introduce new players to the physical hobby, the collector base should continue diversifying rather than consolidating around any single generation. The Pokémon Company’s ability to balance accessibility with collectibility”keeping entry points low while maintaining chase card appeal”positions the brand for sustained cross-generational relevance.
The market projections support optimism. Growth from $14.70 billion to $37.42 billion by 2034 represents a market more than doubling, driven by new collectors entering and existing collectors deepening their engagement. Millennials will remain important, but they will share the hobby with Gen Z investors, Gen Alpha newcomers, and perhaps their own parents who discover collecting through grandchildren. The question is not whether Millennials care most about Pokémon cards”it is how different generations will shape the hobby’s evolution together.
Conclusion
The premise that Millennials are the only generation that truly cares about Pokémon card collecting does not hold up to scrutiny. Market data, demographic surveys, and industry analysis all point to a hobby that spans age groups, driven by different motivations but united by appreciation for the franchise and its collectible products. Gen Z approaches cards as investments and tangible assets. Millennials blend nostalgia with mature collecting habits.
Children discover the hobby fresh, often guided by parents eager to share something from their own youth. For collectors and investors, this multi-generational interest is ultimately good news. A hobby supported by diverse demographics is more resilient than one dependent on a single age cohort aging out. Whether you started collecting in 1999 or 2024, opened packs with your parents or discovered Pokémon through a mobile app, the market has room for your participation. The cards do not care how old you are.
