Are Pokémon Cards More Stable Than Tech Stocks During Downturns?
If you collect Pokémon cards, you might wonder how they stack up as an investment against something volatile like tech stocks. Recent data shows Pokémon cards and the trading card market holding strong amid ups and downs in tech, pointing to better stability in tough times.
The trading card game market, led by Pokémon, keeps growing even as other sectors wobble. It hit USD 7.85 billion in 2025 and is set to reach USD 12.86 billion by 2031, with an 8.57 percent compound annual growth rate.[1] Pokémon’s digital app, Trading Card Game Pocket, pulled in $1.3 billion in its first year after launching in October 2024, plus over 100 million downloads in four months.[1][2] The company produced over 10 billion cards in fiscal year 2024-2025, with stores expanding worldwide to meet demand.[2] This steady revenue from cards, apps, and merchandise shows resilience, even without big new video game releases.[2]
Tech stocks tell a different story. In the first three quarters of 2025, technology led gains, up 22.4 percent and adding $3.93 trillion to market caps.[3] But that boom came with wild swings. Nvidia’s market cap hit $5 trillion, driven by hype more than steady fundamentals, similar to past peaks like Microsoft’s in 1999 that later cooled off.[3] Other pressures hit tech and gaming: tariffs raised costs, pushing Xbox Game Pass up 50 percent and hardware prices higher, tied to macroeconomic shifts.[4] AI tools in games brought in $660 million on Steam but face a potential bubble as costs climb without matching revenue.[4]
Pokémon’s financial health backs its stability. The Pokémon Company International earned a B3 rating from martini.ai, with default risk ending at 0.351 percent by December 2025 after some ups and downs, still showing brand strength through diverse income like cards.[2] Trading cards now act like alternative investments, with secondary markets, grading services, and even livestream breaks boosting value and liquidity.[1] Crossovers in other card games, like Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set making $200 million in one day, highlight the sector’s pull even in shaky economies.[1]
Tech stocks reward big wins but punish fast. Pokémon cards offer a buffer: consistent collector demand and digital growth keep prices from crashing like overvalued tech can. Over 10 billion cards in play means a huge base of fans trading and holding through downturns.[2] While tech chased AI and tariffs shook hardware, cards scaled via apps and global stores without the same risks.[1][2][4]
For collectors eyeing prices on PokemonPricing.com, this means cards could weather storms better than betting on the next Nvidia surge. Track sets from 2024-2025, as digital hits like TCG Pocket lift physical card values too.[1][2]
