Pokemon Scarlet and Violet beat God of War and FIFA 23 to become the UK's biggest physical release of 2022

Pokemon Scarlet Violet starters best evolutions
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is now the UK's biggest box release, beating God of War Ragnarok, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and even FIFA 23. 

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been doing exceptionally well in the UK. After launching just a few days ago, on November 18, the two Pokemon games have climbed up the boxed charts and have overtaken the likes of God of War Ragnarok, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and FIFA 23 - all of which launched during this half of the year.

The latest Pokemon adventure isn't just breaking records in the UK's boxed charts, either. At the same time, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have become the second biggest Pokemon launch of all time, sitting just behind Pokemon Sun and Moon, which launched on the 3DS back in 2016. 

The figures have also revealed another interesting tidbit about the game's launch. According to data from GfK (via GI.biz), Pokemon Scarlet is the more popular of the two new games as it makes up 52% of those boxed sales figures, with Scarlet following behind with 42%, and the double pack making up that last 6%. The gen nine game's first-week sales are also 25% bigger than the last gen game in the series, Pokemon Sword and Shield.

As for the other recent Pokemon games, Scarlet and Violet's launch is 70% bigger than the Diamond and Pearl remakes from last year, as well as 56% bigger than Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which was released at the start of this year. We should have seen it coming really, since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had the highest preorders in the series' history.

Still trying to figure out if you want to explore the Paldea region for yourself? Take a look at our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet review to help you decide. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.