Pricing and censorship complaints be damned: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen GBA ports sold over 4m units in six weeks

Nintendo’s financial report reveals that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Game Boy Advance ports released for Nintendo Switch as part of the franchise’s 30th anniversary celebration, sold over 4 million copies globally within their first six weeks on the market. The combined sales represent roughly $80 million in revenue.

The strong performance comes despite significant community backlash over the games’ $19.99 price tag. Critics pointed out that the ports are barebones with minimal enhancements—they are only 33.4MB in size with no visual filters or quality-of-life improvements. Nintendo defended the pricing as a “fun” way to celebrate Pokémon’s anniversary milestone.

Originally released on Game Boy Advance in 2004, FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of the classic Generation I Pokémon games. The current sales figures represent approximately one-third of the 12 million units the original GBA versions sold across their entire lifetime.

The 30th anniversary period has proven remarkably successful for Pokémon overall. Pokémon Pokopia, a Dragon Quest Builders-inspired spinoff launched on Switch 2 in February 2026, also surpassed 4 million copies sold, achieving this milestone in 5 weeks. This strong performance comes as Nintendo reported Switch 2 sales approaching 20 million units in its first year, positioning Pokémon as a critical driver of hardware adoption and software revenue.

Pricing and censorship complaints be damned: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen GBA ports sold over 4m units in six weeks

Sources