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Pokémon has officially taken over the grading world in 2025.

According to new data from GemRate, Pokémon cards now make up the overwhelming majority of submissions to third-party grading companies, with 97 of the top 100 most-graded cards at PSA belonging to the franchise. The report also shows that non-sports and TCG cards accounted for 59% of all graded submissions across the four major authenticators during the first half of the year.

A total of 7.2 million TCG and non-sports cards were graded from January through June—marking a 70% year-over-year increase. In contrast, sports card submissions totaled 5.1 million, reflecting a 9% decline over the same period.

The most graded single card so far this year is the Japanese Iono’s Wattrel Battle Partners Promo No. 232, with over 45,600 copies submitted. But Pikachu remains the undisputed face of the franchise, with more than 345,000 graded examples in 2025 alone. Leading the charge is the now-iconic “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” from the Van Gogh Museum collaboration, which has reached nearly 84,000 graded copies—making it PSA’s most-submitted Pokémon card ever. Despite its massive population, PSA 10 examples have recently sold for over $900.

Sports cards barely made a dent among the top submissions. Only three broke into PSA’s top 100: the 2024 Panini Prizm Jayden Daniels rookie (#347), the 2024 Panini Instant Caitlin Clark WNBA ROY card, and another Jayden Daniels card from Donruss (#389). Each saw between 8,800 and 10,500 submissions.

June’s monthly breakdown reinforced the trend. TCG and non-sports cards made up 63% of submissions, with PSA alone grading 911,000 in the category—outpacing the combined sports card total of 743,000 across all four major grading companies.

CGC Cards, in particular, has ridden the Pokémon wave. The company has graded 2.18 million cards so far in 2025, nearly matching its entire output from 2024. Of those, over 1.8 million were TCG or non-sports.

Meanwhile, Beckett has seen its volume slip significantly, now ranking fourth among the major graders. Of the 366,000 cards Beckett has graded in 2025, roughly 214,000 were Pokémon or TCG-related.

PSA’s surge can also be traced to its ongoing partnership with GameStop. Since launching in October, the collaboration has brought in more than 1 million grading submissions, helping to fuel the boom.

On the retail side, Pokémon’s popularity has led to widespread sellouts, long lines, and limited-per-customer restrictions. With new releases flying off shelves and demand at an all-time high, Pokémon’s grip on the hobby doesn’t appear to be loosening anytime soon.