Pokémon art books for 30 years of games will release in Japan on 18 December 2026

• The books will release in Japan on 18 December 2026, and the cover art has been officially revealed.
• According to the shared information, each book costs around 5,500 yen and the set totals roughly 1,500 pages.

What happened

The Pokémon Company is preparing three Pokémon art books tied to 30 years of games in the franchise. The shared information says the cover art has been officially revealed and that the Japanese release date is set for 18 December 2026. The circulating details also mention an official partner, though that party is not named in the material provided.

Each of the three books appears to focus on a different era of the series. Book 1 is said to cover starters and iconic moments from Generation 1 through 4, while book 2 features starter sprites from Generation 5, 6 and 7, along with screenshots that spell out the word “Pokémon.” These descriptions come from the shared cover information and are not yet a full table of contents.

Book 3 is said to include starters from Generation 8 and 9, plus references to Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. That detail also comes from the cover description and mainly confirms how the three releases are visually structured around different generations and recent spin-offs. The full contents of the books have not been confirmed.

According to the available information, the price is around 5,500 yen per book, or roughly $35. Together, the three releases are said to total about 1,500 pages. At launch, the books will be available only in Japan; an international release has not been confirmed. So while the current information gives a concrete sale date and price, it still leaves open whether a wider release will follow later.

Background

The books are part of the wider celebration of 30 years of Pokémon games. The available information does not name the official partner involved in the release, and the exact title of the set has not been confirmed in the material provided. That means the current reporting is mainly focused on the revealed cover art, the price and the Japanese sale date, rather than a fully detailed product overview.

The current details are mostly about the revealed cover art and the planned Japanese sale. Whether the cover descriptions also reflect a full contents list cannot yet be confirmed from these sources. What is clear is that the three books are meant to cover a broad slice of the franchise, from the first four generations through the most recent mainline and spin-off titles mentioned in the cover information.

Because the source information comes from a social post by Centro Leaks and an article based on it, some points remain unconfirmed. There is still no official confirmation of the partner, no English or Japanese title for the set, and no announcement of an international release. The only firm date in the available information is 18 December 2026 for Japan.

Related GAME-scanner articles

• The 30-year history of Pokémon: A look ahead with new art books
• Pokémon: Night Out - A musical celebration of 30 years of Pokémon
• Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary: UK pre-orders appear to stall around the 16 September 2026 release

Sources

• X/Twitter post by Centro Leaks, shared on 16 September 2026, with information about the three art books, the Japanese release date and the cover descriptions.