Pokémon 30th Anniversary Visual Art Book Will Contain Around 1,500 Pages of Pokémon History
Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary is bringing fans one of the most extensive collections of Pokémon artwork ever published, with a massive three-volume Pokémon Visual Art Book documenting three decades of the video game series.
Titled “Pokémon Visual Art Book: 30th Anniversary Art Book of Pokémon Video Games Developed by GAME FREAK,” the collection will feature artwork and development materials spanning from Pokémon Red and Green through to Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A M-Dimensional Rush.
And this isn’t going to be a small coffee-table book.
The three-volume collection is planned to contain approximately 1,500 pages, with each book expected to contain around 500 pages.
Three Books Cover 30 Years of Pokémon
The collection will be released as three separate books, with all three volumes launching simultaneously in Japan on:
December 18, 2026
Each book will be B5 size and fully colour printed, with a price of ¥5,500 including tax.
The books will be sold individually rather than as a complete boxed set.
Release Details
Publisher: Overlap Co., Ltd.
Supervision: The Pokémon Company and Game Freak Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief: Shusuke Motomiya
Release Date: December 18, 2026
Volumes: BOOK 1, BOOK 2 and BOOK 3
Format: B5, full colour
Pages: Approximately 1,500 pages across the three books
Price: ¥5,500 each
Complete collection: ¥16,500
The three volumes will have separate ISBNs:
- BOOK 1: 978-4-8240-1873-1
- BOOK 2: 978-4-8240-1874-8
- BOOK 3: 978-4-8240-1875-5
A Visual History of Pokémon
The books are designed to chronicle 30 years of Pokémon artwork, bringing together a huge range of visual material created for the games developed by Game Freak.
According to the official information, the collection will include:
- Pixel art
- 3DCG
- Pokémon illustrations
- Character artwork
- Promotional artwork
- Setting materials
- Package artwork
- Title demonstrations
- Famous scenes
- Field artwork
The books will allow fans to see how Pokémon’s visual presentation evolved throughout the different generations.
Unpublished Setting Materials Will Be Included
One of the most exciting details is that the collection will include previously unpublished setting materials.
That could make these books particularly interesting for longtime Pokémon fans and collectors, as they will contain material that hasn’t previously been publicly available.
Rather than simply being a collection of finished promotional illustrations, the books are intended to provide a much broader look at the visual development of Pokémon.
Around 1,500 Pages of Pokémon
The sheer size of the collection is perhaps the most impressive part.
Across the three volumes, the art books are planned to contain approximately 1,500 pages, with each book expected to be around 500 pages.
That makes this more like a permanent archival collection of Pokémon history than a traditional merchandise release.
The official description presents it as a “permanent edition”, designed to document the 30-year trajectory of the Pokémon series through its artwork.
Special Interviews With Game Freak Creators
The books will also contain something particularly interesting for fans interested in the people behind Pokémon.
At the end of each volume, there will be a special long-form interview with creators from Game Freak.
These interviews will look back at the Pokémon series through its artwork and development over the past 30 years.
With three volumes planned, that means readers will have multiple creator interviews alongside the enormous collection of artwork and development material.
What Will Each Volume Cover?
The newly released information provides a look at the Pokémon games included in the collection.
The listed titles include:
BOOK 1
The first volume begins with the early Pokémon games, including:
- Pokémon Red and Green
- Pokémon Blue
- Pokémon Yellow
- Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Pokémon Crystal Version
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
- Pokémon Emerald
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
- Pokémon Platinum
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The information currently provided specifically lists these titles as part of the collection, although the complete breakdown of which material appears in each individual volume has not yet been fully detailed.
Package Artwork, Characters and Famous Scenes
The books aren’t simply organised around Pokémon themselves.
The planned configuration includes sections covering:
Package / Title
Title Demonstrations
Pokémon
Characters
Fields
Famous Scenes
Promotional Art
Setting Materials
This should give fans a chance to explore Pokémon from several different perspectives, from the artwork that appeared on game packaging to the environments, characters and memorable moments found throughout the games.
From Pokémon Red and Green to Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A
The collection’s scope is enormous.
It begins with Pokémon Red and Green, which launched the Pokémon video game series in Japan in 1996, and continues through the various generations and Game Freak-developed Pokémon titles.
The collection ultimately reaches the 2025 release Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A M-Dimensional Rush, making it a visual journey through approximately three decades of Pokémon game development.
