Release line tracker

What the log shows

• 13 reported lines so far: 8 in the US, 2 in Canada and 3 in the UK.
• Big-box stores dominate the reports: Best Buy, Costco and Sam's Club account for most entries, often for retailer-exclusive Pokémon collections.
• Pokémon's 30th anniversary release in September 2026 produced same-week lines in South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia.
• It is not only Pokémon: a Disney Lorcana drop at the Oxford Street Disney Store was postponed after a queue formed the evening before, and the 2025–26 Topps Basketball launch drew hundreds to New York's NBA Store before sunrise.

Methodology

We log lines for trading card releases reported by news outlets in the US, Canada and the UK since January 2025. An entry needs a date, a store and a city. "Wait (h)" is filled only when the report states the wait, or states both when people arrived and when the store opened; otherwise the arrival detail is quoted as reported and the wait is left blank. Crowd sizes are the reporter's description.

This is a log of reports, not a census. Most lines are never reported, and local outlets cover some cities far more than others, so the log cannot tell you whether lines are getting longer or more common overall. Social media posts are not included unless a news outlet reported them.

Seen a line? Send the date, store, city, what people were waiting for and when the first person arrived (a link or photo helps) to [email protected]. We add reader reports once we can confirm them.