Wondering what the best TCG to get into today is? Whether you are a collector looking for something to invest in, or a player looking to travel the world, or just an average Joe wanting to play a few games at your local game shop on a Friday night, this list contains the top TCGs to try now, with a little something to offer everyone.

#1 Pokemon TCG

A massive game with something for everyone

The Pokemon TCG is the biggest TCG right now, even outselling Magic: The Gathering last year (according to ICV2’s 2025 report). And that’s for good reason. It’s got arguably the single best IP of all trading card games, and doesn’t need to resort to crossovers with third party IPs in order to bring in new players (and cash).

What makes Pokemon especially great is that there’s a little something for everyone in this TCG. The most competitive players out there will enjoy its massive pro circuit where they can chase glory and insane cash prizes. Meanwhile, collectors will enjoy the biggest and most robust collectors’ community of any TCG out there. Finally, casual to semi-competitive players have plenty to enjoy at the local level, with leagues just about everywhere you can imagine, usually packed with players eager to play.

Beyond the physical card game, you can also take part in the Pokemon TCG in its fullest on Pokemon TCG Live – a terrific app that enables you to battle with the latest and greatest cards and strategies at any time. Meanwhile, Pokemon TCG Pocket affords a more accessible version of the game for collectors and players.

The Pokemon TCG is one of the most established of them all. Decades after its founding, it’s hotter than ever.

Wondering where to get started? Check out my ranking of the best Pokemon TCG sets.

#2 Magic: The Gathering

The OG TCG continues to innovate

Magic: The Gathering looks very, very different today than it did decades ago, and yet it’s still the OG TCG in the room, with every other TCG owing something to it. Today, the game feels more IP driven than ever, with its top sets being based on third party IPs rather than Magic: The Gathering’s own original works. Yet, that seems to be working for the TCG giant as sets like Final Fantasy and Avatar the Last Airbender drive huge sales and new audiences to the game.

As a result of Magic: The Gathering becoming something of an IP brawler themselves, the game actually does feel more accessible than it did in years past. Of course, hardened Magic players and fans will have their own take on what’s become of their favorite TCG, yet in a world increasingly driven by IPs over everything else, it makes sense that Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast would see the writing on the wall and dive in head first to the IP arms race.

Additionally, there are Magic players everywhere, making it a game you are more than likely able to find a group to play with regardless of where you are. There’s also a plethora of different formats and ways to play the game, granting a layer of accessibility that’s virtually unmatched by the other TCGs on this list.

It may lack the sheer collector-fueled frenzy of the Pokemon TCG, and it may need to license its IPs instead of owning them outright, but Magic: The Gathering proves that although it was the first really big TCG, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

#3 One Piece TCG

A newer entry into the big five

The One Piece TCG taps into the absolute behemoth that is One Piece: one of the longest running and most beloved anime series of all time. One Piece is unique among the top selling TCGs due to the fact that it’s a relatively recent entry. Originally plagued by supply and demand issues, the game has eased its way into a powerhouse in the TCG industry, landing at #3 on TCGPlayer’s list of top selling TCGs two quarters in a row.

While its player base, sales, and market power may still play second fiddle to the big two that are Pokemon TCG and Magic, One Piece has proven itself a mainstay in the current TCG landscape, with a devoted fanbase, killer sets, and plenty of attendance at competitive events.

#4 Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game

The most hyped new TCG of 2025

Breaking into the top five highest selling TCGs via TCGPlayer in its debut quarter is an impressive feat for the League of Legends TCG released in October, 2025. Yet even more impressive is the insane hype for this TCG.

Initial signed cards, for example, command impressive amounts online, while tournaments everywhere are being sold out by an incredibly devoted retinue of early adopters and competitive players.

Riftbound is without a doubt the most hyped new TCG of 2025, and its already impressive sales numbers backed by a. more than enthusiastic reception among TCG players and fans seems to imply big things are in store for this TCG rookie.

#5 UNION ARENA TCG

The best anime IP brawler TCG

If you regularly follow my blog, you might not be surprised to see UNION ARENA pop up on the list. It’s based on fantastic anime IPs – think just about any big anime and UNION ARENA has got it. As if that weren’t enough, there’s a bunch of added plusses to picking up this TCG as your main hobby.

For starters, its got a fantastic battle system, and a very balanced gameplay that enables a wide variety of decks to be played at any given time.

What I particularly like about this TCG, however, is the staying power of decks. Because decks can only be built out of a given anime, decks tend to stick around longer, and need to be upgraded far, far less often than decks in other TCGs need to. Players looking to have a ton of fun playing their favorite deck without having to invest a fortune into their builds are going to absolutely love UNION ARENA. You can go as hard or as conservatively on investing in this game as you want and still enjoy it thoroughly competitively.

Check out my list of every UNION ARENA set ranked to figure out where to get started with this TCG.

#6 Yu-Gi-Oh

The one with a dedicated player base

Despite its own fair share of challenges, Yu-Gi-Oh retains its place as one of the big three TCGs. Although its place was briefly taken over in 2024 by the outstanding success Lorcana saw in its inaugural year, today it’s back on top and doing fairly well despite a stagnating growth rate that slipped into a negative trend last year. Ultimately, it feels like Yu-Gi-Oh is destined to slip a few pegs as other, fresher TCGs rise up in the rankings. And yet, its dedicated player base and nostalgic appeal continue to resonate enough to move some serious product, even if it lacks the excitement garnered by both Pokemon and Magic.

“Yu-Gi-Oh is not the biggest thing for us but it still has a lot of dedicated fans , so it still sells pretty well whenever there’s a new product” says Schaefer of Dragon’s Lair (ICV2 2025 report). With most of these fans being players and not collectors, eventually Yu-Gi-Oh could have trouble keeping up with some of the TCGs coming up in the ranks that have IPs with broader appeals.

#7 Gundam TCG

Another big hit for Bandai

Gundam is an interesting TCG on this list for a few reasons. First, it is indeed incredibly fun to play and I highly recommend trying it out for yourself if you ever get the chance. Second, it saw a pretty huge hype wave that landed it on the #5 spot for Q3 of 2025’s top selling TCGs on TCGPlayer.

And while the initial hype for the next big thing saw Gundam Newtype Rising booster boxes reach high prices via the secondary card market, events reaching capacity almost instantly, and plenty of demand for competitive events, the game also saw a pretty sizeable potential drop as it moved just one quarter past its debut.

Indeed, that drop was the greatest of any in the top 10 TCGs, indicating that at least some of Gundam’s runaway success it saw in the summer of 2025 really was driven largely by hype – a hype that Riftbound likely stole from it as that set released on a very similar timeline to Gundam’s second set: Dual Impact.

With that being said, November was a huge month for the TCG industry as a whole, and Gundam still managed to hang in there despite how massive some of these sets were, finishing the year out in eighth place by total sales volume on TCGPlayer. Additionally, Bandai clearly sees the potential in Gundam is it continues to pour investments into that game, including plenty of excellent prizing, different starter decks to try out, and a robust comeptitive circuit.

While Gundam is unlikely to beat out Riftbound for the 2025 rookie TCG of the year award, it feels like a strong niche TCG that should be bankable for the foreseeable future.

#8 Disney Lorcana

The perfect TCG for Disney fans

Lorcana’s history reads something like a Shakespearean tragedy, and yet it still remains one of the top TCGs today years after its initial debut forever changed the TCG scene. At one point, it was one of the biggest TCGs in the world, with countless fans eagerly attending store tournaments or queuing up for battles in the fan-made simulator, Pixelborn, for their chance to play the hot new Disney card game.

Indeed, there was something incredibly magical about the early days of Disney Lorcana that would be hard to replicate by any other TCG. Hunting local shops for packs filled with cards adorned with alternate looks for our beloved Disney characters felt a little surreal, as did the insane demand for events that sold out within minutes.

However, through a series of misfortunes both natural to a hot new TCG and somewhat artificial in the form of apparent blunders on the part of the game’s creators, Disney Lorcana has fallen far from the lofty perch it once rested on.

Officially, it’s lost its coveted spot in the top three, dropping to fifth TCG overall. With recent events like the reduction of major competitive events in key markets, as well as general player fatigue with how the competitive scene is handled and no support for the game via a digital client, it doesn’t seem likely that Lorcana will be regaining its spot at the top anytime soon.

That being said, Lorcana still remains relevent and one of the top selling TCGs in the world years later. And with one of the best IPs imaginable, a devoted player base, and a continued commitment to improving the game for all players, Lorcana should have a positive future ahead as a relatively niche TCG.

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