Pokemon cards coming to US McDonald's Happy Meals in January
The nearly annual McDonald’s and Pokemon card collaboration returns to the US in January 2025, with the release date right around the corner.
Pokemon TCG collectors and players alike know the value of an exclusive card, no matter the medium or where it’s found. With the Prismatic Evolution Umbreon SIR going for thousands of dollars and TCG Pocket players spending real money to get a digital Celebi ex immersive rare, some have few if any limits for how far they’ll go. Fortunately for fans, there’s a new exclusive set coming out that costs the same as a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Plus, they get the mini cheeseburger with it.
Despite skipping a 2024 promotion, Pokemon cards are returning to McDonald’s in 2025 globally. US fans in particular will be able to get their own packs any day now.
Dragon Discovery cards include Miraidon, Roaring Moon
The McDonald’s 2025 US Pokemon card drop will contain 15 different cards, including holos.
Titled “Dragon Discovery,” the new McDonald’s Pokemon set features seven different dragon type Pokemon. While none of the designs are new, they pull from different collections as far back as 2020’s Vivid Voltage. Here are all of the potential cards fans could pull from the McDonald’s 2025 collection:
- #001: Charizard
- #002: Pikachu, holo
- #003: Miraidon, holo
- #004: Jigglypuff
- #005: Hatenna
- #006: Dragapult
- #007: Quagsire
- #008: Koraidon, holo
- #009: Umbreon
- #010: Hydreigon, holo
- #011: Roaring Moon, holo
- #012: Dragonite, holo
- #013: Eevee
- #014: Rayquaza
- #015: Drampa, holo
Those looking to collect the McDonald’s US Pokemon cards will find the packs within Happy Meals. Each pack contains four cards, one of which is guaranteed to be holographic. Notably, fans can identify McDonald’s holographic cards by their speckled confetti foil design.
Alongside the packs, there are a few other Pokemon-themed options available at McDonald’s. Within the same pack as the cards, fans will receive a double-sided poster as well as a Pokemon sticker set. The stickers are meant to complete the flip side of the image. Additionally, McDonald’s is adding four new Dragon Discovery Happy Meal boxes in the styles of Charizard, Dragonite/Pikachu, Rayquaza, and Roaring Moon. These, like the cards, will probably fall under a “while supplies last” contingency.
US McDonald’s x Pokemon collab to come in the end of January
Fans in the US can expect to see Pokemon cards featured at McDonald’s between January 21 and February 24.
Prospective buyers should be wary. In past years, McDonald’s has implemented restrictions on the number of Happy Meals each patron can purchase to stave off running out of product. Even with that limitation in place, it’s possible that some individual locations could have more limited supplies than others. Those looking to collect all 15 cards within the month-long time-frame may end up having to go to multiple store locations in order to do so.
At the end of the day, McDonald’s promo Pokemon cards tend not to be the most valuable or powerful pieces of a TCG collection. Roaring Moon may end up becoming the pull card because of its utility in competition. But for those who like the designs and collecting as many cards as possible, this may be a good promotion to invest in.
American fans aren’t the only ones getting new Pokemon cards in their Happy Meals. The US release follows a McDonald’s collaboration in France that runs from early December until mid-late January. Reportedly, New Zealand and Austria will also be getting their own cards later in January, and Canada is confirmed for a future release date as well.
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
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