McDonald's Pokémon cards are reportedly returning to Happy Meals this November

Pokémon cards are reportedly coming back to McDonald’s. According to PokeBeach, Happy Meals in the US will include Pokémon TCG packs from November 5 to December 9, 2026, as part of the franchise’s 30th anniversary. When PokeBeach first reported it, McDonald’s and The Pokémon Company hadn’t announced it, so treat the details below as that first report. But PokeBeach broke the story, and as Kotaku puts it, the site has “a very reliable track record” with news like this.

Update (Nov 11): It’s live. Pokémon says Pokémon Happy Meals are back in the US through December 14, 2026, with a mini Happy Meal box toy (15 to collect) and two Pokémon TCG cards in each meal, from a 15-card set that includes seven foils (PokeBeach’s first report gave an end date of December 9). PokeBeach confirms the promotion is now live in the US.

Update (Oct 31): Pokémon has announced the promotion, with a mini Happy Meal box toy and two TCG cards per meal. Its first announcement listed the Philippines for January 2027, but the corrected version it re-posted no longer lists the Philippines. See our McDonald’s Pokémon Happy Meal Philippines post.

Update: PokeBeach now reports that the promotion starts November 10, rather than November 5 as it first reported, and features mini Happy Meal box toys and 15 cards. This is still PokeBeach’s report, not an official announcement.

What’s reportedly in the box

	What PokeBeach reports
Dates (US)	Starts November 10 (updated; first reported as November 5). The earlier report gave an end date of December 9, 2026
Pack	4 cards: one holo and three non-holo
Set	15 cards, six with McDonald’s signature confetti holofoil
Extra	Your choice of a Pokémon toy or a “Pokémon Essential Handbook” (PokeBeach’s Oct 27 headline mentions mini Happy Meal box toys)
Other countries	Coming too, on dates that vary by region

PokeBeach adds that it was told the toy may be a card display, though that part is even less certain. Which Pokémon will appear hasn’t been reported. It’s also not clear whether the cards will have new art to mark the 30th anniversary or reuse old designs.

A familiar formula, 30th anniversary edition

McDonald’s and Pokémon have run this promotion regularly. The last one was in January 2025, according to Dexerto. The formula rarely changes: small packs, a short set, and a confetti holo pattern you can only get in a Happy Meal. In past years, Kotaku notes, the cards were mostly reprints of existing cards, set apart by a small McDonald’s set symbol.

What’s different this time is timing. The promo lands in the middle of the 30th anniversary, just weeks after the 30th Celebration set launched and at a time when demand for Pokémon cards is already intense.

Expect crowds, and resellers

These promotions have a reputation. Kotaku describes resellers buying up Happy Meals in bulk just for the packs, which leaves long lines and makes it harder for kids to get one. In Japan last year, it reports, a three-day McDonald’s Pokémon promotion was cut short because of the chaos it caused in stores.

It’s worth keeping value in perspective. Kotaku’s verdict is blunt: the packs “never gain any value”, and most years they’re mostly common reprints. They’re fun to collect, especially the confetti holos. They’re not an investment, so don’t pay reseller prices for them.

Will McDonald’s Pokémon cards come to the Philippines?

That was the big question for us. PokeBeach’s first report covered the US and said other countries would follow on different dates, without naming them. Pokémon’s first announcement listed the Philippines for January 2027, but its corrected version no longer does (see our Philippines post), and McDonald’s Philippines hasn’t announced anything.

If it does come here, expect it through McDonald’s Philippines’ own channels first, and we’ll cover it as soon as there’s anything official. In the meantime:

• Don’t pre-order “McDonald’s Pokémon cards” from resellers. Nothing has been confirmed for the Philippines.
• Watch for an official announcement from McDonald’s Philippines or Pokémon Asia before planning any drive-thru runs.
• If you want 30th anniversary cards now, 30th Celebration is on shelves at local stores.

We’ll update this story as soon as there’s word on a Philippine release.