Xross Stars Enters Japan TCG Market Share Top 10 One Year After Release
The trading card game Xross Stars has ranked in the top 10 for share of Japan's domestic TCG market, according to a Media Create survey covering August 2025 to July 2026. The specific ranking and share percentages were not disclosed.
4 sources Sep 18 Updated
Reporting from 4 sources: KAI-YOU, Brave group, Inside, PANORA.
Why it matters
Xross Stars reached the top 10 in a market where Media Create reported both the stability of established series and the momentum of new titles in fiscal 2025, and the game did it by selling cards of streamers rather than characters from an existing anime or game franchise.
Key Facts
- Xross Stars ranked in the top 10 for market share in Japan's domestic TCG market, per a Media Create survey covering August 2025 to July 2026.
- Xross Stars released on August 22, 2025, and marked its first anniversary in August 2026.
- Xross Stars is a joint project between Game & Co., a subsidiary of Brave group, and Samurai Kobo, which operates the esports team Crazy Raccoon.
- The fifth booster pack, Ignition Vortex, is scheduled for release on October 30, 2026, with 16 leaders including Ryosuke Yamada under the streamer name LEO.
- The Xross Stars 1st Anniv. POP-UP STORE runs at SHIBUYA TSUTAYA from September 18 to September 29, 2026.
Xross Stars launched on August 22, 2025 as a joint project between Game & Co., a subsidiary of Brave group, and Samurai Kobo, which operates the esports team Crazy Raccoon. The game turns VTubers, streamers, and esports players into cards across agency lines. The first set featured 24 people, mainly from VSPO!, Crazy Raccoon, and Neo-Porte, and the roster has since grown to 72 talents through the fourth booster pack Grand Resonance. Production is led by producer Atsutoshi Kubo of Game & Co. and chairman Daichi Takano of Crazy Raccoon, with Shota Yasooka as lead game designer and Sekappy as development partner. The fifth booster pack, Ignition Vortex, is scheduled for October 30 with 16 leaders, including Ryosuke Yamada of Hey! Say! JUMP under the streamer name LEO.
A pop-up store marking the game's first anniversary runs at SHIBUYA TSUTAYA from September 18 to September 29, 2026, with free admission and a line that a staff member said reached as many as 1,000 people on the first morning. The venue includes a 3D Card Gate photo spot and an All-Star Mega Pack gacha that gives visitors one random card from the cards released so far.
Two more events follow. Xross Stars Play Party 2026 is scheduled for November 7 at Belle Salle Shibuya Garden, billed as the second such casual event and the first in about a year, with a first-ever 3-player team battle among its side events. Xross Stars Challengers Cup 2026#04 KYOTO runs November 28 and 29 at Miyako Messe, with entrants competing for a place in the Xross Stars Japan Championship 2026 at Belle Salle Akihabara at the end of December.
The anniversary merchandise lineup centers on the Xross Stars 1st Anniv. Collection PREMIUM SET, a premium deck set with Uruka, Hinano Tachibana, Uruha Ichinose, and Rei Shirayuki as leaders, plus sleeves, a playmat, a storage box, and a card case. A separate art book, Xross Stars ART COLLECTION II, is also on sale.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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