PSA's Grading Turnaround Times Just Doubled In Some Instances

PSA Just Made Grading Your Pokemon Cards A Lot More Unattractive Published May 15, 2026, 4:01 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 2,500 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, got context around some AI drama, and revealed how Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on more than one occasion. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. As trading card games become more popular, especially Pokemon's, collectors are looking for ways to immortalize their precious cards. The easiest way to do that is by grading them. Not only does it increase their value, provided you get a high enough grade, but it's a surefire way to keep them safe from damage. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is the most popular option for this. It commands over 70 percent of the grading market because it typically offers the best return on investment, with PSA-graded cards almost always selling for more than their BGS or CGC counterparts. Unfortunately, though, grading with PSA just got a lot less attractive, as, in some instances, grading times have more than doubled. PSA Turnaround Times Have Just Got A Lot, Lot Longer The Pokemon Trading Card Game is almost certainly the reason for PSA's new turnaround times. Over recent years, the TCG has exploded in popularity, and time and time again, you'll have seen me lamenting the state of things. It's nearly impossible to buy new products, with scalpers ruling stores, and individual cards have seen their prices rise to unattainable prices on the secondary market. Related With people seeing the value in grading their cards, PSA has seen an influx, admitting that the number of cards it grades per day has risen to 90,000, up from 15,000 in 2021. This has now had a major knock-on effect and is forcing it to increase its times for the third time since September 2025. Starting immediately, PSA's turnaround times have risen drastically, meaning if you're looking to grade a card, you'll be waiting a lot longer to get it back. You can see the timetable below: Grading Service Level Previous Turnaround Time New Turnaround Time Time Increase (%) Super Express 7 business days 7–10 business days 42.9 percent Walk-Through 7 business days 5–7 business days 0.0 percent (Max) / -28.6 percent (Min) Express 15 business days 20–30 business days 100.0 percent Regular 25 business days 30–40 business days 60.0 percent Value Max 35 business days 40–50 business days 42.9 percent Value Plus 45 business days 60–80 business days 77.8 percent Value 75 business days 100–120 business days 60.0 percent Value Bulk (Collectors Club) 95 business days 140–160 business days 68.4 percent As you can see, grading times have increased by between 43 percent and 100 percent. Thankfully, PSA realizes this is an issue and is doing what it can to rectify it. It has just announced that it is spending $200 million to "support global demand." This money will be invested in infrastructure, technology, and the workforce, with plans to hire more than 1,000 new staff members. It's yet another example of issues within the trading card world, and another time I regret the hobby that I have chosen. Franchise Pokemon Original Release Date October 20, 1996 Player Count 2 Age Recommendation 6+ Length per Game Variable Franchise Name Pokemon