Topps Launches “Instant Packs,” Letting Collectors Rip Real Physical Cards Online

Topps is introducing a new way to open trading cards without having a physical pack in hand. The company has launched Instant Packs through Fanatics Collect, allowing collectors to digitally rip packs containing real, physical cards and immediately see exactly what they pulled.

The new format debuts with 2025-26 Topps Chrome Black Basketball. Topps says it set aside 10 percent of the product’s print run specifically for Instant Packs, meaning these are not digital-only versions of cards. Every card has already been scanned, and the card revealed during the online rip is the actual physical card the collector owns afterward.

Each Instant Pack costs $100 and contains four cards. Purchases are limited to six packs per collector each day, and the format is currently available only to collectors in the United States. There is also a guaranteed chase element built into each pack. According to Topps, every Instant Pack contains either an autograph, a numbered parallel or one of the parallels exclusive to the Instant Pack format. Autographs are expected to fall at a rate of approximately one in every three packs.

Two parallels have been created specifically for Instant Packs and cannot be found in the traditional physical Hobby release. Teal Glitter cards are numbered to 64, while the much scarcer Black Glitter parallels are limited to just 11 copies. Fanatics Collect is highlighting both exclusives as part of the launch.

Outside of those two parallels, Topps says the Instant Pack checklist comes from the same print run as the regular 2025-26 Topps Chrome Black Basketball release. The product includes stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyama, along with rookies including Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Kon Knueppel.

Autograph possibilities include some of the biggest names in the NBA. The Fanatics Collect Instant Pack page specifically highlights signatures from James, Curry, Jalen Brunson and Wembanyama. Other card types shown as part of the release include Home Court, the new Glow Up Signatures rookie autograph set, Obscura, Black Lightning and Ivory Autographs.

The biggest difference comes after the pack is opened. Instead of waiting for a box to arrive, collectors see their four cards immediately. Those physical cards are then added to their Fanatics Collect Collection, where they can remain stored or be shipped to the owner. Topps emphasizes that Instant Packs are not group breaks because the buyer is purchasing and opening their own individual pack.

The arrival of Instant Packs represents a notable experiment for Topps and Fanatics Collect, combining the immediate reveal of a digital pack opening with ownership of an actual physical trading card. With exclusive numbered parallels added to the mix, there is also a reason collectors chasing a complete Chrome Black rainbow may have to look beyond traditional sealed boxes.

2025-26 Topps Chrome Black Basketball Instant Packs launched August 27 on Fanatics Collect at $100 per four-card pack.