Japan’s first Pokémon Stadium allowed 40 Pokémon to be used in battles.
Pocket Monsters Stadium was released in Japan for the Nintendo 64 on August 1, 1998. Although the Game Boy games contained 151 species, technical limitations meant that only 40 were playable in Stadium’s battles. The game could still display information about all 151 species in its encyclopedia-style functions.
The title was initially planned for Nintendo’s 64DD add-on but was converted into a standard Nintendo 64 cartridge. Players could connect Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, or Yellow through the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak and use compatible Pokémon in three-dimensional battles.
This game is often confused with the Western Pokémon Stadium. The international Pokémon Stadium was effectively an expanded follow-up and supported all 151 original species. Its title therefore makes the earlier Japanese release easy to overlook.