Pokémon Red and Blue first released in North America in 1998.
Nintendo launched the two localized Game Boy games on September 28, 1998, more than two years after Pokémon Red and Green debuted in Japan. The international versions used the names Red and Blue rather than the Japanese Red and Green pairing.
The games kept the original first-generation structure: players explored Kanto, collected Gym Badges, battled rivals, and sought to complete a Pokédex containing 151 Pokémon. Their North American success helped turn Pokémon from a Japanese game series into a major global entertainment franchise.
The timing can be confused with other releases. Japan's original games arrived in 1996, the anime began in Japan in 1997, and Europe received Red and Blue in 1999. Those separate dates explain why Pokémon's worldwide rise was gradual rather than tied to one simultaneous launch.