Pokémon Red and Blue launched in North America in 1998.
The North American versions were released on September 28, 1998, more than two years after Pokémon Red and Green debuted in Japan. The international games used the Japanese Blue version’s updated graphics and code as their technical foundation, but were presented as Red and Blue.
The North American launch arrived alongside a large multimedia campaign. The Pokémon anime had already premiered in the region earlier that month, helping introduce Ash, Pikachu, and the wider Pokémon world to television audiences. The Game Boy Color also launched in North America in November 1998, shortly after the games, strengthening Pokémon’s visibility in the handheld market.
The names can cause confusion because Blue had already existed as a Japanese special edition, while the international release paired Red with Blue as the standard versions. The games retained the original collection-and-trading structure and became the foundation for Pokémon’s rapid expansion outside Japan.