The original Pokémon video games first launched in Japan in 1996.
Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green were released for the Game Boy on February 27, 1996. These Japanese versions formed the foundation of the franchise and introduced the original generation of Pokémon.
The games used two versions with different obtainable Pokémon, encouraging players to connect their Game Boys and trade. This trading structure was central to completing the Pokédex and helped distinguish Pokémon from many other role-playing games.
International releases followed later. In North America, the games appeared as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in 1998, while Pokémon Green was not released internationally in its original form. The 1996 Japanese launch is therefore the franchise’s starting point, not the later Western release.