On what date did the first Pokémon games release in Japan, beginning the Pokémon franchise?

The first Pokémon games released in Japan on February 27, 1996, beginning the Pokémon franchise.

The games were Pocket Monsters Red and Green, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. Outside Japan, the series became known primarily through Pokémon Red and Blue, because the original Green version was not released internationally in its original form.

The launch was not immediately treated as a guaranteed hit. Development took about six years, and the concept depended on the Game Boy Link Cable feature that allowed players to trade creatures between systems. That trading idea helped distinguish Pokémon from many other role-playing games of the period.

February 27 is now celebrated annually as Pokémon Day. The date is sometimes confused with the 1998 international release of Pokémon Red and Blue or the 1997 Japanese debut of the animated series. Those were important expansion points, but the franchise began with the Japanese game release in 1996.