On what date was the Pokémon video game series first released in Japan?

The Pokémon video game series was first released in Japan on February 27, 1996.

The original releases were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green for Nintendo's Game Boy. They were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, beginning the franchise that later expanded into animation, films, cards, manga, and merchandise.

The Japanese Green version was not released internationally in its original form. Instead, overseas players received Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, with Blue based on an enhanced Japanese version. This sometimes causes confusion about which games started the series.

The date is celebrated as Pokémon Day and marks the franchise's anniversary. In 2026, the series reached its 30th anniversary, counting from those original Japanese Game Boy releases.