On what date were Pokémon Red and Green first released in Japan for the 30-year-old franchise?

Pokémon Red and Green were first released in Japan on February 27, 1996.

The games were developed for Nintendo's Game Boy and introduced the central Pokémon formula: exploring a region, catching creatures, training them, battling, and trading with other players. Their Japanese titles were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green; the familiar Pokémon Red and Blue versions came later for international markets.

The release date became the franchise's anniversary date because it marks the public debut of the original games. Development had finished in 1995, but the launch was delayed from December 21, 1995, partly because related merchandise was not ready. This delay is why the series' anniversary is celebrated in late February rather than at the end of the previous year.

A common mix-up is assuming that Red and Blue were the original Japanese pair. Japan received Red and Green first, while Red and Blue became the main overseas versions. The same first-generation adventure ultimately established Pokémon as a worldwide multimedia franchise.