On what date were the first Pokémon games released in Japan for the 30th-anniversary franchise?

The first Pokémon games were released in Japan on February 27, 1996.

The games were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the original Game Boy. Their release date is commemorated annually as Pokémon Day and marks the beginning of the franchise’s 30-year history in 2026.

The original Japanese launch is sometimes confused with the international release. Outside Japan, the games appeared later and used Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue rather than the Japanese Green version. The original Green game was not released internationally in its original form.

The games introduced the central formula of catching, training, battling, and trading creatures. Their use of the Game Boy Link Cable made exchanging Pokémon between players a defining feature, helping the series stand out from other role-playing games. Later games, an animated series, trading cards, films, and merchandise expanded the property into a global media franchise.