On what date were the first Pokémon games released in Japan, marking the franchise's debut?

The first Pokémon games were released in Japan on February 27, 1996, marking the franchise’s debut.

The games were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green for the Game Boy. They were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. Their central idea combined role-playing, exploration, collecting, and trading through the Game Boy Link Cable.

The Japanese release came before Pokémon became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. The games were followed by the Pokémon Trading Card Game, manga, animated television series, films, and merchandise. International releases used Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue rather than the original Japanese Green version.

The date is sometimes confused with the anime’s debut, which occurred on April 1, 1997, or with Pokémon Day, the annual celebration held on February 27. Pokémon Day commemorates this original Japanese game release, making February 27, 1996 the key starting point for the franchise’s 30-year history.