The original Pokémon Red and Green games were released in Japan on February 27, 1996, starting the Pokémon franchise.
Game Freak developed the role-playing games for Nintendo’s Game Boy. Players explored the Kanto region, captured creatures, trained them, battled other Trainers, and traded Pokémon between cartridges using the Game Link Cable.
The launch was delayed from an originally planned December 1995 release because related products were not ready. That delay ultimately preceded one of the most influential video-game launches of the 1990s. The Japanese releases were Red and Green, while many international players first encountered Pokémon through Red and Blue.
The date is often treated as Pokémon Day because it marks the franchise’s original game debut. The first games introduced 151 Pokémon and established the collecting, battling, and trading formula that remains central to the series.