On what exact date did the Pokémon Trading Card Game first launch in Japan?
Answer
October 20, 1996
The Pokémon Trading Card Game first launched in Japan on October 20, 1996.
Its first Japanese release was the 1st Starter & Expansion Pack, published by Media Factory. The set formed the foundation of the collectible card game and included cards depicting the original Pokémon species from the video-game era.
The English-language release came later. In the United States, the Pokémon TCG Base Set was published on January 9, 1999, after an earlier demo product appeared in 1998. This gap explains why the Japanese launch date and the familiar English Base Set date are often mixed up.
The tabletop game was developed by Creatures Inc. and based on the Pokémon franchise and its video games. Players use decks, Pokémon cards, Energy cards, Trainer cards, and turn-based attacks to compete in battles.