Pocket Monsters Red and Green first released in Japan on Nintendo’s Game Boy.
The paired role-playing games debuted on February 27, 1996. Their design used the Game Boy’s link-cable feature, allowing players to trade creatures and battle with another player’s system. That connectivity became one of Pokémon’s defining ideas.
The games were not initially released as Pokémon Red and Blue in Japan. Japan received Red and Green, while the international releases used Red and Blue because the Japanese series later received a special Blue version. The games were eventually localized for North America and other regions.
The Game Boy was already an older handheld when Pokémon appeared, and the project had taken years to complete. Its success extended the system’s commercial life and helped establish Pokémon as more than a single video-game release.