On which handheld were the first Pokémon games released?

The first Pokémon games were released on Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld. Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan in 1996, using the system’s monochrome display and link-cable connectivity.

The Game Boy was important to Pokémon’s design because players could carry their teams with them and connect two systems to trade or battle. Trading was essential because the paired versions contained different Pokémon, making communication between players part of completing the Pokédex.

International releases were titled Pokémon Red and Blue rather than Red and Green. They also ran on the original Game Boy, although they could later be played on compatible hardware such as the Game Boy Color.

Later Pokémon generations moved to newer Nintendo handhelds, including the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The franchise eventually expanded to home consoles and mobile devices.