The original Pokémon Red and Green games launched on the Game Boy.
Nintendo released the first Pokémon role-playing games for its monochrome handheld in Japan in 1996. The hardware’s portability made it a natural fit for exploring, collecting, and trading creatures between players.
The Game Boy Link Cable was especially important. Connecting two systems allowed players to trade Pokémon and battle, and version-exclusive species made that connection part of the intended experience rather than an optional novelty.
The games later received improved color support through the Super Game Boy and were followed by Pokémon Yellow for the Game Boy Color. Those later releases can cause confusion, but the original Red and Green launch was specifically a Game Boy release. Pokémon’s success also helped extend the commercial life of Nintendo’s aging handheld.