Under what Japanese titles were the first Pokémon games released?

The first Pokémon games were released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green.

The pair launched on the Game Boy on February 27, 1996. Each version contained version-exclusive Pokémon, encouraging players to connect their cartridges and trade creatures that could not be obtained in their own game.

Japan later received Pocket Monsters Blue as an updated edition. For the international market, Nintendo used the revised Blue code and presentation alongside Red, creating Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version. The Japanese Green edition therefore has no direct original overseas release.

This naming history causes a frequent mix-up: “Red and Blue” is the familiar international pairing, while “Red and Green” identifies the original Japanese launch. Both pairs belong to the same first generation and share the Kanto setting and original roster.