Pocket Monsters Red and Green were originally released for the Nintendo Game Boy.
The monochrome handheld was already several years old when Pokémon launched in Japan in 1996. Its large installed audience, low price, and link-cable feature made it a practical platform for a game centered on collecting and trading creatures.
Although the original Game Boy displayed the games without color, later releases expanded the experience. Pokémon Blue introduced updated graphics and dialogue in Japan, and the international Red and Blue versions were based on that updated version. Pokémon Yellow later used the Game Boy Color’s enhanced palette and connected more closely to the anime’s portrayal of Pikachu.
The series eventually moved through Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch hardware. Despite those later upgrades, the original Game Boy remains the platform on which the Pokémon phenomenon began.