What were the international titles of the first Pokémon game pair?

The international titles of the first Pokémon game pair were Pokémon Red and Blue.

In Japan, the franchise began with Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green in 1996. An enhanced Japanese Blue version followed, and that Blue version was reprogrammed to form the basis of the games released internationally as Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version.

The international pair retained the central collecting, training, battling, and trading systems of the Japanese originals. However, the Japanese Green version itself was not released outside Japan in its original form. This is why people familiar with Japanese release history may correctly mention Red and Green, while international players usually remember Red and Blue.

Pokémon Yellow later became an enhanced first-generation release influenced by the anime. It placed Pikachu in the player's party from the beginning and changed several encounters, but it was not one of the original international paired releases. The distinction between Japanese and international titles is a common source of anniversary trivia confusion.