When did Pocket Monsters Red and Green first launch in Japan as the original Pokémon games?

Pocket Monsters Red and Green first launched in Japan on February 27, 1996, beginning the Pokémon video-game franchise.

Game Freak developed the role-playing games for Nintendo’s Game Boy. Players explored the fictional Kanto region, captured creatures, trained them, battled computer-controlled opponents, and traded Pokémon through the Game Boy Link Cable. Red and Green were paired releases with different available Pokémon, encouraging players to connect and exchange creatures.

The launch date is sometimes confused with later international releases. Japan received Red and Green first, while the international versions were called Pokémon Red and Blue and arrived in North America in 1998. Pokémon Blue was also released in Japan after Red and Green, initially as a special mail-order edition before receiving a wider retail release.

The games introduced the first generation’s 151 species and established the series’ core loop. Their success was especially notable because the Game Boy was already several years old, and Nintendo had initially been uncertain whether the unusual collecting concept would appeal to players.