When did Pokémon Red and Blue reach North American stores?

Pokémon Red and Blue were released in North America on September 28, 1998. This launch occurred more than two years after Pokémon Red and Green debuted in Japan.

For the international release, Nintendo used the updated Japanese Pokémon Blue version as the technical and visual foundation, while retaining the distribution of Pokémon associated with the original Red and Green cartridges. The Japanese titles were also changed to Red and Blue for overseas markets.

The North American launch arrived shortly after the English-language Pokémon anime began first-run syndication on September 8, 1998. That timing helped create a coordinated wave of interest across games, television, and merchandise. The date is sometimes confused with the 1996 Japanese release or with the later European release, which occurred in 1999.