Pokémon Red and Green were first released for the Game Boy.
The monochrome handheld was Nintendo’s portable console when the games launched in Japan in 1996. Game Freak designed the role-playing games around exploration, turn-based battles, collecting, and link-cable communication between players.
Although Pokémon Yellow later used the Game Boy Color’s expanded color capabilities, the original Red and Green releases were Game Boy titles. International Pokémon Red and Blue also appeared on the Game Boy before later versions reached newer hardware.
The Game Boy’s link cable was especially important to Pokémon’s design. Trading and battling with another player made it impossible for one version to contain every obtainable Pokémon, encouraging connections between players.