The original Pokémon Red and Green games were released for Nintendo’s Game Boy.
Game Boy hardware helped shape the early Pokémon experience. Its compact, monochrome display and link-cable feature supported both solo exploration and communication between players. Trading and battling through the Game Link Cable became central to completing the original Pokédex.
The Japanese games launched in 1996, while the international versions Pokémon Red and Blue followed in 1998. Pokémon Yellow later arrived as an enhanced first-generation title with a stronger connection to the anime and a starting Pikachu who followed the player outside its Poké Ball.
A common mix-up is identifying the Game Boy Color as the original platform. Pokémon Yellow was compatible with Game Boy Color, and later releases used color hardware, but Red and Green began on the original Game Boy. The first-generation games were later rereleased digitally on Nintendo 3DS.