Which Pokémon game first let the player’s Pokémon follow them on the overworld?

Pokémon Yellow was the first Pokémon game to let the player’s Pokémon follow them on the overworld.

Released in Japan in 1998, Pokémon Yellow was an enhanced version of the first-generation games designed to resemble the anime. Pikachu is the player’s only starter Pokémon, refuses to stay in its Poké Ball, and follows the player through the game world.

The following feature is connected to Pikachu’s happiness and reactions. Players can speak to Pikachu and see responses influenced by how they treat it. This made Yellow feel more like the anime’s Ash-and-Pikachu partnership than the original Red, Green, and Blue games.

Pokémon Gold and Silver later expanded the idea with broader partner-Pokémon behavior, so they are sometimes mistakenly named as the first games with a following Pokémon. Pokémon Yellow introduced the feature earlier.