Which Pokémon game was the first to feature the Battle Tower?

Pokémon Crystal was the first Pokémon game to feature the Battle Tower.

Released for the Game Boy Color in Japan in 2000, Crystal is an enhanced version of Pokémon Gold and Silver. It retained the Johto journey and many of the same Pokémon, but added new story material, animation for Pokémon sprites, a playable female protagonist, and a facility where players could face increasingly difficult battle challenges.

The Battle Tower offered a different experience from the main Gym and Pokémon League adventure. Trainers entered with selected teams and fought controlled battles under special restrictions. Victory could earn recognition and rewards, making the facility an early foundation for the competitive and challenge-focused battle venues that appeared in later games.

The Battle Tower should not be confused with the Battle Frontier, which debuted later in Pokémon Emerald. Gold and Silver already included the Battle Tower's broader Johto setting, but Crystal was the first Pokémon title to include the facility itself. The name and rules changed across generations, so later Battle Towers are related features rather than the original introduction.