Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue first appeared on Nintendo’s Game Boy.
The games were designed as role-playing adventures for the original monochrome handheld system. Despite the Game Boy’s limited hardware, they supported a major feature: players could connect two systems with a Game Link Cable to battle and trade Pokémon.
The original Japanese releases were Pokémon Red and Green, followed by a Japanese Blue version. International markets received Pokémon Red and Blue, with the games adapted from the improved Japanese Blue code and artwork.
Pokémon Yellow later used the Game Boy Color’s palette and drew more directly from the anime. The first games’ success helped extend the life of the Game Boy and demonstrated how handheld connectivity could encourage players to interact beyond a single-player campaign.