The original Japanese Pokémon Red and Green games first appeared on the Game Boy.
Nintendo’s handheld system provided the technical foundation for the Pokémon series. Its monochrome screen, cartridge format, and link-cable support made it possible for players to carry their teams and trade or battle with nearby friends.
The link cable was central to the original design. Some Pokémon could only be obtained by trading between versions, encouraging players with different cartridges to connect their Game Boys. This social feature became one of the series’ defining ideas and helped distinguish Pokémon from many other role-playing games.
Later Pokémon titles moved to systems such as the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Switch. However, the original Red and Green release belongs specifically to the Game Boy era, not the technically improved Game Boy Color generation.