Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
First Pokémon games, launching a global franchise.
Pokémon Red and Blue are role-playing games from 1996, created by Game Freak and released by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They launched the Pokémon video game series, debuting in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, with a special edition called Pocket Monsters Blue arriving later that same year. International releases followed in 1998 and 1999 under the names Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. An upgraded version, Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, came out in Japan in 1998 and reached other regions in 1999 and 2000. These titles kicked off a franchise worth billions, with combined sales exceeding 400 million copies worldwide.
Players guide the main character from a top-down view through the fictional Kanto region, aiming to master Pokémon battles. The main goal is to become the Pokémon League Champion by defeating all eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, the strongest trainers in Kanto. Another objective is to fill the Pokédex, an in-game encyclopedia, by collecting all 151 Pokémon. Red and Blue support the Game Link Cable, which connects two Game Boy systems for trading or battling Pokémon. While both versions share the same story and can be played alone, trading between them is necessary to catch every one of the original 151 Pokémon.
The games were praised by critics, especially for their multiplayer features and the trading mechanic. They hold an aggregated score of 89% on GameRankings and are often listed among the greatest games ever made, appearing on IGN’s "Top 100 Games of All Time" for at least four years. Red and Blue were remade for the Game Boy Advance as FireRed and LeafGreen in 2004, and later for the Nintendo Switch for the 30th anniversary. Yellow was remade for the Switch as Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! in 2018. The original versions were re-released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2016 to mark their 20th anniversaries.
**Gameplay**
Pokémon Red and Blue use a third-person, top-down view with three main screens: an overworld for moving the character, a side-view battle screen, and a menu for managing Pokémon, items, and settings. Players use their Pokémon to fight others. When encountering a wild Pokémon or being challenged by a trainer, the game switches to a turn-based battle screen showing both Pokémon. During battle, players can choose to attack with one of up to four moves, use an item, swap th
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Platform
- Game Boy
- First Release
- 1996 (Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Green)
- International Release
- 1998–1999 (as Pokémon Red and Blue)
- Genre
- Role-playing video game (RPG)
- Known For
- First installments of the Pokémon series; introduced trading and battling via Game Link Cable
Lore & Background
The player controls a protagonist from an overhead perspective in the fictional Kanto region, aiming to become Pokémon League Champion by defeating eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four. Another goal is to complete the Pokédex by obtaining all 151 Pokémon. The games use the Game Link Cable to trade or battle between two Game Boy systems; players must trade between versions to obtain all Pokémon. The plot begins in Pallet Town, where Professor Oak gives the player and a rival a starter Pokémon from Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander. The rival always chooses the stronger starter against the player's choice and battles the player at certain points. The player also foils Team Rocket, a criminal organization stealing rare Pokémon.
Reader's Guide
Pokémon Red and Blue are considered among the greatest games ever made, perennially ranked on top game lists including at least four years on IGN's 'Top 100 Games of All Time'. They received an aggregated score of 89% on GameRankings, with critics praising the multiplayer options, especially trading. The games were remade for Game Boy Advance as FireRed and LeafGreen (2004) and for Nintendo Switch for the 30th anniversary. Yellow was remade for Nintendo Switch as Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018). The originals were rereleased on the Virtual Console for Nintendo 3DS in 2016 for their twentieth anniversaries. The games are notable for many glitches, including the popular MissingNo. glitch and the 'EXP underflow glitch' that can max out a Pokémon's level.
Did You Know?
- Pokémon Red and Blue were first released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, with a special edition Pocket Monsters Blue later that year.
- The games use the Game Link Cable to trade Pokémon; English versions are incompatible with Japanese counterparts, and such trades corrupt save files.
- One of the most popular glitches involves encountering MissingNo., a glitch Pokémon with multiple forms.
- Pokémon Red and Blue can trade with Pokémon Yellow and with second-generation games Gold, Silver, and Crystal, but with limitations.
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