Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are 2004 remakes of the 1996 role-playing video games Pokémon Red and Green. Game Freak developed these games, and The Pokémon Company and Nintendo published them for the Game Boy Advance. FireRed and LeafGreen were first released in Japan in January 2004 and later in North America in September 2004 and Europe in October 2004. These games are part of the third generation of the Pokémon video game series and were the first enhanced remakes of earlier games in the franchise.

Like earlier games, players control their character from an overhead view and fight in turn-based battles. Throughout the games, players catch and train Pokémon to use in battles. Set in the Kanto Region, new features include a help menu that provides guidance and a new area called the Sevii Islands, which becomes accessible after defeating the Elite Four and the Pokémon League Champion. The games work with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which was included with the original releases.

The games received mostly positive reviews, with an average score of 81 percent on Metacritic. Many critics praised the addition of new features while keeping the traditional gameplay style of the series. Reviews of the graphics and audio were mixed, with some critics noting they were too simple and did not improve much compared to earlier games like Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. FireRed and LeafGreen sold about 12 million copies worldwide. Two years after their release, Nintendo re-released them as Player's Choice titles. The games were also made available digitally for the Nintendo Switch on February 27, 2026, to mark the series' 30th anniversary.

Gameplay

FireRed and LeafGreen are Pokémon role-playing games played on handheld consoles. Like most similar games, they use a third-person, overhead view. The main screen shows an overworld map where the player controls the protagonist. A menu can be accessed to manage Pokémon, items, and game settings. When a wild Pokémon appears or a trainer challenges the player, the screen changes to a turn-based battle view. Here, the player’s Pokémon and the opponent’s Pokémon are shown. During battles, the player can choose moves, use items, switch Pokémon, or flee (only in wild battles). Each move has power points (PP), which decrease by 1 each time it is used. When PP reaches zero, the move cannot be used. All Pokémon have hit points (HP); if HP drops to zero, the Pokémon faints and cannot battle until revived. When an opponent’s Pokémon faints, the player’s Pokémon earn experience points (EXP). Once enough EXP is earned, a Pokémon levels up.

Capturing Pokémon is a key part of the game. During battles, players can throw Poké Balls at wild Pokémon. If captured, the Pokémon joins the player’s team. The success rate depends on the target’s HP and the type of Poké Ball used. Lower HP and stronger Poké Balls increase the chance of capture.

FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of earlier games, Red and Green (Green was only released in Japan, while Blue was the international version). They include features like a tutorial that can be accessed by pressing the select button. When resuming a saved game, players see the last four actions they took, helping them remember their progress.

The games support the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable, allowing players to trade or battle with others. They can also connect with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, as well as Pokémon Colosseum, enabling players to collect over 350 Pokémon. FireRed and LeafGreen can link with the GameCube to use Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire, where players can organize and view their Pokémon. In Colosseum, Pokémon can be used in battles. These games were the first in the series to support the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which lets players connect wirelessly within 30–50 feet (9.1–15.2 meters). Up to 30 players can join a special area called the "Union Room" to trade, battle, or chat. Nintendo set up "JoySpots" in Japanese stores to help players use this feature.

Plot

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is set mainly in the fictional region of Kanto. This is one of many regions in the Pokémon world, which includes different types of environments for Pokémon, towns and cities where humans live, and paths that connect different areas. Some places can only be reached after players obtain a special item or one of their Pokémon learns a special skill. Near the end of the story, the main character can travel to the Sevii Islands, a new area not found in the original Red and Blue games. The Sevii Islands, inspired by the real-life Izu Islands, are a group of seven islands. They feature Pokémon typically found in the Johto region and include tasks to complete after finishing the main story. Once these tasks are done, players can trade with Ruby and Sapphire to obtain Pokémon exclusive to the Hoenn region.

The main character in FireRed and LeafGreen is a child who lives in a small town called Pallet Town in Kanto. After starting their journey and exploring tall grass, a voice warns them to stop. Professor Samuel Oak, a well-known Pokémon researcher, explains that this grass is often home to wild Pokémon, and meeting them alone can be dangerous. He takes the player to his laboratory, where they meet Oak’s grandson, another young Pokémon Trainer. Both the player and their rival are asked to choose a Starter Pokémon for their journey. The rival then challenges the player to a battle with their new Pokémon and continues to challenge them at key points in the game.

After reaching the next city, the player is asked to deliver a package to Professor Oak. When they return to the laboratory, they receive a Pokédex, a high-tech encyclopedia that records information about every Pokémon they capture. Oak then asks the player to help him complete a full list of all Pokémon in the game.

While visiting cities in the region, the player finds special buildings called Pokémon Gyms. Inside these gyms are Gym Leaders, who must be defeated in battles to earn Gym Badges. After collecting eight badges, the player is allowed to enter the Pokémon League at Indigo Plateau, where the best trainers in Kanto compete. There, the player battles the Elite Four and their rival, who is also the Pokémon League Champion. Throughout the game, the player must also fight Team Rocket, a criminal group that mistreats Pokémon. They plan to steal rare Pokémon, and the player must stop them, including defeating their leader, Giovanni.

After the player first defeats the Elite Four, one member, Lorelei, disappears. Once the player gains access to the Sevii Islands, they find Lorelei in her home and convince her to return. The player must then stop Team Rocket’s plans multiple times, recover two items—the Ruby and the Sapphire—and place them in a computer on One Island. After this, the player can trade with Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Colosseum, and XD.

Development

FireRed and LeafGreen were first announced in September 2003 as remakes of the original Pocket Monsters Red and Green games, which were released in Japan in 1996. The game director, Junichi Masuda, said the new titles would focus on simplicity, as the game engine was a slightly updated version of the one used in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. This allowed FireRed and LeafGreen to be fully backward compatible with Ruby and Sapphire, meaning players could trade Pokémon between the games.

The ability of FireRed and LeafGreen to connect with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter was praised by Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, who said it could improve head-to-head battles, information sharing, and communication with others. The game included an improved interface to make it easier for new players, as well as a help system that could guide players who were lost or confused during their journey. The president of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, stated, “We don’t feel that this is a remake at all. We feel that this is a new game, with wireless technology,” referring to the included wireless adapter.

The Japanese version of FireRed and LeafGreen was produced in limited quantities, with only 500,000 copies made, even though Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire had been successful. IGN suggested that Nintendo might have expected lower demand for the new games or faced production limits due to the wireless adapter. The North American versions of FireRed and LeafGreen were indirectly announced at DICE in 2004. Although the original games were called Red and Blue in North America, the remakes kept the Japanese names “Red” and “Green.” Masuda explained that the leaf symbol represented peace, while the fire symbol in the other game was seen as a sign of conflict.

The music in the games was based on classic game console sounds and arranged by Go Ichinose. Masuda and Ichinose chose not to change the reused music from the original Red and Blue games but instead updated it by adding new sounds. Some songs include key changes compared to the original soundtrack, and others, like the Trainer Battle music, were rewritten in MIDI format for the Game Boy Advance and include pitch bends between notes. A two-disc music set called GBA Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Super Complete was released. The first disc included all the music used in the game, while the second disc featured bonus tracks inspired by the game’s music, including two vocal tracks.

Reception

Reviews of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were mostly positive, and the games have an average score of 81 percent on Metacritic. Jon Minife of The New Zealand Herald praised the games for fixing the connection problems that Ruby and Sapphire had, which made older players want to play Pokémon again. Craig Harris of IGN gave the games a "Outstanding" 9.0/10 rating and said the creators did a good job making a game that works well for portable devices. He noted that the games have less variety than Ruby and Sapphire, but they are still very enjoyable. Harris was less happy with the graphics, calling them "limited" and "basic."

Greg Kasavin of GameSpot gave the games an 8.4/10 score and said that even though Pokémon could use new ideas after many years, FireRed and LeafGreen are still great role-playing games. He mentioned they have more content and challenges than Ruby and Sapphire, and the gameplay is fun for all ages. Unlike Harris, Kasavin liked the graphics, calling them "colorful" and noting the "endearing character designs" the series is known for. GameSpot later named LeafGreen the best Game Boy Advance game in September 2004. Game Informer rated the games "Very Good" with an 8/10 score, saying they are "a lot of fun," but they found the graphics "unremarkable" compared to other handheld games.

Phil Theobald of GameSpy gave the games four out of five stars and said he became hooked again because of the simple but engaging gameplay and the strategic battles. He said the "gotta catch 'em all" feature is still effective for building a strong team. He compared the graphics to the original Red and Blue versions, calling them less "ugly." Other improvements included a tutorial that appears when needed, flashbacks when loading saved games, and multiplayer features using the Wireless Adapter.

In Japan, FireRed and LeafGreen sold 885,039 copies in their first week, which was fewer than Ruby and Sapphire sold during the same time. IGN explained that the lower sales were because the games were remakes. By August, in the United States, the games had more than 150,000 pre-orders, which was more than double the number for Ruby and Sapphire. Less than a month after their U.S. release, over one million copies were sold. The games were added to Nintendo's Player's Choice line in North America in October 2006, with the price lowered to $19.99. However, these versions did not include a Wireless Adapter. As of March 31, 2008, the games had sold 11.82 million copies worldwide. By October 2013, worldwide sales reached 12 million copies.

Nintendo Switch release

To mark the 30th anniversary of the original Pocket Monsters Red and Green games in Japan, Nintendo released FireRed and LeafGreen for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on February 27, 2026, following a presentation called Pokémon Presents. The games are available for purchase digitally through the Nintendo eShop. Some people criticized the release for being expensive and for not including online features. In Japan, a "Special Edition" physical version is available. This version includes replicas of the original FireRed and LeafGreen Game Boy Advance boxes, a download code for the games, three laser-engraved glass Poké Balls featuring Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, red, blue, and green light-up stands, and a display case. The rerelease includes the Aurora Ticket and Mystic Ticket, which were special items given out during events that allowed players to catch the mythical Pokémon Deoxys and the legendary Pokémon Lugia and Ho-Oh. Trading in this version is limited to local wireless connections. It has been suggested that Pokémon from FireRed and LeafGreen might be transferable to Pokémon Home, but no specific date for this feature has been announced.