Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are 2004 remakes of the 1996 role-playing video games Pokémon Red and Green. They were created by Game Freak and released by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. FireRed and LeafGreen were first sold in Japan in January 2004 and later in North America in September 2004 and in Europe in October 2004. These games are part of the third generation of the Pokémon video game series and were the first improved versions of earlier games in the franchise.

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

Most reviews of FireRed and LeafGreen were positive, with an average score of 81 percent on Metacritic. Critics praised the addition of new features while keeping the traditional gameplay style. Some reviewers had mixed opinions about the graphics and audio, noting they were simple and not as advanced as those in earlier games like Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The games sold about 12 million copies worldwide. Two years after their initial release, Nintendo re-released them as Player's Choice titles. In February 2026, the games were made available digitally for the Nintendo Switch, marking the series' 30th anniversary.

Gameplay

FireRed and LeafGreen are Pokémon role-playing games that use a third-person, overhead view, similar to other handheld Pokémon games. The main screen shows an overworld map where the player moves the main character. A menu can be accessed to manage Pokémon, items, and game settings. When encountering a wild Pokémon or battling a trainer, the screen changes to a turn-based battle view, showing the player’s Pokémon and the opponent’s Pokémon. During battles, the player can choose a move, use an item, switch Pokémon, or try to run away (only in wild battles). Each move has power points (PP), which decrease by 1 when used. Once PP reaches zero, the move can no longer be used. All Pokémon have hit points (HP), and when HP drops to zero, the Pokémon faints and cannot fight until healed. When an opponent’s Pokémon faints, the player’s Pokémon earn experience points (EXP). Accumulating enough EXP causes a Pokémon to level up.

Capturing Pokémon is a key part of the game. During a battle, the player can throw a Poké Ball at a wild Pokémon. If successful, the Pokémon joins the player’s team. The chance of catching a Pokémon depends on its HP and the type of Poké Ball used. Lower HP and stronger Poké Balls increase the capture chance.

FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of earlier games, Red and Green (Green was only released in Japan, while the international version was Blue). They include features like a tutorial that explains game details by pressing the select button. When continuing a saved game, the last four actions are shown to help players 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, to collect over 350 Pokémon. FireRed and LeafGreen can link with the GameCube to use Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire, where players organize and view their Pokémon. In Colosseum, Pokémon can be used in battles. These games were the first in the series to work with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which lets players interact 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 created "JoySpots" in Japanese stores for this feature.

Plot

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is set mainly in the fictional Kanto region. This region is one of many in the Pokémon world, which includes different environments for Pokémon, towns and cities where humans live, and paths that connect places. Some areas can only be reached after players find a special item or when one of their Pokémon gains a special ability. 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 are based on the real-life Izu Islands and are made up of seven islands. These islands have Pokémon that are usually 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 get Pokémon that are only found in the Hoenn region.

The main character in FireRed and LeafGreen is a child who lives in Pallet Town, a small town in Kanto. When players begin their journey and enter tall grass, a voice warns them to stop. Professor Samuel Oak, a well-known Pokémon researcher, explains that tall grass often contains 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 fight 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 tool that records information about every Pokémon they catch. Oak then asks the player to help him complete a full list of all Pokémon in the game.

As the player visits cities in the region, they find special places 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 on the Indigo Plateau, where the best trainers in Kanto compete. There, the player battles the Elite Four and their rival, who is the Pokémon League Champion. Throughout the game, the player also fights Team Rocket, a group that uses Pokémon for illegal activities. The player must stop Team Rocket’s plans to steal rare Pokémon and defeat their leader, Giovanni.

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

Development

FireRed and LeafGreen were first announced in September 2003. They were 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. The game engine used was a slightly changed version from the one in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Because of this, FireRed and LeafGreen were fully backward compatible with Ruby and Sapphire, meaning players could trade Pokémon between the games.

FireRed and LeafGreen could connect with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter. At the time, Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, said this feature would improve head-to-head battles, information sharing, and communication with others. The game had an improved interface to help new players, as well as a help system that could guide confused players during their journey. The president of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, said, “We don’t feel this is a remake at all. We feel this is a new game with wireless technology,” referring to the included wireless adapter.

Only 500,000 copies of FireRed and LeafGreen were made in Japan, even though Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were successful. IGN guessed that Nintendo expected lower demand for the new games or that production was limited by 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 this choice, saying the leaf symbolized peace, unlike water, which he felt could suggest conflict with the fire icon used in the other game.

The music in the games was based on sounds from older game consoles and arranged by Go Ichinose. Masuda and Ichinose decided not to change the reused music from the original Red and Blue games but instead updated it by adding new sounds. Some songs have key changes compared to the original soundtrack, and some, like the Trainer Battle music, were rewritten in MIDI format for the Game Boy Advance. 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 had bonus tracks inspired by the game’s music. Two of these tracks include vocals.

Reception

Reviews of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were mostly positive, and the games have an average score of 81% on Metacritic. Jon Minife of The New Zealand Herald said the games fixed problems with connecting that earlier versions, Ruby and Sapphire, had, which might encourage older players to return to the series. Craig Harris of IGN gave the games a "very good" 9.0/10 rating and praised the creators for making a game that works well for handheld devices. He noted that FireRed and LeafGreen have less variety than Ruby and Sapphire but are still enjoyable. Harris thought the games' graphics were simple and not very detailed. Greg Kasavin of GameSpot gave the games 8.4 out of 10 and said they are great role-playing games with more content and challenges than Ruby and Sapphire. He also praised the games' colorful designs and character artwork. GameSpot later named LeafGreen the best Game Boy Advance game of September 2004. Game Informer gave the games an 8/10 rating, calling them "a lot of fun" but saying their graphics were not special compared to other handheld games.

Phil Theobald of GameSpy gave the games four out of five stars and said the simple gameplay and strategic battles made him enjoy the games again. He also said the goal of catching all Pokémon is still fun and important for building a strong team. He compared the games' graphics to the original Red and Blue versions, which he called "ugly," and said FireRed and LeafGreen look better. Reviewers also liked new features, such as a tutorial that appears when needed, flashbacks when loading saved games, and multiplayer support through a Wireless Adapter.

In Japan, FireRed and LeafGreen sold 885,039 copies combined during their first week, which was fewer than Ruby and Sapphire sold in the same time. IGN said the lower sales were because FireRed and LeafGreen were remakes. In the United States, the games had more than 150,000 pre-orders by August, which was more than double Ruby and Sapphire's pre-orders. Less than a month after releasing in the U.S., over 1 million copies were sold. In 2006, the games were added to Nintendo's Player's Choice line in North America at a reduced price of $19.99, but these versions did not include a Wireless Adapter. By March 2008, the games had sold 11.82 million copies worldwide. By October 2013, sales reached 12 million copies globally.

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 systems on February 27, 2026, following the Pokémon Presents presentation. The games are available for purchase digitally through the Nintendo eShop. Some people said the games were too expensive and did not include online features. In Japan, a "Special Edition" physical version is available, which includes replicas of the original FireRed and LeafGreen Game Boy Advance boxes. These versions include 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 items, which were previously given out during special events and allowed players to catch the mythical Pokémon Deoxys and legendary Pokémon Lugia and Ho-Oh. Trading in this version is limited to local wireless connections. It has been suggested that players may be able to transfer Pokémon from FireRed and LeafGreen to Pokémon Home in the future, but the exact timing is unknown.