Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version are role-playing video games (RPGs) created by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy in 1996. These games are the first in the Pokémon video game series. They were first released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, with Pocket Monsters Blue released later that year. The games were released internationally in 1998 and 1999 as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. A special version, Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition, was released in Japan in 1998 and in other regions from 1999 to 2000.
In the game, players control a character and explore the fictional region of Kanto. The goal is to become the Pokémon League Champion by defeating eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, who are the best Pokémon Trainers in Kanto. Another goal is to complete the Pokédex, which is a game encyclopedia that lists all 151 Pokémon. Players use the Game Link Cable to connect two Game Boy systems, allowing them to trade or battle Pokémon between games. Both versions share the same story, and while they can be played alone, trading between the games is needed to collect all 151 Pokémon.
Pokémon Red and Blue were praised by critics for their multiplayer features, especially the trading system. They received an average score of 89% from critics on GameRankings and are often listed among the greatest games ever made. They have been included on top game lists, such as IGN’s "Top 100 Games of All Time," for at least four years. The games started a very successful franchise that has sold over 400 million copies worldwide. They were re-released for the Game Boy Advance as FireRed and LeafGreen in 2004, and Pokémon Yellow was re-released for the Nintendo Switch as Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! in 2018. The original versions were also re-released on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Gameplay
Pokémon Red and Blue are played from a third-person view, looking down from above. The game has three main screens: the overworld, where the player moves around with their character; the side-view battle screen, used during fights; and the menu interface, where the player can manage their Pokémon, items, or game settings.
During the game, players can use their Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. When a wild Pokémon appears or a trainer challenges the player, the screen changes to a turn-based battle screen that shows the two Pokémon fighting. In battle, the player can choose to use one of up to four moves, use an item, switch to a different Pokémon, or try to run away. However, running away is not allowed during battles with trainers. Each Pokémon has hit points (HP); if a Pokémon’s HP drops to zero, it faints and cannot fight until it is healed. When an enemy Pokémon faints, the player’s Pokémon that fought receive experience points (EXP). Once a Pokémon accumulates enough EXP, it levels up. A Pokémon’s level affects its abilities, such as its battle stats and the moves it knows. Some Pokémon also evolve at certain levels. Evolution changes their stats and the levels at which they learn new moves. Pokémon that have evolved later in their evolution stages gain more stats when they level up, but they may learn new moves later than earlier stages.
Catching Pokémon is an important part of the game. During a battle with a wild Pokémon, the player can throw a Poké Ball to try to capture it. If the capture is successful, the Pokémon joins the player’s team. The chance of catching a Pokémon depends on its HP, whether it is affected by a status condition, and the type of Poké Ball used. Lower HP, stronger status conditions, and better Poké Balls increase the chance of success. The main goal is to complete the Pokédex, a detailed encyclopedia of Pokémon, by catching, evolving, and trading to collect all 151 species.
Pokémon Red and Blue allow players to trade Pokémon between two cartridges using a Game Link Cable. This is necessary to complete the Pokédex because some Pokémon only evolve after being traded, and each game has Pokémon that are exclusive to its version. The Link Cable also lets players battle against another player’s team. When using Red or Blue on a Game Boy Advance or SP, the standard GBA/SP link cable does not work; the Nintendo Universal Game Link Cable must be used instead. Additionally, English versions of the game are not compatible with Japanese versions, as the different languages use different character sets, which can damage save files.
Pokémon Red and Blue can also trade Pokémon with Pokémon Yellow and the second generation games, Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. However, there are limits: the games cannot connect if one player has Pokémon or moves from the second generation. Using the Transfer Pak for the Nintendo 64, data such as Pokémon and items from Red and Blue can be used in Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2. However, Red and Blue are not compatible with later Pokémon games from the "Advanced Generation" for the Game Boy Advance and GameCube.
Pokémon Red and Blue are known for having many glitches, possibly because the game was large compared to the development team’s experience at the time. One famous glitch involves encountering MissingNo., a glitch Pokémon with multiple forms that appear when certain errors are made. Other glitches allow players to encounter Pokémon that are otherwise unobtainable, such as the Mythical Pokémon Mew. Another glitch, called the "EXP underflow glitch," lets players manipulate the game’s code to make Pokémon in the "medium slow" experience group reach the maximum level.
Plot
The player starts in their hometown, Pallet Town, located in the Kanto Region. This area is based on the real-life Kantō region in Japan but is not the same place. After exploring the tall grass alone, the player meets Professor Samuel Oak, a well-known Pokémon researcher. Professor Oak warns the player that wild Pokémon may live in the area and that meeting them alone could be dangerous. He takes the player to his laboratory, where they meet Oak’s grandson, who is a rival and also wants to become a Pokémon Trainer. Both the player and the rival are asked to choose a starter Pokémon from Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander. Oak’s grandson always picks a Pokémon that is strong against the player’s chosen one. He then challenges the player to a battle with their new Pokémon and continues to do so at specific points in the game.
As the player travels through the region’s cities, they will find special buildings called Gyms. Inside these Gyms are Gym Leaders, who must be defeated in Pokémon battles to earn eight Gym Badges. Once all the badges are collected, the player is allowed to enter the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau, where the best Pokémon Trainers in the Kanto Region compete. There, the player battles the Elite Four and finally faces their rival, who is the Pokémon League Champion. Throughout the game, the player also fights Team Rocket, a group that uses Pokémon to commit crimes. This group creates many plans to steal rare Pokémon, which the player must stop.
The game Pokémon Red and Blue takes place in the Kanto Region, which is based on the real-life Kantō region in Japan. This region is unique because it has different areas, such as forests, mountains, and oceans, where the 151 known Pokémon species live. Human-populated towns and cities are connected by Routes. Some places can only be reached after the player learns a special ability or finds a specific item. Kanto includes many settlements, such as Pallet Town, Viridian City, Pewter City, Cerulean City, Vermillion City, Lavender Town, Celadon City, Fuchsia City, Saffron City, Cinnabar Island, and the Indigo Plateau. Except for Pallet Town, Lavender Town, and the Indigo Plateau, each of these cities has a Gym with a leader who acts as a boss. The player can catch Pokémon in various areas, such as caves (like Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnel, Seafoam Islands, and Cerulean Cave) and the sea. For example, Tentacool can only be caught by fishing or in water, while Zubat can only be found in caves.
Development
In 1990, Satoshi Tajiri, a game developer, shared his idea for a game called Pokémon with Nintendo's employees. Many employees were unsure about the idea, believing it was too big and hard to understand. However, Shigeru Miyamoto, a Nintendo leader, saw value in the idea and encouraged the company to move forward with the project.
The idea for Pokémon came from Tajiri's childhood hobby of collecting insects. As he grew up, he noticed that more buildings were being built in his town, which reduced the number of insects. He also saw that children were spending more time indoors instead of playing outside. This inspired him to create a video game featuring creatures similar to insects, called Pokémon. Tajiri believed children could connect with these creatures by naming them and controlling them to express emotions like fear or anger, which could help reduce stress. However, he made sure Pokémon would not bleed or die in battles, only faint, to avoid adding unnecessary violence to the game.
The idea of trading Pokémon was inspired by Tajiri's experience with the game Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line. While playing, he struggled to obtain a rare item, but his friend Ken Sugimori had already acquired two copies. Tajiri wanted to trade with Sugimori but discovered that trading items between games was not possible on the Famicom. Later, when the Game Boy was released, Tajiri saw the link cable as a perfect tool for trading Pokémon between players. This idea was new to the gaming industry, as cables were previously only used for competition. Tajiri said, "I imagined a chunk of information being transferred by connecting two Game Boys with special cables, and I went wow, that's really going to be something!" Shigeru Miyamoto suggested creating multiple game cartridges with different Pokémon to support trading. Tajiri also drew inspiration from The Final Fantasy Legend, a Game Boy game by Square, which showed him that games other than action games could be made for the system.
The main character, Satoshi, was named after Tajiri himself. Tajiri explained, "Basically, he's me as a kid." The rival character, Shigeru, was named after Shigeru Miyamoto, who was a mentor to Tajiri. Ken Sugimori, an artist and friend of Tajiri, led the design of Pokémon, working with a small team of fewer than ten people to create the designs for all 151 Pokémon. Atsuko Nishida designed characters like Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Sugimori finalized each design, drawing Pokémon from different angles to help the graphics team create accurate images.
The game was originally called Capsule Monsters but faced trademark issues, leading to name changes such as CapuMon and KapuMon. Eventually, it became Pocket Monsters. Tajiri feared Nintendo would reject his game, as the company initially did not understand the concept. However, the games became a success, surprising both Tajiri and Nintendo, especially because the Game Boy was losing popularity at the time.
The idea for the Poké Ball came from the tokusatsu superhero series Ultraseven (1967–1968), which featured a character named Ultraseven who used a capsule to contain monsters. Nintendo spent $13 million marketing Pokémon Red and Blue in the United States.
The game's music was composed by Junichi Masuda, who used the Game Boy's four sound channels to create melodies, sound effects, and Pokémon "cries." Masuda designed the opening theme with battle scenes in mind, using white noise to mimic marching music and a snare drum. He composed the music on a Commodore Amiga computer, which only supported PCM sample playback, and converted it to the Game Boy using a program he created.
Release
In Japan, the first versions of the game were called Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Development was completed by October 1995, and the game was originally planned to be released on December 21, 1995. However, the release was delayed until February 27, 1996, because related products were not ready for sale. After a slow start, the games sold well. Later, Pocket Monsters Blue was released in Japan as a special edition for subscribers of CoroCoro Comic on October 15, 1996. It was later sold to the general public on October 10, 1999. This version included updated artwork and new dialogue. Blue was used as the basis for the international versions of Red and Green, which were renamed Red and Blue for other regions.
To create interest, the game’s creator, Tajiri, included a hidden Pokémon called Mew. He believed this helped spread rumors and kept people excited about the game. Mew was originally added as a joke by another developer and was not meant to be discovered by players. Later, Nintendo decided to give Mew away through a promotional event. However, in 2003, a glitch was found that allowed players to obtain Mew without needing an official event.
When the game was translated for North America, a small team led by Hiro Nakamura renamed the Pokémon based on their appearance and characteristics, after approval from Nintendo. Nintendo also trademarked the names of all 151 Pokémon to ensure they were unique to the franchise. During the translation process, it became clear that the games could not simply be translated from Japanese to English. Instead, the games had to be completely reprogrammed because the original code was in poor condition. The finished versions of Red and Blue were based on the more modern Japanese version of Blue, but they kept the same distribution of Pokémon as the original Red and Green games.
Before the North American release, Nintendo spent over 50 million dollars on promotion, worried that the games might not appeal to American children. The localization team warned that the "cute monsters" might not be popular in the U.S. and suggested redesigning them to be more "powerful." However, Nintendo’s president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, refused and saw the challenge of introducing the games to America. Despite these challenges, the reprogrammed versions of Red and Blue were released in North America on September 28, 1998, over two and a half years after their Japanese debut. The games were very well received, and Pokémon became a successful franchise in the U.S. The same versions were later released in Australia in 1998 and in Europe on October 5, 1999, becoming the second-to-last Game Boy game released in Europe before Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition.
In Portugal, Pokémon Red and Blue were officially released on October 15, 1999, in Monte Real, Leiria District. Nintendo’s local distributor, Concentra, partnered with the town’s leaders to rename the town "Pokémonte Real" for the day. The launch event, organized by a Lisbon-based company, included about 50 children and cost 5,000 contos. Concentra’s marketing director, Ricardo Feist, chose Monte Real because its name resembled the game’s title and to give children outside major cities an opportunity to participate. He also noted that the Pokémon animated series was already airing on a local TV network. Concentra aimed to sell 50,000 copies of the games by the end of the year and planned merchandising and a 35,000 contos marketing campaign to create a "Pokémania" in Portugal.
Two years after Red and Green, Nintendo released Pokémon Yellow, an improved version of Red and Blue, in Japan in 1998 and in North America and Europe in 1999 and 2000. The game was designed to match the Pokémon anime series, with the player starting with a Pikachu and their rival starting with an Eevee. Some characters in the game, like Team Rocket’s Jessie and James, resemble those from the anime.
Pokémon Yellow includes several changes and improvements. The player can only choose Pikachu as their starter Pokémon, and Pikachu has a voice and a unique personality. Pikachu follows the player on the map and can be happy or sad based on the player’s actions. This feature was later used in HeartGold, SoulSilver, Let’s Go, Pikachu!, and Let’s Go, Eevee!. The game also includes a minigame called "Pikachu’s Beach," which is only accessible through a Nintendo contest or by completing a challenge in Pokémon Stadium using the Transfer Pak. Yellow has slightly better graphics and can print Pokédex entries onto stickers using the Game Boy Printer.
Pokémon Yellow was developed by Game Freak after the completion of Blue. Nintendo may have considered a "Pokémon Pink" version based on leaked code. The game was released in Japan on September 12, 1998, in Australia on September 3, 1999, in North America on October 19, 1999, and in Europe on June 16, 2000. A Pikachu-themed Game Boy Color bundle was also released in North America in October 1999. To promote Yellow, Volkswagen and Nintendo created a yellow Volkswagen New Beetle inspired by Pikachu.
On the 20th anniversary of the original Pokémon games’ release in Japan, Nintendo re-released Red, Blue, and Yellow on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in February 2016. These versions included simulated Link Cable functionality for trading and battling between games. As before, Green was only available to Japanese players. The games could transfer Pokémon to Pokémon Sun and Moon using the Pokémon Bank application.
A special Nintendo 2DS bundle was released in Japan, Europe, and Australia on February
Reception
The games received mostly positive reviews, with an average score of 88% on GameRankings. Critics especially praised the multiplayer features, such as trading and battling Pokémon with friends. Craig Harris of IGN gave the games a perfect score of 10 out of 10, saying, "Even if you finish the main story, you might not have all the Pokémon. The challenge of catching them all is the game's biggest attraction." He also noted that the games became very popular, especially among children, calling it a "craze." GameSpot's Peter Bartholow gave the games an 8.8 out of 10, saying the graphics and sound were simple but not major drawbacks. He praised the games for being fun to play again and again because of their variety and customization. He also said the games appealed to many people: "Under its cute appearance, Pokémon is a serious and unique role-playing game with lots of depth and great multiplayer options. It is easy for new players to enjoy but also fun for experienced gamers. It is one of the best Game Boy games ever made."
The success of these games is due to their creative gameplay rather than advanced visuals or sound. Studies from Columbia Business School before 1999 showed that children in America and Japan prefer games with good gameplay over fancy graphics or sound effects. In Pokémon games, the simple visuals actually helped encourage children's imagination and creativity. The Guardian wrote, "Even though the graphics are simple, the fun gameplay makes the game enjoyable."
At the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Pokémon Red and Blue won an award for "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development." They also received nominations for "Console Game of the Year," "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year," and "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design."
Pokémon Yellow received good reviews, with an average score of 85% on GameRankings, making it the fifth best-selling Game Boy game of all time. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune said Yellow was a good game for children. RPGFan called it "very addictive," saying players cannot help but try to "catch 'em all." However, they criticized Yellow for having few new features compared to Red and Blue. IGN's Craig Harris gave Yellow a perfect score, saying it was the best game to start with among the three.
GameSpot's Cameron Davis called Yellow a "temporary solution" to keep players interested until new games like Gold and Silver were released. He said the new challenges were enough but not much more. GameDaily's Chris Buffa said Yellow was a rehash of previous games but still worth playing because of some new content. Allgame's Brad Cook said Yellow was good for players who had not played Red and Blue, but others should wait for Gold and Silver. The Daily Telegraph's Steve Boxer said Yellow had good gameplay but was limited by its features. He called Nintendo's actions greedy, saying Yellow "marks the point where Pokémon becomes more of a marketing tool than a game."
Pokémon Yellow received two nominations: "Game of the Year" and "Console Game of the Year" at the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.
Pokémon Red and Blue started a successful franchise that became a multibillion-dollar business. In Japan, Red, Green, and Blue sold 1.04 million copies in 1996 and 3.65 million in 1997. This made Pokémon the best-selling game in Japan that year, beating Final Fantasy VII. By 1997, about 7 million copies had been sold in Japan. In 1998, they sold 1.7 million copies, and by 1998, 10 million copies had been sold in Japan. In total, Red, Green, and Blue sold 10.23 million copies in Japan, making them the best-selling video games in the country until 2022. The video games were also supported by the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and together they made over $4 billion in sales in Japan by 2000.
In the United States, the games became the fastest-selling Game Boy games, selling 200,000 copies in two weeks and 4 million by the end of 1998. They were the best-selling video games in the United States in 1999, with 6.1 million copies sold that year. By 2007, they had sold 9.85 million copies in the United States. In Europe, the games made €60,388,924 (about $64,362,515 in 2025) in 1999. In France, over 2.5 million copies were sold in a year. In Germany, the games won two Special Prize awards for selling over 2 million copies by 2001. In the United Kingdom, Red and Blue received two Platinum awards for selling over 600,000 copies.
Worldwide, the games sold over 31 million copies. In 2004, Joseph Tobin called them "the most successful computer game of all time." In 2009, IGN said Pokémon Red and Blue were the "Best-selling RPG on the Game Boy" and "Best-selling RPG of all time." In 2017, Guinness World Records named them the "Best-selling Videogame (excluding bundle sales)."
In Japan, the game sold 1.549 million copies in 1998, making it the third best-selling game in Japan that year.
Before its release in North America, Nintendo expected to make $75 million during the 1999 holiday season. The Pokémon Yellow Game Boy Color bundle was predicted to be the second-most popular toy of the holiday season. In North America, the game had about 150,000 pre-orders. The bundle sold well, reaching the top of the sales chart within a week. The standard cartridge sold over 600,000 copies in its first week and 1 million copies in ten days, becoming the fastest-selling handheld game ever. A movie called Pokémon: The First Movie was released around the same time, which Nintendo hoped would boost sales. A Nintendo spokesperson said the high demand for the Game Boy Color during the 1999 holiday season was because of Yellow. In December 1999, Donkey Kong 64 led Pokémon Yellow and *Gran
Legacy
The video game website 1UP.com created a list called the "Top 5 'Late to the Party' Games," which highlighted games that showed the untapped potential of their gaming platforms and were among the last games released for their respective consoles. Pokémon Red and Blue were ranked first on this list and called Nintendo's "secret weapon" when they were released for the Game Boy in the late 1990s. Their success helped the Game Boy become popular again during that time. Nintendo Power listed the Red and Blue versions as the third best Game Boy games, saying players kept playing until they caught every Pokémon. Game Informer’s Ben Reeves called them (along with Pokémon Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal) the second best Game Boy games, noting their depth. Official Nintendo Magazine named them one of the best Nintendo games of all time, placing them 52nd on their list of the top 100 games. Red and Blue ranked 72nd on IGN’s "Top 100 Games of All Time" in 2003, where reviewers said the games "started a revolution" and praised their complex design and trading features. Two years later, they rose to 70th on the updated list, with their legacy noted for inspiring sequels, movies, TV shows, and other merchandise. In 2019, PC Magazine included the games on their "The 10 Best Game Boy Games" list. In 2023, Time Extension added them to their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list. In 2007, Red and Blue were ranked 37th, with reviewers noting their lasting impact.
The games are widely credited with starting the Pokémon series and helping it grow into a multi-billion-dollar franchise. Five years after their release, Nintendo celebrated its "Pokémonniversary." George Harrison, a senior vice president at Nintendo of America, said "those precious gems [Pokémon Red and Blue] have evolved into Ruby and Sapphire." The release of Pokémon Pinball began a line of new Pokémon adventures. The series has sold over 300 million games, all linked to the success of the original Red and Blue versions.
On February 12, 2014, an anonymous Australian programmer started Twitch Plays Pokémon, a social experiment on the streaming site Twitch. The project involved players typing commands into a chat log to control a modified version of Pokémon Red. At times, 50,000 people watched the game together. The experience was compared to "watching a car crash in slow motion." The game was completed on March 1, 2014, after 390 hours of continuous play by many users.
In 2017, The Strong National Museum of Play added Pokémon Red and Green to its World Video Game Hall of Fame. In 2021, the Japan Sumo Association partnered with The Pokémon Company to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon Red and Blue. During the 2022 tournament, professional sumo referees wore Poké Ball-themed kimono.
Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are enhanced remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance, these games work with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which came with the original releases. However, changes like splitting the "Special" stat into "Special Attack" and "Special Defense" made them incompatible with older versions outside the third generation of Pokémon. FireRed and LeafGreen were released in Japan on January 29, 2004, and in North America and Europe on September 9 and October 1, 2004, respectively. Two years later, Nintendo re-marketed them as Player’s Choice games.
The games received high praise, with an 81% score on Metacritic. Critics praised the new features while keeping traditional gameplay. Some reviewers said the graphics and audio were too simple, similar to earlier games like Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. FireRed and LeafGreen sold about 12 million copies worldwide.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are enhanced remakes of Pokémon Yellow Version, released in November 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. Aimed at newcomers, they include mechanics from Pokémon Go. The games take place in the Kanto region and feature the original 151 Pokémon. Players can now have their starter Pokémon follow them in the overworld, a feature last seen in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! include Pikachu and Eevee, respectively, alongside the player’s chosen Pokémon. These games sold over 13 million copies globally.
A Nintendo 64 game called Pocket Monsters Stadium was released in Japan in 1998. It used a 3D turn-based battle system with 40 of the 151 Pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow. A sequel released in 1999 included all 151 Pokémon, both in Japan and the West.