Pocket Monsters Red and Green were released for the Game Boy in Japan on 27 February 1996, a date now celebrated as Pokémon Day. Satoshi Tajiri directed the game, inspired by his childhood hobby of collecting insects. Junichi Masuda composed the music and also worked as a programmer, while Ken Sugimori led the Pokémon designs. Development took about six years, and the games are known for many glitches, such as MissingNo. Programmer Shigeki Morimoto secretly added Mew, which Nintendo later handed out at promotional events.
Each version has its own exclusive Pokémon, and some only evolve through trading, so completing the Pokédex requires the Game Boy link cable.
In October 1996 Japan got Blue, first sold by mail order to CoroCoro Comic readers, with new artwork, dialogue and glitch fixes. Instead of Red and Green, the West received Red and Blue in 1998–1999, reprogrammed on the basis of Japanese Blue.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Pokémon Red Version / Pokémon Blue Version | Game Boy | Sep 28, 1998 | Nintendo | 3 |
| JP | ポケットモンスター 赤・緑Poketto Monsutā Aka・MidoriRed and Green; delayed from a planned 21 December 1995 | Game Boy | Feb 27, 1996 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ポケットモンスター 青Poketto Monsutā AoBlue: mail order for CoroCoro Comic readers; general retail from 10 October 1999 | Game Boy | Oct 15, 1996 | Nintendo | 2 |
| AU | Pokémon Red Version / Pokémon Blue Version | Game Boy | Oct 23, 1998 | Nintendo | 3 |
| EU | Pokémon Red / BlueEnglish release; French, German, Spanish and Italian editions were also issued in Europe | Game Boy | Oct 5, 1999 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ポケットモンスター 赤・緑・青・ピカチュウVirtual Console, with simulated link-cable play; Green was Japan-only; eShop closed 27 March 2023 | Nintendo 3DS | Feb 27, 2016 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Pokémon Red Version / Pokémon Blue VersionVirtual Console in NA, EU and AU; no longer sold since the 3DS eShop closed on 27 March 2023 | Nintendo 3DS | Feb 27, 2016 | Nintendo | 3 |
Also known as: Pocket Monsters Red and Green JP2Pocket Monsters Blue JP2ポケットモンスター 青 JP1Poketto Monsutā Aka JP2Poketto Monsutā Midori JP2Poketto Monsutā Ao JP2Pokémon Rojo y Pokémon Azul EU3Pokémon Versions Rouge et Bleue EU3Pokémon Rote Edition und Blaue Edition EU3Pokémon Rosso e Blu EU3Capsule Monsters JP2
Box art by region
NA Pokémon Red Version / Pokémon Blue Version 
EU Pokémon Red / Blue 
JP ポケットモンスター 赤・緑
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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GraphicsJP BlueInternational Red/Blue
Japanese Blue brought new artwork, new dialogue and glitch fixes. The Western Red and Blue use Blue's script and sprites but keep the Pokémon distribution of Japanese Red and Green.3
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Bug fixInternational Red/Blue
The Western versions were rewritten from scratch on the model of Japanese Blue, because the original Japanese code was too fragile to translate directly.2
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GameplayJP versionsInternational Red/Blue
PC storage went from 8 boxes of 30 Pokémon in Japan to 12 boxes of 20 abroad, and Blizzard's chance to freeze dropped from 30% to 10%.3
Translations
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English Official
Nintendo1998Game Boy · Japanese BlueReleased · complete
The 1998 English localization, led by Hiro Nakamura, gave the Pokémon new names for Western players.2
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Spanish Official
Nintendo1999Game Boy · International Red/BlueReleased · complete
A Spanish edition, Pokémon Rojo y Pokémon Azul, came out in Europe in 1999 alongside French, German and Italian editions.3
Reception
Red, Green and Blue sold 10.23 million copies in Japan and, together with the Western releases, over 31 million worldwide; about 9.85 million were sold in the US by 2007. In 2017 the games entered the World Video Game Hall of Fame.2
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.