The History of the Pokemon Series (Red to Scarlet)

The history of pokemon series begins with a Game Boy cartridge in 1996 and runs through nine generations of mainline RPGs, hundreds of side games, a globally-watched anime, a billion-dollar trading card game, and the most recognizable video-game-derived character roster on the planet. This piece walks through the mainline Pokemon games from Red and Blue on Game Boy through Scarlet and Violet on Switch, with stops at the generations that mattered most.

The origin: Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak

Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri at the Japanese studio Game Freak, with character design largely by Ken Sugimori and influences from Tajiri’s childhood interest in insect collecting. Development began in 1990 — Tajiri pitched the concept (then called “Capsule Monsters”) to Nintendo around the launch of the Game Boy, which had a Game Link Cable that enabled the trading mechanic central to the design.

The project took six years. Game Freak nearly went bankrupt during development; legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto supported the project and mentored Tajiri through it. The Game Link Cable trading mechanic was always the design’s core insight: monsters that could be traded between cartridges meant social play was structurally built into the game.

Generation 1: Pokemon Red and Green/Blue (1996-1998)

Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green launched on the Japanese Game Boy in February 1996. (Pokemon Blue was a Japan-only refined release later that year.) The game cast the player as a young trainer in the Kanto region, collecting and battling 151 Pokemon species. The mechanic was simple: catch monsters in Pokeballs, train them, use them in turn-based battles against other trainers and wild Pokemon, beat eight gym leaders, defeat the Elite Four, become champion.

The international release was Pokemon Red and Blue (September 1998 in North America). It became one of the defining cultural moments of the late 1990s. The Pokemon Trading Card Game launched in parallel. The Pokemon anime debuted on TV. Pokemon merchandise filled every retail surface. By 1999, “Pokemania” was a recognized phenomenon.

The original 151 Pokemon — Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and the rest — remain the most recognizable cohort, the ones casual fans default to when asked to name Pokemon. Pikachu became Nintendo’s third major mascot after Mario and Link.

Generation 2: Gold and Silver (1999/2000)

Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver launched in Japan in November 1999 and globally in October 2000. The games introduced 100 new Pokemon (bringing the total to 251), the Johto region, a real-time clock that enabled day-night cycles and time-dependent events, held items, the breeding system, and a second region (the original Kanto) accessible in the late game.

Gen 2 is regarded by many long-time fans as the peak of the classic-era games. The structural additions — held items, breeding, day-night, two regions — added depth without diluting the core. Crystal (2000) added animation to Pokemon battles and a female protagonist option, expanding the game’s appeal.

Generation 3-5: GBA, DS, and the experimentation era (2002-2012)

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (2002) moved the series to the Game Boy Advance, introduced the Hoenn region and the double-battle format, and added Pokemon abilities (passive bonuses). The visual leap to GBA graphics was significant. FireRed and LeafGreen (2004) were enhanced remakes of the original Red and Blue.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (2006) brought the series to the Nintendo DS, added the Sinnoh region, used the dual-screen for battles, and introduced the physical/special split (separating attack types by category rather than by element). The game added 107 new Pokemon and online trading via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi service.

Pokemon Black and White (2010) introduced the Unova region, broke from tradition by featuring only new Pokemon in the initial Pokedex, and was the first generation to give the storyline genuine thematic weight (the antagonist Team Plasma debated whether Pokemon should be liberated from human trainers — a more philosophical conflict than the cartoonish villains of earlier games).

The 3DS-era games — X and Y (2013), Sun and Moon (2016), Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017) — moved the series into 3D and introduced Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Alolan regional variants. These were transitional games — competent but not always beloved — that set up the Switch transition.

Pokemon Go (2016): the mobile breakout

Pokemon Go launched in July 2016 from Niantic in collaboration with The Pokemon Company. The game used GPS to place Pokemon in real-world locations, requiring players to physically walk to catch them. It became a cultural phenomenon almost instantly — the summer of 2016 was filled with news reports of people walking into traffic or invading private property in pursuit of rare Pokemon.

Pokemon Go expanded the Pokemon audience massively. It pulled in casual players who hadn’t played a mainline Pokemon game in years. It also created a parallel ecosystem — Pokemon Go’s mechanics differ significantly from the mainline games, and many Go-only players never crossed over to the Switch titles. The game has remained active and updated for nearly a decade.

Pokemon Sword and Shield (2019)

Pokemon Sword and Shield launched on the Nintendo Switch in November 2019, the first mainline Pokemon on a home console. The games introduced the Galar region (British Isles inspired), the Wild Area (a large open-world zone with dynamic encounters), Max Raid Battles (cooperative four-player Pokemon raids), and Gigantamax forms (oversized Pokemon variants).

Sword and Shield were controversial for the “Dexit” decision — the choice not to include every Pokemon species in the National Dex. For the first time, some Pokemon were locked out of the new game. The series fanbase divided over whether this was reasonable or a fundamental break with the “gotta catch ’em all” ethos. The games still sold over 25 million copies, but the debate has continued through subsequent releases.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus (2022)

Pokemon Legends: Arceus, released in January 2022, was the boldest mainline Pokemon experiment in years. It abandoned the gym-leader structure entirely, set the story in an ancient version of the Sinnoh region (the Hisui era), and rebuilt the catch mechanic so players could throw Pokeballs in real-time at Pokemon roaming an open environment. Pokemon battles still happened but were no longer the only way to interact with the creatures.

Arceus was a structural revelation. It showed that Pokemon could be a different kind of game — more exploration-driven, more action-feeling, less ritualized. Critical reception was strong. The game pointed at a possible future for the series that wasn’t bound to the gym-leader-plus-Elite-Four template.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (2022)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launched in November 2022, the first fully open-world mainline Pokemon games. Players could approach the three storylines (gym battles, Titan Pokemon hunts, Team Star confrontations) in any order, explore the Paldea region freely, and tackle the world’s content non-linearly.

The structural ambition was real and earned strong fan response. The technical execution was notoriously rough — the games launched with significant frame-rate problems, visual pop-in, and stability issues that made review coverage divided between “great game design” and “broken at launch.” Subsequent patches and the DLC expansions (The Teal Mask, The Indigo Disk) addressed some issues. Scarlet and Violet still sold over 25 million copies.

The wider Pokemon universe

The mainline Pokemon RPGs are only part of the franchise. The Pokemon Trading Card Game launched in 1996 and has generated billions in revenue. The Pokemon anime has run continuously since 1997, following Ash Ketchum (until his arc concluded in 2023, after which the anime continued with new protagonists). Hundreds of TV episodes and over 20 theatrical films have been produced.

Spin-off game series have multiplied: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (dungeon crawler series since 2005), Pokemon Ranger (action games), Pokemon Snap (photography), Pokemon Stadium and Colosseum (console battlers), Pokken Tournament (fighting game), Detective Pikachu (visual novel that spawned the 2019 live-action film). The Pokemon Company licenses the brand across food, toys, clothing, and almost every conceivable product category.

Pokemon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history, with cumulative revenue estimated above $100 billion across games, cards, anime, films, and merchandise. The Pokemon franchise Wikipedia entry tracks the full release history across generations.

Why Pokemon endures

Pokemon’s longevity is partly mechanical (the collect-and-battle loop is genuinely strong) and partly emotional. Each generation introduces new Pokemon, which means each generation gives a new wave of players “their” Pokemon — the species they encountered at age 8 that became permanently meaningful to them. The franchise refreshes its emotional appeal with each generation without alienating older fans, because the older Pokemon usually remain available in some form.

The trading mechanic at the core of the series is also durable. Pokemon was structurally social from launch — the Game Link Cable made trading central to completing the Pokedex — and the social element has scaled through Wi-Fi, online trading, Pokemon Home (the cloud storage service), and Pokemon Go’s location-based mechanics. The series is one of the few that has consistently translated its social systems across decades of technological change.

For a closer look at the early Pokemon games and the development of the first 151 species, our history of Pokemon games piece covers the launch generation in depth. For a different kind of one-button game that fits in a single browser tab, the Chrome Dino game is the minimalist counterpoint to Pokemon’s complex monster-collecting depth.

Frequently asked questions

When was the first Pokemon game released?

Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green launched on the Game Boy in Japan in February 1996. Pokemon Blue followed later that year as a refined Japanese release. The international launch was Pokemon Red and Blue in 1998 (North America in September, Europe in October).

Who created Pokemon?

Satoshi Tajiri created Pokemon at Game Freak, the studio he co-founded. Ken Sugimori designed many of the original Pokemon characters. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto mentored the project during its long development. The Pokemon Company (founded 1998) now manages the broader franchise.

How many Pokemon are there now?

As of the most recent generation (Scarlet and Violet plus DLC), there are over 1,000 unique Pokemon species. The number has grown steadily with each generation, typically adding 80-150 new species per mainline release.

Which Pokemon game is the best?

Common top picks include Gold and Silver (Gen 2), Emerald (Gen 3), HeartGold and SoulSilver (DS remakes of Gen 2), Black and White (Gen 5), and Legends: Arceus. The “best” depends on what era you grew up with — many fans consider their first Pokemon game personally definitive.

What is Pokemon Go?

Pokemon Go is a location-based mobile game released by Niantic in July 2016. Players walk in the real world to encounter and catch Pokemon, using their phone’s GPS and camera. It’s distinct from the mainline RPG series but shares character designs and species. The game is still active and updated.

The takeaway

Pokemon’s history is one of remarkable consistency. Nine generations in, the core loop — catch, train, battle, trade — still works, and each generation finds enough variations on the formula to refresh it. From the Game Boy original to Scarlet and Violet on Switch, the franchise has become one of the longest-running and most commercially successful in entertainment. For a different one-tab classic when your team needs a rest, the T-Rex Runner is a single-input arcade contrast to Pokemon’s collect-and-battle depth.