Pokémon (video game series)

A turn-based creature-collecting RPG series with global franchise reach.

Pokémon is a Japanese series of creature collector role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy. The series is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with over 515 million units sold worldwide as of 2026.

Quick Facts

Developer: Game Freak; ILCA
Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
Genre: Role-playing
Spinoffs: See List of Pokémon spin-offs
Creator: Satoshi Tajiri
Artist: Ken Sugimori
Composer: Junichi Masuda
First release version: Pocket Monsters Red and Green (Japan)

Facts from the source article.

Development

The Pokémon franchise is divided roughly by generation, with each new main role-playing game that introduces new Pokémon, characters, and possibly gameplay concepts marking the start of a new generation. The ninth and current generation began with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022. The original games were created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy, starting with Pocket Monsters Red and Green in Japan.

An enhanced Blue version followed, which was reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for international release; the original Green version was not released outside Japan. Pokémon Yellow was later released as a second enhanced remake, using the Game Boy Color palette and resembling the anime. The first generation introduced 151 species of Pokémon and basic concepts of capturing, training, battling, and trading, set in the fictional Kanto region.

Reception

The Game Boy games sold almost 3 million copies within the first five months of release and helped maintain strong Game Boy sales in Japan. The series has sold over 515 million units worldwide as of 2026, making it one of the best-selling video game series. Guinness World Records awarded the series eight records in the 2008 Gamer's Edition, including 'Most Successful RPG Series of All Time' and 'Game Series With the Most Spin-Off Movies'. The video game series is the basis for the Pokémon anime, trading card game, manga, and toys; the anime has run for over 1,300 episodes with 20 feature films, and the trading card game includes around 3,000 unique cards. IGN ranked Pokémon as the 17th greatest desired game series, and GamesRadar listed it as the No. 1 Nintendo game 'not made by Nintendo'.