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YKYMF. Price of Play

Pokémon Red and Blue

Released 27 February 1996 Developer Game Freak Publisher Nintendo

You play a young trainer from Pallet Town who travels across the Kanto region catching, training and battling 151 kinds of Pokémon on the way to the Pokémon League. Red and Blue are two versions of the same adventure; each has a few Pokémon the other lacks, so friends trade by cable to complete the collection. It suits children who can read comfortably.

Money health WatchFine if you understand it
Addictive design Low1 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price —no price listed yet
Spending ceiling Has a ceilingYou can buy it all

How it makes money

Watch: fine if you understand it

Red and Blue were sold as separate Game Boy cartridges, one purchase each. Each version has Pokémon the other lacks, and some evolve only through trading, so completing the 151-creature Pokédex means owning both games (or trading with a friend who has the other) plus a Game Link Cable. Nintendo no longer sells these two games: the 3DS Virtual Console versions (2016) left sale when the 3DS eShop stopped sales on 27 March 2023, and they are not in Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo's later remakes, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, came to Switch in February 2026 at A$30 each, so the same two-version split still costs two purchases.

How you pay

  • Pay once

    Originally one Game Boy cartridge per version (Japan 1996, Australia October 1998). Neither version is sold new today: the 3DS Virtual Console release (February 2016) ended with the 3DS eShop on 27 March 2023.

  • Editions

    The same adventure has been sold again several times: a third version, Pokémon Yellow; the 3DS Virtual Console (2016); and the Game Boy Advance remakes FireRed and LeafGreen (2004), re-released on Switch in February 2026 at A$30 each.

    minor part of the game

Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing

  • Collect all

    The Pokédex has 151 entries, but Red and Blue each lack some Pokémon found only in the other, and certain evolutions need a trade, so finishing it means owning (or trading with someone who owns) both versions and a link cable.

Fairer alternatives

Similar games with a healthier money model

What it costs

Price: —

WhatWherePriceChecked
Pokémon FireRed Version (2004 remake of Red, re-released 2026; not the original)
The original Red and Blue are not on sale new; this is the closest current official version.		 Nintendo eShop (AU) · Switch ↗ A$30 Oct 2026
Pokémon LeafGreen Version (2004 remake of Green/Blue, re-released 2026; not the original)
Sold separately from FireRed, as with the originals.		 Nintendo eShop (AU) · Switch ↗ A$30 Oct 2026

Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.

Reviews from across the web

What the critics said

  • 9/ 10

    Nintendo Life ↗

    Alex Olney · 7 March 2016 · 3DS eShop (Game Boy)

    Called the two games a superb 3DS Virtual Console addition that, despite some wrinkles at twenty years old, are still engaging and surprisingly deep.

Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.

Age ratings

Classification

No classification recorded yet.

Safety & parental controls

Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?

  • No chat
  • No contact with strangers
  • No user-made content
  • No account needed

The original games have no online features: trading and battling need two Game Boys joined by a Game Link Cable, so they only happen with someone physically present. One in-game area, the Game Corner in Celadon City, has slot machines that use in-game coins (no real money); the Australian classification for the later FireRed and LeafGreen remakes is PG with "mild gambling references". I could not find the original games' Australian classification.

Platforms & release

Where you can play it

PlatformReleasedStore
Nintendo 3DS
Virtual Console re-release for the 20th anniversary; no longer on sale since the 3DS eShop closed to purchases on 27 March 2023.		 27 February 2016 —
Game Boy
Japan: Red and Green 27 February 1996, Blue October 1996. Red and Blue: North America 28 September 1998, Australia 23 October 1998, Europe 5 October 1999.		 27 February 1996 —

Further reading

Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.nintendo.com, www.nintendo.com, api.ec.nintendo.com, www.nintendolife.com, www.nintendolife.com, www.museumofplay.org. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.