Entertainment

Pokémon Timeline 1996–2026: 30 Years of Evolution

Pokémon began with Red and Green on the Game Boy in Japan on 27 February 1996. Thirty years later, on 27 February 2026, The Pokémon Company marked the franchis…

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THE ORIGIN — 1996

Pocket Monsters Red & Green launch in Japan

Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched for the Game Boy on 27 February 1996, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, with Creatures Inc. as a founding rights…

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GLOBAL EXPANSION — 1998

Pokémon Red and Blue launch in North America

Pokémon Red and Blue reached North America in September 1998, backed by the anime's US syndication debut. The US Trading Card Game followed in early 1999, over two years…

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THE CONNECTED ERA — 2006

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl bring internet trading

Diamond and Pearl launched in Japan in September 2006 on the Nintendo DS, introducing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and the Global Trade Station. Trading partners could now…

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THE GLOBAL 3D ERA — 2013

Pokémon X and Y launch worldwide, simultaneously

X and Y launched on the Nintendo 3DS in October 2013 as the first mainline Pokémon games released simultaneously worldwide, ending years of staggered regional rollouts.…

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THE GO ERA — 2016

Pokémon GO turns real streets into the game map

Pokémon GO launched in July 2016, developed by Niantic with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. GPS and a smartphone camera turned real-world locations into the game map,…

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THE OPEN-WORLD ERA — 2022

Scarlet and Violet become the first fully open-world core RPG

Legends: Arceus (January 2022) introduced large open areas. Scarlet and Violet (November 2022) removed the region's internal loading boundaries entirely, becoming the fi…

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THE SWITCH 2 TRANSITION — 2…

Nintendo Switch 2 launches; Pokémon Legends: Z-A follows

Nintendo Switch 2 launched globally 5 June 2025. Pokémon Legends: Z-A followed 16 October 2025, released as both a standard Switch title and a Switch 2 Edition, set in L…

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POKÉMON AT 30 — 2026

30th anniversary; Pokémon Winds and Waves announced

27 February 2026 marked exactly 30 years since Red & Green. The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves for Nintendo Switch 2, launching worldwide in 2…

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WHAT'S NEXT — 2027

Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves launch worldwide

Confirmed for a simultaneous worldwide launch in 2027, exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. Confirmed details: an open world of windswept islands and ocean, and three starter…

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