Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to Switch next week for the series’ 30th anniversary<p>It’s a big month for <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-legends-z-a-hands-on-135651443.html">Pokémon[/url], with February 27 marking 30 years since the world’s highest-grossing media franchise first introduced itself in the shape of two Game Boy games.
Pocket Monsters Red and
Pocket Monsters Green, which later arrived in the West as
Pokémon Red and
Pokémon Blue, kicked off a craze in Japan that would soon spread worldwide. And to mark the series’ 30th anniversary, the little turn-based RPGs that started it all are being re-released on Nintendo Switch.</p>
<p>Well, sort of. The versions we’re actually getting are the Game Boy Advance remakes,
Pokémon FireRed Version and
Pokémon LeafGreen Version, which originally came out in 2004. Explaining its decision to bring back the enhanced GBA titles rather than the originals, Nintendo said in an <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/71365/#s1q15">FAQ[/url] that it thought Switch owners would like the opportunity to revisit the "ultimate versions of the original Pokémon adventures in the Kanto region."</p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="f0fe4127858342689ed74b236dbfb6c8"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Get ready to relive the Kanto region Trainers, Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are coming to Nintendo Switch!
Pre-order here:
https://t.co/WzCCWh1fn8https://t.co/5SdXjg75is https://t.co/XVYS5wVZYp</p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica)
February 20, 2026 </div>
<p>These aren’t modern remakes or remasters.
Pokémon FireRed and
LeafGreen will look and play pretty much the same as they did in 2004, just on a far superior display, obviously. There’s no online play, but the original games’ local multiplayer features return via the Switch’s built-in wireless features. If you’re playing on Switch 2, you can also play using GameChat. Other than that, it doesn’t sound like there are any notable differences between the Switch and Switch 2 versions. </p>
<p>In a move that might surprise some,
Pokémon FireRed and
LeafGreen won’t be available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online GBA library. In fact you don’t even need an NSO membership to play them. Instead, the games are being sold as standalone titles for $20 in the eShop. No physical release is planned outside of Japan. Nintendo added in its FAQ that there are no current plans for more old-school Virtual Console-style releases beyond these ones, with the company still committed to building out its NSO subscription offerings.</p>
<p>
Pokémon FireRed and
LeafGreen will be available to buy after a Pokémon Presents showcase that will air next Friday, February 27 (the day of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary), at 9am ET. And if you need yet more Pokémon after that, <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-announces-surprise-switch-2-version-of-sci-fi-rpg-xenoblade-chronicles-x-definitive-edition-153121689.html">
Pokémon Pokopia[/url], which is the series’ long-awaited stab at a cozy Animal Crossing-like, arrives on March 5.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-firered-and-leafgreen-are-coming-to-switch-next-week-for-the-series-30th-anniversary-123505741.html?src=rssSource:
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to Switch next week for the series’ 30th anniversary
