Pokemon Red vs. Blue: Differences That Matter to Players
Pokemon Red and Blue reached North America on September 28, 1998 (Japan had gotten Red and Green in February 1996, with a Japan-only Blue version following that October). The two versions play identically except for which Pokemon you can catch without trading.
Version-exclusive Pokemon
- Red-exclusive: Ekans (and Arbok), Oddish (and its evolutions), Mankey (and Primeape), Growlithe (and Arcanine), Scyther, and Electabuzz.
- Blue-exclusive: Sandshrew (and Sandslash), Vulpix (and Ninetales), Meowth (and Persian), Bellsprout (and its evolutions), Magmar, and Pinsir.
Play Pokemon Blue Version
An original Game Boy cartridge of Pokemon Blue Version, one of the two 1998 North American releases discussed above.
Check price on Amazon →Trading requirements
To complete the full Pokedex from a single version, you needed to trade with someone playing the other version, using a Game Boy Link Cable connecting two systems. This was a deliberate design choice meant to encourage trading between players, not an oversight.
Shared gameplay
Outside the version-exclusive Pokemon, Red and Blue share the same map, story, gyms, and core mechanics. There's no substantive difference in difficulty or content between the two beyond which creatures you'll run into in the wild.
Choosing an edition
Since the games are otherwise identical, the only real factor is which version-exclusive Pokemon you'd rather catch without trading; either way, a friend on the other version (or a modern emulator's link-cable trading tools) is the only way to complete the set on your own.
Frequently asked questions
What Pokemon are exclusive to Red version?
Ekans, Oddish, Mankey, Growlithe, Scyther, and Electabuzz (along with their evolutions) are exclusive to Pokemon Red.
What Pokemon are exclusive to Blue version?
Sandshrew, Vulpix, Meowth, Bellsprout, Magmar, and Pinsir (along with their evolutions) are exclusive to Pokemon Blue.
Do I need to trade to get all 150 Pokemon in one version?
Yes. Completing the full Pokedex from a single copy requires trading with someone playing the other version, since each version has Pokemon the other doesn't.
Sourcing and corrections
Release dates and version-exclusive Pokemon lists were checked via web search against sources including Bulbapedia, Serebii, and PokemonDB in September 2026.