Pokémon 30th Anniversary Officially Confirms Kanto Remakes For Nintendo Switch

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, Nintendo has surprised us all by adding two new exciting additions to the Nintendo eShop. Added to the ‘Coming Soon’ section of the store, Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen are now available to pre-order, offering fans the chance to dive back into the 2004 remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue from 1996.

Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Are Back

As yet another remake of Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen are back once more and will be heading to the Nintendo Switch at £16.99/$19.99 each. With the very first iteration being released three decades ago, it makes sense for Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen to be one of the many big announcements to celebrate the 30-year anniversary.

In celebration of 30 years of Pokémon, we thought it would be fun to return to the ultimate versions of the original Pokémon adventures in the Kanto region with these special releases.

Set to release on 27 February, Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen will see players explore the Kanto region as they discover wild Pokémon around every corner and aim to complete their Pokédex as they take part in various battles with other Trainers. Along the way, you will earn badges and uncover incredible secrets on the quest to be the best Trainer around.

This 30th Anniversary Re-Release Is A Nice Surprise

Pokemon FireRed Charizard on a red background on the left and LeafGreen Venusaur on a green background on the right.

Not only will Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen now be available on both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, but the digital download will also contain the Sevii Islands, which is home to even more Pokémon to add to your Pokédex. Additionally, you will be able to trade, battle, and chat with other players via the Pokémon Wireless Club with support for Pokémon HOME coming soon.

It is worth noting that Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen are only available to view in the Nintendo eShop in the “Coming Soon” section, and have not yet been added to the official Nintendo website, or the Nintendo Store mobile app. However, pre-orders are now open in the eligible tab. A

Although some Nintendo users are not happy that Nintendo has added Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen to the eShop rather than adding them as part of the Nintendo Classics collection, it does make sense for them to be one-off payments as opposed to only being accessible with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, as these are no doubt games that fans will want to return to over the years.