Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Pokémon Red & Blue Cheats & Cheat Codes

Pokemon Red and Blue's cover art features Charizard and Blastoise.

Pokémon Red & Blue Cheats & Cheat Codes

Pokémon Red & Blue changed the face of the video game industry forever. Nearly thirty years after its release, the franchise is still one of the biggest names in video games. The series has come far over the years, but it all started with Red & Blue. These original games set the formula for the entire franchise, and even now, the creatures it introduced are still among the most instantly recognizable. Gen 1’s Pikachu, for instance, is the mascot of the whole franchise, and the legendary creature Mewtwo is a prominent and powerful character in the anime and films. Despite the long list of games that have come out since 1996, Red & Blue are still worth trying to explore how the games began. To that end, here’s what you need to know about Pokémon Red & Blue.

Pokémon Red & Blue Premise

Charizard from Pokémon

As with all the games that would follow it, the core premise of Pokémon Red & Blue is a generally simple one. Players venture out into the world to and capture Pokémon, strange and powerful creatures with dangerous elemental abilities. You can train these creatures and command them in battles against other trainers and wild Pokémon. Gym leaders offer particularly challenging bouts themed around a specific Pokémon type, and by collecting badges from each of them, you can assert your dominance as the greatest trainer in the region.

Pokémon Red & Blue Main Characters

Togepi and Misty Pokemon show screenshot

As with the rest of the series, the main focus of Pokémon Red & Blue is the Pokémon themselves. The first games introduced 151 Pokémon, far too many to list here. There are, however, several prominent characters for you to encounter during your travels. Your journey will eventually bring you face to face with several Gym Leaders and a few other noteworthy characters to boot. Here are all the gym leaders in Red & Blue, along with some more of the most significant figures in Pokémon Red & Blue.

  • Red: The protagonist of Pokémon Red & Blue is an ambitious young trainer whose journey begins in the humble Pallet Town. This silent protagonist doesn’t have many defined traits, but with your help, he will rise to become a legendary figure in the Pokémon trainer community.
  • Blue: Red’s rival is a rude and competitive young man, and the grandson of Professor Oak. He receives his starter Pokémon at the same time as Red, and dogs the protagonist’s heels throughout his journey.
  • Professor Oak: The iconic Professor Oak is a scholar dedicated to the study of Pokémon around the world. He mentors Red and Blue at the start of their journey and even grants them their first starter Pokémon.
  • Brock: The first gym leader players face on their journey will be Brock, a Rock-type gym leader in Pewter City. Ground-type Pokémon are also present in his gym.
  • Misty: Cerulean City features the Water-type gym leader Misty. Together with the aforementioned Brock, Misty plays a major role in the Pokémon anime as a companion to series protagonist Ash.
  • Lt. Surge: The imposing Lt. Surge is an electric-type gym leader encountered in Vermillion City. His gym is generally one of the trickier ones in the game, requiring you to find hidden switches to progress.
  • Erika: The Grass-type gym leader Erika can be found in Celadon City. Her heavily forested gym requires you to literally cut a path to her, while encountering dangerous trainers along the way.
  • Koga: The Poison-type gym leader sits at the center of a devious invisible maze. You can find him in Fuschia City.
  • Sabrina: Sabrina’s one of the most challenging trainers of the lot, as she uses Psychic types. Psychic types are extremely powerful in Generation 1, to the extent that two new types were introduced in Gen 2 in order to counter them. You encounter Sabrina in Saffron City, where you have to contend with her maze of teleporters.
  • Blaine: Fire-type gym leader Blaine can be found in Cinnabar Island. His gym confronts you with a computerized quiz, and the consequences for a wrong answer can be explosive.
  • Giovanni: The final gym leader in the game is Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. In order to confront this sinister crime lord, you must return to Viridian City, near the very beginning of your journey. Giovanni uses Ground-type Pokémon and serves as a truly imposing foe.

Pokémon Red & Blue Titles in the Series

The starting screen for Pokémon FireRed

©Gym Leader Draven / The Pokémon Company / Game Freak / Nintendo

The Pokémon franchise is truly prolific, with new games coming out constantly. The franchise boasts countless spinoffs, and even core games are eventually remade with new features. Fortunately, there isn’t much of an overarching plot connecting the series in the long run. Each generation invariably features a self-contained story in a new region, with new characters to meet and new gym leaders to challenge. With that in mind, here’s every main series Pokémon game released to date. 

  • Pokémon Red & Blue (1996)
  • Pokémon Yellow (1998)
  • Pokémon Gold & Silver (1999)
  • Pokémon Crystal (2000)
  • Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (2002)
  • Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen (2004)
  • Pokémon Emerald (2004)
  • Pokémon Colosseum (2004)
  • Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (2005)
  • Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (2006)
  • Pokémon Platinum (2008)
  • Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009)
  • Pokémon Black & White (2010)
  • Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 (2012)
  • Pokémon X & Y (2013)
  • Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (2014)
  • Pokémon Sun & Moon (2016)
  • Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (2017)
  • Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee (2018)
  • Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019)
    • The Isle of Armor DLC (2020)
    • The Crown Tundra DLC (2020)
  • Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021)
  • Pokémon Legends Arceus (2022)
  • Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (2022)
    • The Teal Mask DLC (2023)
    • The Indigo Disk DLC (2023)

Pokémon Red & Blue Cheat Codes

Pikachu Gigantamax Pokemon

There are no official codes available for Pokémon Red & Blue. However, since they came out on GameBoy, they are compatible with third-party cheat devices like the Gameshark. If you’re lucky enough to have one of these old code machines, or, conversely, an emulator that will copy them, you can alter the game in a wide variety of ways. Here’s a list of helpful Gameshark codes to use in Pokémon Red & Blue, courtesy of Pokedream.

  • 01xxD8CF: Choose a Pokémon to fight and capture. In order to use this code, you must replace “xx” with the number corresponding to a specific Pokémon. The full list can be found at the source link above.
  • 01017CCF: This code will let you obtain free Master Balls at the Pokémart.
  • 016447DA: This code will give you infinite Safari Zone Pokéballs.
  • 01f00ED7: This code gives you infinite time in the Safari Zone.
  • 0199A4D5: This code gives you infinite casino coins.
  • 0115D8CF: After entering this code, enter a patch of tall grass to encounter and catch a Mew.
  • 01033cd1: This code will turn off random encounters.

Pokémon Red & Blue Cheat Codes FAQ

A gang of Squirtles wearing sunglasses

©The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel / The Pokémon Company / OLM Studio

Is Pokémon Red & Blue still available? Unfortunately, there is currently no official way to play Pokémon Red & Blue. They were available as Virtual Console releases on the Nintendo 3DS, but the service was discontinued earlier this year. Unless you can track down a physical edition for the original GameBoy, the only way to play the games nowadays is by emulating them. This method is not technically legal, however, and there can be technical problems if you don’t trust the source you’re downloading from.

Did they remake Pokémon Red & Blue? Pokémon Red & Blue did receive enhanced remakes in what has become a Pokémon franchise tradition. Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen came out in 2004 for the GameBoy Advance, introducing a variety of new mechanics and locations for fans to enjoy. Unfortunately, much like the original games, these remakes are not currently available on any modern consoles. Pokémon fans who are interested must resort to emulating once again.

To top