Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Full Comparison

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue are sure to go down as some of the most influential video games ever made. They kicked off the Pokémon franchise, which remains one of the biggest around the world to this day.

But how do they hold up to some of the later iterations of the series? We’re comparing Pokémon Red, Green & Blue with Diamond & Pearl, to see just how the gameplay compares throughout the years!

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Release Year and Platforms

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue were the first-ever video games in the now enormous multimedia franchise. They were released in 1996 around the same time as the manga and anime of the same name. As a flagship title for the original Game Boy, it played a huge role in establishing the franchise among both gamers and mainstream audiences.

Comparatively, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl were released a decade later on the Nintendo DS, kicking off Generation IV of the franchise. Despite the general formula remaining similar over the years, the progress between Generations is clear for all to see, with numerous gameplay additions that we’re going to explore in more detail.

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sales

No matter what, it seems like Pokémon Red, Green & Blue will always be the reigning champion of sales figures within the franchise. To this day, the games have sold a combined 31 million copies, owing to a hugely successful release period as well as 27 years of gamers continuing to pick them up. There isn’t a single game in the franchise that can live up to those numbers.

Comparatively, Generation IV’s Pokémon Diamond & Pearl sold 17.6 million copies. Sure, when compared to Red, Green, & Blue‘s numbers, it seems a little disappointing. However, in the wider franchise, it’s actually great. For context, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl outsold the initial releases in all of Generations III, V, VI, and VII. It wasn’t until 2019’s Pokémon Sword & Shield that a new Generation would outsell Diamond & Pearl, making Generation IV one of the most popular ever.

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Available Pokémon

Many of the Pokémon you’ll find in Pokémon Red, Green & Blue are the classics. Pokémon you’ve seen and heard of for nearly three decades now, with plenty of appearances in later games too.

That said, at this point, it’s not like the Pokémon that appear in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl are new to the scene, either. To this day, the additions of Generation IV are considered to be some of the most well-balanced Pokémon out there, owing to its enduring popularity.

Here are all the Pokémon you can expect to meet throughout Pokémon Red, Green & Blue, and Diamond & Pearl:

Red, Green & Blue Pokémon

Diamond & Pearl Pokémon

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Main Characters

As the first releases in the franchise, Pokémon Red, Green & Blue didn’t quite put too much focus into its character work. In terms of the protagonist, you played as Red, with no option to select a gender or customize him in any way. Beyond Red, there is Professor Oak there to kickstart your adventure, but truthfully the story took a backseat in the original games. It’s a shame, given how complex some of the stories from the franchise would go on to become in later games.

Meanwhile, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl take a much bolder approach. At the start of the game, you choose between male or female protagonists Lucas or Dawn. You can’t quite customize them (that would arrive later in the series), but it’s still a great step forward that many players had been asking for. The game has a large supporting cast, too. You meet Barry early on, your eccentric childhood friend who goes on to become your Pokémon rival. Professor Rowan is this game’s Pokémon Professor, allowing you to choose between the starters Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig. Then, there’s Cynthia, a friendly face who appears throughout the game to help you out, before proving to be the final battle of the Elite Four. Even the villains, Team Galactic, have a huge role to play in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl! They provide the driving force of the story, giving you something to fight for throughout.

There’s a cute simplicity to Pokémon Red, Green & Blue‘s characters and story. However, it simply doesn’t compare to what’s on offer from Pokémon Diamond & Pearl.

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Pros and Cons

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue Pros

• A smaller pool of Pokémon means a simple meta to understand
• Easy to emulate
• Nostalgic

Pokémon Red, Green, & Blue Cons

• Outdated graphics by 2023 standards
• Lack of complex mechanics

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Pros

• Arguably the best visuals of the 2D sprite era
• Well-balanced meta despite having lots of Pokémon
• Ability to import Pokémon from GBA titles
• Added the ability to trade Pokémon around the world through the Global Trade System
• A real-time clock adds a day/night cycle
• Nintendo DS adds new mechanics through the second screen
• New Pokémon Contests

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Cons

• Notable lack of progression in sound design

To tell the truth, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl represents a great refinement of the general formula. Unless you have a massive nostalgic connection to Pokémon Red, Green & Blue, we don’t see any reason to pick them up over the newer releases.

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: The Final Details

We’ve already discussed a lot about these titles, but we’ve not quite covered everything.

It’s impossible to talk about these games and not discuss their regions. Pokémon Red, Green, & Blue take place in Kanto, which is inspired by the Japanese region of the same name. Meanwhile, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl are set in Sinnoh, based on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The landscapes are quite similar, with Sinnoh having a few more major cities to explore. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl represents the last time Game Freak solely took inspiration from Japan before branching out to the rest of the world in Pokémon Black & White.

Another huge detail to discuss is the Gym Leaders. Each major town in all of these games has a Gym Leader who you must defeat to progress further into the game. These Gym Leaders have a team specific to one type of Pokémon, so you must prepare for each accordingly. For example, if you prepare for a Water-type Gym Leader with all Fire-type Pokémon, you’re going to get stomped pretty hard. It’s not quite as straightforward as walking into the gyms and demanding to fight the Gym Leader, though. Most of them have a variety of puzzles you must first complete before you get to the final battle, offering a new type of gameplay in Pokémon.

Here are all of the Gym Leaders you can expect to face in Pokémon Red, Green & Blue, and Diamond & Pearl:

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue Gym Leaders

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Gym Leaders

After you’ve collected all eight of the gym badges from these games, you then have the option to move on to the Elite Four. The Elite Four is a series of difficult final battles at the end of most Pokémon games which will prove your worthiness to become a Pokémon Master. Each of these battles in Pokémon Red, Green & Blue and Diamond & Pearl are hand-crafted to use extremely hard-to-counter team compositions, testing the team you’ve spent the rest of the game building up.

Each Generation has a new Elite Four of its own – here’s who you can expect to meet in Pokémon Red, Green & Blue, and Diamond & Pearl:

Pokémon Red, Green & Blue Elite Four

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Elite Four

There you have it: Pokémon Red, Green & Blue, and Diamond & Pearl compared. It’s an interesting comparison given how similar they are at their core, but ultimately we’ve got to give the nod to Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. These are games that lend themselves to slow innovation as opposed to huge revamps, and Diamond & Pearl are arguably the perfect examples of that.