Pokémon Red, Green & Blue vs. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: Full Comparison

It may seem odd to compare the oldest and newest Pokemon games to one another, but exploring their differences quickly becomes a testament to how far the series has come over its 27-year history. Pokemon Red, Green, & Blue were the very first games released in 1996 for the Game Boy. Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are the latest games for the Nintendo Switch. Here, we’ll compare the two in many different facets — and not just gameplay aspects, either.

Pokemon Red, Green, & Blue vs. Scarlet & Violet At A Glance

Red, Green, & Blue vs. Scarlet & Violet: Units Sold

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have sold a combined 22.66 million units as of September 2023. This ranks it fourth among games, behind Gold & Silver, Sword & Shield, and Red, Green, & Blue. That’s right, the first games in the series are still the leaders when it comes to units sold. Red, Green, & Blue have sold a whopping 31.38 million units. While Scarlet & Violet could technically still pass the Gen 1 games, they probably won’t. However, they can pass Gold & Silver with another 1.07 million units.

Total Available Pokemon

This one doesn’t seem fair considering we’re talking about the first Pokemon game versus the ninth, but we’re comparing all aspects of the games here. Famously, Pokemon Red, Blue, & Green have the original Kanto 151 Pokemon available.

Kanto Pokedex

Meanwhile, the base Scarlet & Violet games bring a whopping 400 Pokemon in their Pokedex. They also add over 230 Pokemon in the two DLC packs, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. Chalk this one up for the newer games.

Paldea Pokedex

Unique Features

As the Pokemon series evolved, it brought over many mechanics not seen in the original games and added some new ones as well. These include:

• Improved character customization
• Auto battles
• TM Machines
• Open-world, non-linear gameplay
• Picnics
• Improved selfie camera functionality
• The ability to play as a boy or a girl
• Online play
• Terastallization and Tera Raids
• Group EXP gains
• Co-op modes
• And more

Meanwhile, Red, Blue, & Green offer unique gamebreaking glitches and the most frustrating gameplay ever seen in the series. At least the series has made progress over the past 30 years. Granted, Scarlet and Violet have their fair share of bugs and glitches. However, they’re not as fun as getting a level 100 Nidoking or unlimited Rare Candies.

Gym Battles

Both games feature eight gyms, but Scarlet & Violet introduce other powerful foes in the form of Team Star battles and Titan Pokemon encounters. You must clear all the gyms, Titan Pokemon, and Team Star camps to progress to the game’s Elite Four. The original games don’t quite offer that level of content, even with the Team Rocket fights and rival battles.