The Pokémon community has been begging to play Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green again for years, with physical cartridges and Game Boy Advance hardware becoming harder to get. Nintendo has answered these prayers by announcing Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green releases in 2026, and the differences are unknown to many.
If you played Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green when they first came out, you know why they were so special. They were the first Pokémon remakes, bringing the classic gameplay of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, and updating it for a new generation. Game Freak has developed countless remakes since, but this was the first instance.
If you’re new to Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green, let’s run through both games and what you should consider.
All Differences Between Pokémon Fire Red and Pokémon Leaf Green
The main differences between Pokémon Fire Red and Pokémon Leaf Green are that each game is a remake of a specific Pokemon game, which means there is a ton of game-specific Pokémon tied to both titles, and there are subtle cosmetic differences, too.
Exclusive Pokémon
Comfortably, the biggest factor differentiating the two games is exclusive Pokémon, with Fire Red having specific Pokémon you can only get in the game, and vice versa for Leaf Green.
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Between the original Kanto Pokédex and the unlockable National Pokédex, here’s every exclusive Pokémon available in both games, and which version they’re tied to.
| Exclusive Pokémon Name | Game They’re Tied To |
|---|---|
| Ekans | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Arbok | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Oddish | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Gloom | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Vileplume | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Bellosom | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Psyduck | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Golduck | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Growlithe | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Arcanine | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Shellder | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Cloyster | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Elekid | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Electabuzz | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Scyther | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Scizor | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Wooper | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Quagsire | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Murkrow | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Qwilfish | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Delibird | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Skarmory | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Deoxys Attack Forme | Pokémon Fire Red |
| Sandshrew | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Sandslash | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Vulpix | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Ninetales | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Bellsprout | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Weepinbell | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Victreebel | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Slowpoke | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Slowbro | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Slowking | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Staryu | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Starmie | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Magby | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Magmar | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Pinsir | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Azurill | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Marill | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Azumarill | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Misdreavus | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Sneasel | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Remoraid | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Octillery | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Mantine | Pokémon Leaf Green |
| Deoxys Defense Forme | Pokémon Leaf Green |
Physical and Digital Art Differences
This isn’t going to apply to the Nintendo Switch versions as much, but whichever original game cartridge you owned, you’d either get a green cartridge for Leaf Green or a blazing-hot Fire Red case.
One thing that will apply to both digital versions, though, is the specific Fire Red or Leaf Green menu screen and loading screens. Outside of this, there really isn’t much difference between the two games at all!
Should You Buy Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green?
If you have aspirations of collecting every Pokémon in whichever game you’re playing, it doesn’t really matter which version you buy. The only major difference is maybe if you prefer Venusaur over Charizard, or vice versa, and which color you prefer!
Since day one, the aim of Pokémon games has been to collect what you can and trade with a friend, just like you would when collecting Pokémon cards to fill in the gaps.
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So, if you buy Pokémon Leaf Green, make sure you have at least one friend in real-life or online who has Fire Red, and you can trade the exclusive Pokémon with each other to fill out your Pokédex.
Is this your first time playing Pokémon Fire Red or Pokémon Leaf Green? If not, which version did you get all those years ago, and which are you buying this time? Give your answers and favorite memories of the games through the Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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