Just as insiders had heavily teased, the rumors of a release of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen onto the Nintendo Switch 2 have finally been confirmed. Quietly appearing on the Nintendo eShop were separate listings for both Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen, originally released for the Game Boy Advance. Support for Pokemon Home will be included in this digital re-release as well. Both games will launch on February 27, 2026. Each game will be priced at $19.99.

Celebrate 30 years of Pokémon™ with this Nintendo Switch™ version* of the Pokémon FireRed Version game originally released on the Game Boy™ Advance system! Explore the Kanto region, discover wild Pokémon around every corner, and aim to complete your Pokédex as you battle your way to success. Earn badges as you develop winning strategies to use against each experienced Gym Leader, and uncover amazing secrets in your quest to be the best Trainer.

This digital exclusive contains the Sevii islands, where even more Pokémon await. You can also visit the Pokémon Wireless Club to trade, battle, and chat with other players via local wireless**!

Support for Pokémon HOME is coming soon

You’ll be able to bring the Pokémon you catch and train to the place where all Pokémon gather—support for Pokémon HOME is coming to Pokémon FireRed Version!

Source

 

[ChronosNotashi]

Nintendo released a FAQ page regarding the release.

https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/71365/~/pokémon-firered-version/pokémon-leafgreen-version-faq

Tl:dr: We heard your concerns, but we're currently out of fucks to give. Eat up what we serve already!

Alternatively, as I saw someone put it:

"Game Freak being the undisputed goat of avoiding questions starting from Sword and Shield dexit. It's like they know they will keep getting attacked, so they decided to absolutely not communicate with fans in any form possible starting from gen 8."

 

[TheStonedModder]

i'm not entirely opposed to this, but in the same vein i have to ask "why?" There's no online multiplayer, no way to connect other Gen 3 titles to these and from what i understand not even pokemon home support at launch. (feel free to correct me on that one). I suppose the 20 bucks is fair if you really need your pokemon fix but its going to be a pass for me.

Maybe they will announce connectivity with pokemon xd and colleseaum

It is kind of odd that those 2 games have still not been released..and now with firered and leaf green being added. With no way to complete the national dex. That is the next obvious solution

Without R/S/E we need the 2 gamecube titles. So them delaying those releases to add connectivty would make sense

 

[ChronosNotashi]

Maybe they will announce connectivity with pokemon xd and colleseaum

Unlikely. Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness are already planned to release as NSO titles. Stadium and Stadium 2 didn't receive connectivity with other games or HOME for that same reason.

They're not bad games without it, though. I personally played Colosseum and XD on Gamecube when I was younger, and they were enjoyable even without a GBA + R/S/E/FR/LG + GBA-GC cable combo. (XD even had local PvP with pre-set Pokemon if you really wanted to battle someone without needing the GBA games.)

 

[DJPlace]

this is cool for new genner's but has for me not worth my time...

 

[Axido]

So edgy. Why should we (meaning those who complain about very valid points) care whether or not others enjoy it? If you got a surplus of money and no better idea what to spend it on, have all the fun you want. If other people's crititicism towards some industry practices ruin your fun, however, that's a you problem.

 

[thekarter104]

Nintendo being a monkey's paw again. "I wish I could buy GBA games on Switch to keep instead of having to use NSO!"

"Granted."

"For a reasonable price, for a reasonable price! DAMMIT!"

Imagine this if they went that route...
$20 per GBA Virtual Console Game.
$20 per GB(C) game.

Speaking of absurd prices they could like:

$15 per NES game.
$20 per SNES game.
$40 per N64 game.

Ugh...

 

[Esdeath]

That's pretty cool man, now buy a flasher and a gba.

The RTC Card go for 14 bucks during sale, then get a Flasher for another 10 and we look at sub $40 for both games (or like $25 for one).
Also saying "get a GBA" would mean I could also say "go and get a Switch" when it comes to the total cost.
If you don't have it you can still play it through the GBFlash on your PC.

My point is that you could easily get something real / much more for the price Nintendo is asking.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Imagine this if they went that route...
$20 per GBA Virtual Console Game.
$20 per GB(C) game.

Speaking of absurd prices they could like:

$15 per NES game.
$20 per SNES game.
$40 per N64 game.

Ugh...

And $25 for GBC/GBA games with rumble as they have a special feature.

 

[BratwurstCaptain]

I told my 33 year old uncle about emulation and a couple of days later he sent me a picture of him playing Crystal on his iPad.

People are making a big deal about emulation not being approachable when it's anything but.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I told my 33 year old uncle about emulation and a couple of days later he sent me a picture of him playing Crystal on his iPad.

People are making a big deal about emulation not being approachable when it's anything but.

Especially now with RetroArch and other emulators (?) being on iOS and it uses USB-C port so you can attach a controller to it and that's it.

My favorite mobile controller is the Backbone PS Edition.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

I told my 33 year old uncle about emulation and a couple of days later he sent me a picture of him playing Crystal on his iPad.

People are making a big deal about emulation not being approachable when it's anything but.

To be fair, emulators of older systems aren't very hard to work with from a technical perspective. Even with an older version of zSNES I used growing up (when one of my cousins put it and a Genesis emulator and some games on one of our old computers, and then we later got one of his computers that still had some emulators + games when he got a new one), it was less figuring out how to run games on it, and more navigating the files menu to get to where you have everything. Plus, emulators for handhelds pre-GBA and consoles pre-N64/PS1 are lower on hardware requirement, so even a base 3DS/2DS can run emulation (albeit not perfectly as far as SNES emulation on old SNES - let's just say there's a reason why SNES Virtual Console games were New 3DS/2DS exclusive).

 

[ertaboy356b]

The RTC Card go for 14 bucks during sale, then get a Flasher for another 10 and we look at sub $40 for both games (or like $25 for one).
Also saying "get a GBA" would mean I could also say "go and get a Switch" when it comes to the total cost.
If you don't have it you can still play it through the GBFlash on your PC.

My point is that you could easily get something real / much more for the price Nintendo is asking.

Stop the delusion man, no one would buy a switch to play frlg. Either they already had it or they don't play it. As for the flasher, never seen one for $10. I own a GBFlash and I got that for $15 and that's already on sale. 14 bucks for an RTC cart is wishful thinking. Cheapest I always see is a ticknot cart and that goes for around $20 always.

If you really put effort into it, FRLG costs lower if you buy from different regions. In Hong Kong, it only costs 100HKD or 12USD converted.

 

[Moon164]

$20 for a GBA emulator and not even online mode...

The funniest thing is that if they had put it on NSO, at least we would have guaranteed online play.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

$20 for a GBA emulator and not even online mode...

The funniest thing is that if they had put it on NSO, at least we would have guaranteed online play.

But...then it'd cost USD $50/$80 a year to play (if you only care about Pokemon, anyway), and there'd be no possibility to send Pokemon to/from HOME. You know, the same complaints people had about Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2's release on N64 NSO. And people would complain again in this scenario you suggested as an alternative to releasing the GBA games as VC releases. And I'd bet money that the exact same complaints will resurface when Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness release on GameCube NSO later in the year (even though I, personally, feel those two games are very solid experiences, even without being able to trade games, and Colosseum in particular can be a challenge for speedrunners and nuzlocke runs.

As far as things go regarding Pokemon games, there's just...no pleasing people sometimes. It's why I shared the paraphrased quote I posted earlier: at this point, Game Freak and TPC just don't care what fans think or say. They're simply following the trail of money to determine what fans truly want, since as far as the free market is concerned, money speaks louder than words.

 

[SuffahBish]

But...then it'd cost USD $50/$80 a year to play (if you only care about Pokemon, anyway), and there'd be no possibility to send Pokemon to/from HOME. You know, the same complaints people had about Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2's release on N64 NSO. And people would complain again this time. And I'd bet money that the exact same complaints will resurface when Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness release on GameCube NSO later in the year (even though I, personally, feel those two games are very solid experiences, even without being able to trade games, and Colosseum in particular can be a challenge for speedrunners and nuzlocke runs.

As far as things go regarding Pokemon games, there's just...no pleasing people sometimes. It's why I shared the paraphrased quote I posted earlier: at this point, Game Freak and TPC just don't care what fans think or say. They're simply following the trail of money to determine what fans truly want, since as far as the free market is concerned, money speaks louder than words.

You're right that Gamefreak doesn't care what fans think. But not because they're "following the money". They just know you guys will buy literally anything they shit out.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

You're right that Gamefreak doesn't care what fans think. But not because they're "following the money". They just know you guys will buy literally anything they shit out.

Funny how you assume I'm actually going to buy FRLG on Switch when I never implied that at all.*

That's what I love about you anti-Nintendo fanatics: if someone isn't immediately claiming that Nintendo is Satan incarnate, and isn't immediately calling for the castration and crucifixion of every single Nintendo fan in existence, you automatically assume that they're a Nintendo shill without putting even a millisecond of thought into it. You know, like the average Sony fanboy whenever someone says something even slightly non-positive about Sony without bringing up Nintendo even once in a conversation. I pity both groups for being so lacking in critical thinking skills and always defaulting to black-and-white mentalities.

I'd include Xbox fans or haters in there, but then I'd be beating the rotting corpse of a long-dead horse. And including Steam fans would be a bit hypocritical, since I am the proud owner of a Steam Deck + Steam Deck Docking Station (not an early adopter, but I did get mine before the AI tech craze forced a shortage of hardware).

*(Extra Note: Personally, I'd be more likely to get the MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection bundle that's currently on sale, if I wasn't currently having to watch my spending to the extent that even USD $20 would be a little much. Medical expenses can do that to one's budget, even for a simple visit to a doctor/medical practitioner that's not covered by insurance.)

 

[SuffahBish]

Funny how you assume I'm actually going to buy FRLG on Switch when I never implied that at all.*

That's what I love about you anti-Nintendo fanatics: if someone isn't immediately claiming that Nintendo is Satan incarnate, and isn't immediately calling for the castration and crucifixion of every single Nintendo fan in existence, you automatically assume that they're a Nintendo shill without putting even a millisecond of thought into it. You know, like the average Sony fanboy whenever someone says something even slightly non-positive about Sony without bringing up Nintendo even once in a conversation. I pity both groups for being so lacking in critical thinking skills and always defaulting to black-and-white mentalities.

I'd include Xbox fans or haters in there, but then I'd be beating the rotting corpse of a long-dead horse. And including Steam fans would be a bit hypocritical, since I am the proud owner of a Steam Deck + Steam Deck Docking Station (not an early adopter, but I did get mine before the AI tech craze forced a shortage of hardware).

*(Extra Note: Personally, I'd be more likely to get the MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection bundle that's currently on sale, if I wasn't currently having to watch my spending to the extent that even $20 would be a little much. Medical expenses can do that to one's budget, even for a simple visit that's not covered by insurance.)

I don't really care if you're going to buy it or not. But you're sure defending it like a fanboy. They're charging $20 for a barebones emulated GBA ROM that they couldn't even be bothered to add the same networking features community emulators have had for decades. It's a cash grab pure and simple. I don't even hate Nintendo (Gamefreak may be a different story mostly because they're lazy assholes who hate their own audience). Funny how you guys write so much to say so little.

 

[RetroNerdGamer]

Dang I ran out of dr P and popcorn.

Gonna restock lol

Honestly, I see both sides here, like... this is kinda scummy but at the same time peoples money is theirs to use as they see fit. I think this is cool no matter what, and I was actually gifted a copy of Fire Red and it's preloaded on my Switch. Maybe y'all will see me as crazy but I do use my Switch quite a lot!

Really should have online though, I found it wild the Gen 1/2 games didn't have it on 3DS, and still find it wild with Gen 3 technically on Switch now.

Edit: I want to say as well despite it bein' slightly off topic... Can't wait to try that new Digimon Time Strangers game on my Switch or Switch 2 in July. It looks really good! I'm glad Pokemon has SOME competition at least.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

I don't really care if you're going to buy it or not. But you're sure defending it like a fanboy. They're charging $20 for a barebones emulated GBA ROM that they couldn't even be bothered to add the same networking features community emulators have had for decades. It's a cash grab pure and simple. I don't even hate Nintendo (Gamefreak may be a different story mostly because they're lazy assholes who hate their own audience). Funny how you guys write so much to say so little.

Okay, let's just get this out of the way before you make more baseless accusations:

I don't defend the USD $20 price for FRLG on Switch (even said I'd sooner buy the MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection, if I had the means to fit it into my budget), and it wouldn't be the first time I've turned down a Pokemon game, either. For starters, I'm not even considering LGPE as an option for Kanto - I'll just fire up Pokemon Yellow on my 2DS. I also skipped BDSP almost entirely: tried SP for a bit when I borrowed my friend's copy during a visit, and I'd consider borrowing it again only if I really want Shiny Manaphy and GTS trades aren't working out. I also skipped Gen 4 in general even after I purchased a DSi because, spoiler alert, I believe Pokemon Platinum is overrated (the Gen 4 fanboys in this forum are going to try to crucify me for speaking that blasphemy).

All that said, my post that you replied to was merely general observations based on Game Freak and TPC's behavior and history, as well as the reactions of fans and "fans" towards releases, and how I predict fans will respond in the future based on pattern recognition. If you think that's "defending it like a fanboy", then that's your business, not mine.

Post automatically merged: Feb 24, 2026

Dang I ran out of dr P and popcorn.

Gonna restock lol

Honestly, I see both sides here, like... this is kinda scummy but at the same time peoples money is theirs to use as they see fit. I think this is cool no matter what, and I was actually gifted a copy of Fire Red and it's preloaded on my Switch. Maybe y'all will see me as crazy but I do use my Switch quite a lot!

Really should have online though, I found it wild the Gen 1/2 games didn't have it on 3DS, and still find it wild with Gen 3 technically on Switch now.

Edit: I want to say as well despite it bein' slightly off topic... Can't wait to try that new Digimon Time Strangers game on my Switch or Switch 2 in July. It looks really good! I'm glad Pokemon has SOME competition at least.

It'd be nice if it could be online, yeah. But I can see why Game Freak/TPC might not want to put in the effort to do that for just two games. If we're being honest, though, Fire Emblem 1 will probably be the only time I buy a retro/Virtual Console game digitally on Switch/Switch 2 (and even then, it was only because 1) I was in a Fire Emblem mood when it released on Switch, and 2) it was the only time the original Famicom game was released in the US with official localization - nothing against fan translations, but I only consider those when there's literally no English release).

And speaking of Digimon Story Time Strangers, I've been meaning to give the demo a spin on my Steam Deck. Only things holding me back are other games (been playing more Terraria recently after the 1.4.5 update), and what I've been hearing about the DRM (which is apparently even in the demo version) requiring you to launch the game through Desktop Mode every now and then, meaning I can't just boot it up from Gaming Mode right away like most of my Steam games.

 

[lukeio]

I was actually just about to set up an emulator for another playthrough, but having this officially on the eShop makes it so much more convenient. Really hope they add Pokemon Home support for these versions eventually!