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Gen I

Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow

The journey that started it all — 151 Pokémon, eight badges, and a crime syndicate to bring down.

The Path

The intended order — follow this and you'll stay at the right level all game.

  1. 1

    Pallet Town send-off

    Story

    Choose Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle from Professor Oak · recommended Lv. 5

  2. 2

    Pewter Gym

    Gym

    Rock · Brock · recommended Lv. 12–14

  3. 3

    Mt. Moon

    Story

    Break up Team Rocket's fossil theft · recommended Lv. 12–16

  4. 4

    Cerulean Gym

    Gym

    Water · Misty · recommended Lv. 18–21

  5. 5

    Vermilion Gym

    Gym

    Electric · Lt. Surge · grab Cut from the S.S. Anne first · recommended Lv. 21–24

  6. 6

    Rock Tunnel & Lavender

    Story

    Light the cave with Flash · recommended Lv. 22–26

  7. 7

    Celadon Gym

    Gym

    Grass · Erika · recommended Lv. 24–29

  8. 8

    Rocket Game Corner

    Story

    Raid the Celadon hideout beneath the casino · recommended Lv. 25–30

  9. 9

    Fuchsia Gym & Safari Zone

    Gym

    Poison · Koga · pick up Surf and Strength · recommended Lv. 37–43

  10. 10

    Silph Co. siege

    Story

    Free Saffron City from Team Rocket's takeover · recommended Lv. 35–40

  11. 11

    Saffron Gym

    Gym

    Psychic · Sabrina · recommended Lv. 38–43

  12. 12

    Cinnabar Gym

    Gym

    Fire · Blaine · answer the quiz or battle through · recommended Lv. 42–47

  13. 13

    Viridian Gym

    Gym

    Ground · Giovanni, the Rocket boss himself · recommended Lv. 45–50

  14. 14

    Victory Road

    Story

    The final gauntlet before the Pokémon League · recommended Lv. 45–52

  15. 15

    Elite Four

    Elite Four

    Lorelei (Ice), Bruno (Fighting), Agatha (Ghost), Lance (Dragon) · recommended Lv. 52–58

  16. 16

    Champion battle

    Champion

    Your rival claimed the title first — take it from him · recommended Lv. 55–62

The Story

You are a young trainer from Pallet Town, handed your first Pokémon by Professor Oak and tasked with the impossible: catch all 150 known Pokémon to complete the Pokédex. The path to that goal runs through Kanto's eight Gyms, whose badges prove your strength.

Shadowing your journey is your rival — Oak's grandson — who always seems one step ahead and never passes up a chance to battle. His taunts sting, but every loss teaches you something about team balance and preparation.

Lurking in the background is Team Rocket, a criminal syndicate stealing Pokémon for profit and power. What starts as petty theft in Mt. Moon escalates into a full takeover of Silph Co. in Saffron City — and their leader is closer to the League than anyone suspects.

With all eight badges in hand, only Victory Road and the Elite Four stand between you and the title of Champion. But the final throne is already occupied, and the person sitting on it knows your battle style better than anyone.

Good to Know

  • Save before one-time encounters — the legendary birds, Snorlax, and gift Pokémon won't come back if you knock them out.
  • Psychic-types dominate Kanto with almost no counters, so catch an Abra early on Route 24; even unevolved, it pays off fast.
  • Teach HM moves like Cut and Flash to expendable 'HM slaves' rather than your main battlers, since HMs can't be unlearned normally.
  • Stock up on Repels before caves and bring extra Potions for Rock Tunnel — it's long, dark, and full of Zubats.
  • In Yellow, your starter Pikachu follows you and refuses to evolve, so plan your Electric coverage around that from the start.
  • Don't be afraid to grind a little before Misty and Sabrina — both are famous run-enders for underleveled teams.

After the Credits

  • Delve into Cerulean Cave to face Mewtwo, the strongest wild Pokémon in Kanto, at Lv. 70.
  • Track down any legendary birds you missed — Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres each wait in a fixed location.
  • Finish the Pokédex: all 151 entries is the true mark of a Pokémon Master, and Professor Oak has a reward for it.

My caught checklist

Sign in to track what you've caught — your list syncs across devices.

Want the full step-by-step walkthrough? This page is the roadmap — for turn-by-turn directions, Bulbapedia and Serebii both have detailed per-route guides.