Home › Games › Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow
GAME BOY · 1998
Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow price alerts
The original Pokémon games for Game Boy are hugely popular, and fake carts are extremely common, so check every listing carefully. RetroSnag reads your eBay saved-search alerts for Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow and emails you only listings at or under your all-in price (item + shipping), with obvious reproductions and the wrong region or condition filtered out.
Loose vs CIB vs sealed
- Loose: the cartridge only, no box or manual. The cheapest way to play.
- CIB (complete in box): the box, the manual and the cartridge (originals also came with folded paper inserts). Condition of the box and manual makes a big difference.
- Sealed: still in the original factory packaging. Resealed copies exist, so buy sealed games only from sellers you trust, ask detailed questions, and consider professionally graded copies.
All three games use a coin-cell battery for saves. Red and Blue carts are coloured red and blue; Yellow is a yellow cart. Set a separate RetroSnag item for each version you want, such as "pokemon yellow".
Sellers don't always use these terms consistently ("complete" sometimes means cart and manual, no box), so check the photos. RetroSnag lets you choose loose, CIB or sealed for each wishlist item.
Region: make sure it works on your console
Original Game Boy games are not region-locked, but listings should still say which release they are, since Japanese releases are a different language and Japanese Pokémon versions are different games. RetroSnag lets you limit alerts to NTSC-U, PAL or NTSC-J.
How to spot a reproduction Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow
- Look at the back: genuine carts have "Nintendo" and other text moulded into the plastic and use a triangle-head (Gamebit) screw. Many fakes use a regular Phillips screw.
- Ask for a photo of the circuit board. Genuine boards have Nintendo printing and a DMG part number; fakes often have a black epoxy blob instead of proper chips.
- Compare the label against photos of a confirmed original: fake labels are often blurry, too glossy, or the wrong colour.
- Battery-save games need a coin-cell battery; a cart that "saves" with no battery on the board is a red flag. Note that a genuine cart with a dead battery is common and fixable.
RetroSnag automatically drops listings whose titles say repro, reproduction, custom, homebrew, aftermarket, bootleg, replica or fan-made. Many fakes are not labelled, though, so always check photos, the seller's feedback, and the return policy before you buy.
How to set a Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow price alert
- On eBay, search for
pokemon red game boy, save the search, and turn on email alerts. - Sign up for RetroSnag (free beta) and set your max all-in price, condition and region.
- Forward eBay's alert emails to your private RetroSnag address. You'll only hear about listings that match.
FAQ
What does CIB mean for Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow?
Complete in box: the box, the manual and the cartridge (originals also came with folded paper inserts).
How do I spot a reproduction Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow?
Look at the back: genuine carts have "Nintendo" and other text moulded into the plastic and use a triangle-head (Gamebit) screw. Many fakes use a regular Phillips screw. Ask for a photo of the circuit board. Genuine boards have Nintendo printing and a DMG part number; fakes often have a black epoxy blob instead of proper chips.
Can RetroSnag alert me when Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow is under my price?
Yes. Save an eBay search for Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow with email alerts on, forward the alerts to your RetroSnag address, and set your max all-in price (item + shipping). RetroSnag emails you only matching listings and drops ones that say repro, reproduction, bootleg and similar.