Pokémon is a Japanese series of creature collector JRPG video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company under the Pokémon franchise. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri with assistance from Ken Sugimori. The first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version. The main series of role-playing video games (RPGs), referred as the "core series" by their developers, has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds. The most recently released core series game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was released on October 16th, 2025 for both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2.

In addition to Game Freak's development, Creatures provides support through their Pokémon CG Studio, which creates 3D models for the Pokémon in the games, and also develops some spin-off titles. In 1998, Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak jointly established The Pokémon Company, which manages licensing, production, publishing, marketing and deals for the franchise both within Asia and worldwide through The Pokémon Company International.

The core games are released in generations, each with different Pokémon, storylines, and characters. Remakes of the games are usually released around a decade after the original versions for the latest console at the time. While the main series consists of RPGs developed by Game Freak, many spin-off games based on the series have been developed by various companies, encompassing other genres such as action role-playing, puzzle, fighting, and digital pet games.

Pokémon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with successful anime series, movies, and merchandise, with spin-off game Pokémon Go having crossed 1 billion mobile game downloads worldwide. By November 24, 2017, more than 300 million Pokémon games had been sold worldwide on handheld and home consoles, across 76 titles, including spin-offs. As of March 2025^[update], the series has sold over 489 million units worldwide. This makes Pokémon the fourth best-selling video game franchise, behind the Mario franchise, Call of Duty, and Tetris.

Each game in the Pokémon series takes place in a fictional region of the Pokémon world, typically based on a real-world location, and begins with the player receiving a starter Pokémon, usually from that region's Pokémon Professor. Players have the option to choose one of three different types of Pokémon. Many games include a rival character who acts as a roadblock or boss opponent throughout the game. A major subplot of most games is to defeat a criminal organization, whose intents are usually trying to take over the world through the misuse of powerful Pokémon known as Legendary Pokémon.

Battles between Pokémon are the central game mechanic of the Pokémon games. Within the game, they are used to train Pokémon to gain experience and become stronger and to progress through the game's story. Battles can also be done between players by connecting two game systems. Pokémon uses a turn-based system. The player may carry between one and six Pokémon in their active party; the first Pokémon in the lineup is automatically sent into battle when one begins. At the start of each turn, both sides may use a move, use an item, switch their active Pokémon out for another in their party, or attempt to flee from battle if against a wild Pokémon. Each Pokémon uses attacks to reduce their opponent's Hit Points (HP) to zero, at which point the Pokémon faints and is unable to battle. Pokémon also have in-battle "abilities," which give them different attributes in battle. When an opponent's Pokémon faints, the player's Pokémon receives experience points; when a Pokémon accumulates enough, then its level increases. If the player's Pokémon faints, they may select another Pokémon from their active party to battle; in battles against wild Pokémon, the player may attempt to flee instead. If all of a player's Pokémon faint, the player loses the battle. This causes the player to lose some money and return to the last Pokémon Center they visited.

A Pokémon's type is an elemental attribute determining the strengths and weaknesses of each Pokémon and its moves. These types interact in rock–paper–scissors-style relationships: Pokémon take double damage from attacking moves of types they are weak to and half damage from moves of types they resist. Some types have special properties unrelated to the damage chart; for example, certain types cannot be affected by certain status conditions.

Players can catch Pokémon in the wild, engaging with them in a Pokémon battle. In most Pokémon games, players aim to weaken wild Pokémon in battle to then throw a Poké Ball, which are used to capture the Pokémon and add it to the player's team or get sent to storage. Pokémon can "evolve" once they reach a certain benchmark, such as by reaching a certain level, having an item used on them, or by having a high level of friendship. This changes their form and appearance and causes them to grow stronger. Players have the ability to trade their Pokémon with one another by connecting two compatible games. Because of the Pokémon series revolving around catching as many Pokémon as possible, trading is considered an important aspect of Pokémon. Certain Pokémon are only able to evolve by trading as well. Players also may encounter alternately colored Pokémon known as "Shiny Pokémon," which are significantly rarer than a standard Pokémon.