Pokémon Red / Blue

Pokémon Red and Blue arrived when Game Boy seemed finished — technically surpassed by every rival — and resurrected it. Satoshi Tajiri was inspired by his childhood collecting insects in Machida's rice paddies. The genius idea was the link cable: completing the Pokédex required trading with a friend, transforming a solitary experience into a social phenomenon. 151 creatures each with unique personalities, evolutions and moves created a world still dominating pop culture, anime, film and merchandise 30 years later. Sold 31 million copies in Japan alone and relaunched hardware sales like no game in history.