Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen are off to a strong start on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Shortly after going live digitally, both titles shot up the eShop sales charts in multiple regions, with FireRed reportedly taking the top spot and LeafGreen close behind — a solid performance for titles that are essentially enhanced re-releases.
Under the hood, these releases are practically just Game Boy Advance ROMs running inside an emulator on Switch hardware. That might sound basic, but Nintendo still managed to pull off some key modern features: local wireless trading and battling between Switch consoles, letting friends link up nearby just like the original GBA days. Online battling/trading isn’t supported yet, but Pokémon HOME integration is reportedly coming, promising a bridge between these classic runs and your broader Pokémon collection.
Love it or question the pricing, Kanto’s nostalgia clearly moves units.