Pokemon Emerald is the fifth and final core series game of Generation III of the Pokemon video game series. It was released in Japan on September 16, 2004, in North America on May 1, 2005, in Australia on June 9, 2005, and in Europe on October 21, 2005. Pokemon Emerald is not a part of Generation I or II, but rather the third generation of Pokemon games. It is the third version after Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Therefore, Pokemon Emerald is a part of Generation III of the Pokemon video game series.