There is but not as the first thing you do. Even I still get frustrated with setting up new dev envs for new (to me) languages. I'd much prefer to just try it out first and then figure out the plumbing later.
>What real problems are beginners actually solving? I literally cannot think of a single one.
That's a very elitist take. Firstly they are solving their own very real problem of not knowing how to code. Second they could have a very specific problem they want to solve that can only be solved by code.
>Most introductory programming tutorials I've seen start off with very straightforward instructions to setting up a basic environment - and this is actually useful in the long run.
It's true but what is also true is that there will almost always be version changes and OS specific changes that break the instructions in small but material ways. A beginner will not have the skills or knowledge on how to resolve that.
>That being said online repls are useful for writing quick code for e.g. testing something out.
Isn't that exactly the same problem they are solving for beginners?