Which Pokémon games were the first main-series titles released worldwide on the same date?

Pokémon X and Y were the first main-series Pokémon titles released worldwide on the same date.

Nintendo and Game Freak launched Pokémon X and Y on October 12, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS. Earlier main-series games generally reached Japan first and arrived in North America, Europe, and other markets months later. The worldwide launch marked a major change in Pokémon’s release strategy.

The games introduced the Kalos region, which is inspired by France, and added 72 new Pokémon species. They also introduced Mega Evolution, a temporary battle transformation available to selected Pokémon. X and Y were the first main-series games to use fully polygonal 3D visuals throughout the adventure rather than primarily sprite-based graphics.

Their simultaneous release is distinct from later games simply having international launches close together. The important point is that X and Y shared the same official release date across the major markets. Pokémon Sun and Moon continued the global strategy in 2016, but X and Y established the precedent.