Square Enix and Disney thrilled fans by announcing *Kingdom Hearts 4* at the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event in 2022, giving us a fresh glimpse of Sora's solo journey after the events of *Kingdom Hearts 3*. Since its announcement, updates have been scarce, but recent screenshots have reassured fans that the game is still in development.
To keep the excitement alive while we await further news on *Kingdom Hearts 4*, Square Enix made the entire Kingdom Hearts series available on Steam on June 13, 2024. This includes *Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX*, *Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue*, *Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC*, and *Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece*—the latter being a bundle initially released on the Nintendo Switch in cloud streaming format in 2021.
As we eagerly anticipate more updates and a release date for *Kingdom Hearts 4*, we've compiled a list of Kingdom Hearts games to play in chronological order. This should help you navigate the complex plot and understand the history of the Kingdom Hearts universe, Sora's destiny as the Keyblade's chosen one, and Master Xehanort's relentless quest to plunge the world into darkness, which is central to the series' first arc, the Dark Seeker Saga.
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How Many Kingdom Hearts Games Are There?
The Kingdom Hearts series comprises 13 games across various platforms, including the PSP and Game Boy Advance. A new mainline game was officially announced in April 2022.
What Kingdom Hearts Game Should I Play First?
If you're new to the Kingdom Hearts series, we recommend starting with Kingdom Hearts 2. The game begins with Roxas, and through flashbacks, it provides key scenes from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, helping you catch up on the story and understand the connection between Sora and Roxas. The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 2 is also more user-friendly than in the original, with streamlined Gummi Ship missions that you don't need to replay when revisiting worlds.
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How to Play Kingdom Hearts Games in Chronological Order
Kingdom Hearts χ / Unchained χ / Union χ
We've grouped these titles together because Kingdom Hearts χ [chi], initially a Japan-exclusive PC game, evolved into Unchained χ and Union χ [Cross] for global mobile users over eight years. The χ refers to the χ-blade, a powerful weapon formed by two Keyblades in an "X" shape, capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ is set centuries before the main series, during the era leading up to the Keyblade War. You play as a new Keyblade wielder in Daybreak Town, joining one of five factions to vie for supremacy amidst a struggle for the world's limited light. Union χ follows shortly after Unchained χ in an alternate data world where the player relives the past to forget the Keyblade War. Though the game shut down in May 2021, you can still watch its cutscenes online. If gacha games aren't your thing, you can view the HD cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, which is part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road delves into the origin story of the villain Master Xehanort, set 70 years before Birth by Sleep. As a young man, Xehanort is taken from Destiny Islands to Scala ad Caelum to train with Master Eraqus and becomes a Keyblade wielder. Tasked by Master Odin to find the Lost Masters, his journey leads him to become the Seeker of Darkness.
Although the 2D graphics in Dark Road may not be impressive, the game contains essential details for the entire series. You can't play it anymore, but you can watch its cutscenes on YouTube to grasp the full story.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Set 10 years before the events of Kingdom Hearts, Birth by Sleep follows the journeys of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua, all Keyblade apprentices under Master Eraqus in the Land of Departure. After Aqua and Terra complete their Mark of Mastery exam—with Aqua passing and Terra failing for not controlling his darkness—they set out to find the missing Master Xehanort and combat the Unversed, creatures created by Xehanort's apprentice Vanitas.
Birth by Sleep reveals the origins of Sora and Master Xehanort: Ventus' heart is healed by a piece of Sora's, while Xehanort creates Vanitas from the darkness he extracted from Ventus' heart, deeming it unsuitable for his plans to forge the χ-blade. The game also explains how Sora and Riku can wield the Keyblade, as Terra grants the power to Riku, and Aqua senses strong connections between Sora and Riku and Ventus and Terra, respectively.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep — A Fragmentary Passage
Although A Fragmentary Passage (part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue) can be placed before the first Kingdom Hearts game, it serves as an epilogue to Birth by Sleep and a prologue to Kingdom Hearts 3. The story begins shortly after Dream Drop Distance, with King Mickey recounting to Riku, Kairi, and Master Yen Sid how he encountered Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.
After sacrificing herself to save Terra at the end of Birth by Sleep, Aqua has been wandering in darkness for 10 years, trying to return to the Realm of Light. She battles Heartless and apparitions of Ventus and Terra, while Mickey, on a mission to save Riku, finds her using her lost Wayfinder. He informs her that 10 years have passed since their last meeting, then heads to Destiny Islands to help Sora and Riku seal the door to Kingdom Hearts, leaving Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.
Kingdom Hearts
In the series' inaugural game, Sora embarks on a journey with Donald and Goofy to reunite with Riku and Kairi after the Heartless destroy Destiny Islands. Traveling via the Gummi Ship, he encounters various Disney and Final Fantasy characters and helps protect their worlds from the Heartless by sealing Keyholes. Meanwhile, Maleficent and her fellow Disney villains seek the seven Princesses of Heart to unlock the final Keyhole leading to Kingdom Hearts, employing Riku in their quest.
By the time Sora reaches Hollow Bastion, Kairi's body is found without her heart, which transferred to Sora during the destruction of Destiny Islands. Riku becomes possessed by Ansem, who had been manipulating Maleficent. Kairi, revealed as a Princess of Heart, regains her heart after Sora impales himself with Ansem's Keyblade, turning into a Heartless. Kairi restores Sora to human form, and he defeats Ansem, sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts with Riku and Mickey's help from the other side.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
While searching for Riku and Mickey after sealing Kingdom Hearts' door, Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter Castle Oblivion, losing their memories upon entry. Marluxia, a member of Organization XIII, tells them that deeper floors will erase more memories but reveal new ones. They receive "world cards" based on Sora's memories and encounter characters from the previous game, battling several Organization members including Axel, Larxene, and Vexen. Meanwhile, Riku wrestles with the darkness within and Ansem's influence in the castle's basement, facing Lexaeus and Zexion.
Despite criticism of the card-based battle system, Chain of Memories introduces vital characters like Naminé, who manipulates Sora's memories under Marluxia's orders. After defeating Marluxia, Naminé places Sora and his companions in pods to restore their lost memories.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Set during Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days explores Roxas' creation as Sora's Nobody, his life as the 13th member of Organization XIII, and his friendships with Axel and Xion, the mysterious 14th member.
As their bond strengthens, Xion's true nature is revealed: an artificial replica created from Sora's memories of Kairi to serve as a fail-safe if Sora and Roxas fail the Organization's goal of summoning Kingdom Hearts. This discovery prompts Roxas to leave the Organization in search of his identity. Xion, aiming to merge with Roxas to become whole and hinder Sora's memory restoration, is ultimately defeated by Roxas, her absorbed memories returning to Sora.
358/2 Days was dedicated to the memory of Wayne Allwine, Mickey Mouse's voice actor, who passed away 12 days before the game's release in Japan in May 2009.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 358/2.
Kingdom Hearts 2
Kingdom Hearts 2 opens in Twilight Town, where Roxas, without memories of Organization XIII or Axel, enjoys his summer with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Once Sora awakens with Donald and Goofy after merging with Roxas, they resume their mission to protect the worlds from the Heartless and stop Organization XIII from creating another Kingdom Hearts.
Exploring the concept of the heart, Sora learns that the Ansem he fought was Xehanort's Heartless, and Xemnas, Organization XIII's leader, is Xehanort's Nobody. Xehanort was an apprentice to Ansem the Wise, who studied the heart to protect his people but was exiled to the Realm of Darkness for corrupting them. Sora also discovers Roxas and Naminé are the Nobodies of himself and Kairi.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 2.
Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded
Originally released as an episodic mobile game called "Coded" in Japan, Re:coded follows King Mickey and a digital version of Sora as they repair Jiminy Cricket's journal, which chronicles Sora's real-world adventures, after it becomes corrupted. The journal contains a mysterious message, "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it," which they aim to decipher in the dataspace by fighting bugs and Heartless.
Square Enix released eight parts of Coded and a preview to Japanese mobile users from June 2009 to January 2010, repackaging it for worldwide fans as Re:coded on the Nintendo DS.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
To prepare for Master Xehanort's return, Master Yen Sid administers the Mark of Mastery exam to Sora and Riku, sending them back in time to unlock keyholes in seven dormant worlds, including those from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, Tron: Legacy, and Fantasia. They battle "Nightmare" Dream Eaters and use "Spirit" Dream Eaters and Flowmotion to navigate these worlds.
During the exam, they encounter a younger Xehanort, who reveals that he, Ansem, and Xemnas lured Sora into a trap, putting him into a deep sleep protected by Ventus' armor. Riku, revealed to be running through Sora's dreams as a Dream Eater, fights the young Xehanort, and the older Master Xehanort arrives to turn Sora into his 13th vessel for the new Organization XIII. Their plan is thwarted by King Mickey, Lea, and Riku, who passes the exam while Sora fails for losing the power of waking.
Read our Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance review.
Kingdom Hearts 3
In the concluding chapter of the Dark Seeker Saga, Sora seeks to reclaim the power of waking and gather the seven guardians of light to confront Organization XIII and Master Xehanort, who aims to create the χ-blade and balance light and darkness. Meanwhile, Kairi trains to become a Keyblade wielder with Lea, and Riku joins King Mickey in searching for missing Keyblade wielders.
Kingdom Hearts 3 took 13 years to develop, with trailers released from 2013 to 2018 before its 2019 release. It remains the best-selling game in the series.
Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 3.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
Melody of Memory is a rhythm game where Sora and other Keyblade wielders battle Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters to the beat of the series' songs. Set in Radiant Garden's lab, Kairi narrates a summary of the series' events.
Kingdom Hearts Games in Release Order
- Kingdom Hearts - September 17, 2002 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - December 7, 2004 (Game Boy Advance)
- Kingdom Hearts 2 - March 28, 2006 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - September 29, 2009 (Nintendo DS)
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - September 7, 2010 (PSP)
- Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded - January 11, 2011 (Nintendo DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance - July 31, 2012 (Nintendo 3DS)
- Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross] - April 7, 2016 (Android, iOS)
- Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix - March 28, 2017 (PS4)
- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue - January 24, 2017 (PS4)
- Kingdom Hearts 3 - January 29, 2019 (PS4, XBO, PC)
- Kingdom Hearts Dark Road - June 22, 2020 (Android, iOS)
- Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory - November 13, 2020 (PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch, PC)
What's Next for Kingdom Hearts?
Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced in 2022, but Square Enix has been quiet about its progress, with no release window disclosed. The recent release of screenshots offers hope that we'll see Kingdom Hearts 4 sooner rather than later. Speculation suggests it might be released on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Screenshots May 2025
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