Sq. Enix and Disney introduced Kingdom Hearts 4 on the Kingdom Hearts twentieth Anniversary Occasion in 2022, depicting a brand new model of Sora after he left his mates and went on an journey alone on the finish of Kingdom Hearts 3. To nobody’s shock, there have not been many updates for the sequel since then, however its look at a current Nintendo Direct confirmed the sport’s continued growth.
Whereas ready for additional updates and potential launch dates. kingdom hearts 4This is a chronological record of Kingdom Hearts video games you possibly can play. The plot of the sequence could also be advanced, however this record ought to offer you a transparent perspective on the historical past of the Kingdom Hearts world, how Sora was arrange because the chosen one of many Keyblade, and the way Grasp Xehanort plans to plunge the world into darkness, the identify of the sequence’ first arc, the Darkish Seeker Saga.
Within the “Kingdom Hearts” sequence, 13 video games It’s out there on a number of platforms together with PSP and Sport Boy Advance. As you in all probability guessed, Kingdom Hearts IV would be the fourth mainline recreation within the sequence.
If you’re new to the Kingdom Hearts sequence, we extremely advocate beginning with Kingdom Hearts 2. Once you play as Roxas at the start of the sport, you may be handled to flashbacks of an important scenes from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections, providing you with a way of the sequence’ story to this point and understanding how Sora and Roxas are linked within the first place.
Kingdom Hearts 2’s gameplay can also be simpler than Kingdom Hearts, and you do not have to play each Gummi Ship mission a number of occasions when revisiting a world. Thanks later.
How you can play Kingdom Hearts video games in chronological order
Kingdom Hearts x / Unchained x / Union x
Sorry for lumping all of the titles into one part, however Kingdom Hearts Ο (Kai) was initially a Japan-only title for PC, however was later rebranded as Unchained Ο and Union Ο (Cross) for cell customers world wide throughout its eight years of on-line operation. Ο refers back to the Ο Blade, a coveted weapon designed with two “X”-shaped keyblades that may unlock Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts Union Ο is ready lots of of years earlier than the occasions of the sequence, throughout the interval main as much as the Keyblade Battle. You management a newly minted Keyblade wielder within the 2D world of Dawn City. He joins certainly one of 5 factions and works to safe supremacy over the opposite 4 factions, combating for the restricted quantity of sunshine out there to the world. Union Ο takes place instantly after Unchained Ο, however in an alternate knowledge world the place gamers relive their previous so as to overlook the Keyblade Battle. The sport was shut down in Could 2021, however you possibly can nonetheless watch cutscenes on-line. If gacha video games aren’t your factor, take a look at the cinematic Kingdom Hearts Ο again cowl for HD cutscenes of the occasion. That is included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Ultimate Chapter Prologue.
kingdom hearts darkish lord
Because the title suggests, Kingdom Hearts: Darkish Lord is an origin story for the villain Grasp Xehanort, set 70 years earlier than the occasions of Delivery by Sleep. As a younger man, Xehanort was taken from the Future Islands to Skala advert Caelum to coach with Grasp Eraqus to grow to be a Keyblade wielder, and was ordered by Grasp Odin to seek for his misplaced grasp, setting off a sequence of occasions that led him to grow to be a seeker of darkness.
Darkish Highway featured the identical 2D graphics as Kingdom Hearts Ο and subsequent rebranded titles, and whereas it wasn’t as spectacular, the sport did embrace particulars that had been important to the sequence as an entire. You could not be capable to play the sport, however you possibly can watch the cutscenes on YouTube to get the total story.
Kingdom Hearts Delivery by Sleep
Set 10 years earlier than the occasions of Kingdom Hearts, Delivery by Sleep is advised from the angle of Grasp Eracus’ Keyblade apprentices Ventus, Terra, and Aqua, who reside within the Land of Departure. Shortly after Aqua and Terra completed their Mark of Mastery exams, the previous handed and earned the title of Keyblade Grasp, whereas the latter failed because of his incapability to suppress his darkness. The trio go on separate journeys to search out Grasp Xehanort, who disappeared and not using a hint, and to defeat the Unversed, a creature created by Xehanort’s disciple Vanitas to assault different worlds.
Delivery by Sleep explores the origins of Sora and Grasp Xehanort, as a part of Ventus’s coronary heart was repaired by a part of Sora’s coronary heart. In the meantime, Xehanort created Vanitas from the darkness he expelled from Ventus’ thoughts, however Xehanort determined that he was too weak for use as a vessel to forge the Ο-Blade, and was compelled to pursue Terra as an alternative. It additionally explores how Sora and Riku had been in a position to wield the Keyblade within the first place, as Terra gave Riku the ability of the Keyblade, and Aqua felt a robust bond with Sora, Riku, Ventus, and Terra, respectively.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts: Delivery by Sleep overview.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Delivery by Sleep β A Fragmentary Passage
It is secure to put A Fragmentary Passage (included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Ultimate Chapter Prologue) earlier than the primary Kingdom Hearts recreation, but it surely serves as an epilogue to Delivery by Sleep and a prologue to Kingdom Hearts 3. Nonetheless, the sport’s story picks up instantly after the occasions of Dream Drop Distance, as King Mickey tells Riku, Kairi, and Grasp Yen Sid how he met Aqua within the Darkish World.
After sacrificing herself to avoid wasting Terra from the Kingdom of Darkness on the finish of Delivery by Sleep, Aqua wanders within the darkness for ten years, looking for a method to return to the Kingdom of Gentle. She visits a dream fort, a dwarven forest, and a darkish model of the Enchanted Dominion, battles the Heartless hordes that kind the Demon Tower, fights the illusions of Ventus and Terra, and saves Terra’s coronary heart. In the meantime, Mickey heads into the darkish world to avoid wasting Riku. After utilizing the misplaced Wayfinder to search out Aqua, he tells Aqua that ten years have handed since he final noticed her, and heads to Future Island after a battle with one other Demon Tower. There, the door to Kingdom Hearts is discovered, and Mickey helps Sora and Riku shut it, leaving Aqua to stay within the Kingdom of Darkness as soon as once more.
kingdom hearts
Within the first installment of the sequence, Sora goes on a journey with Donald and Goofy to reunite with Riku and Kairi after the Heartless destroy Future Island and plunge the world into darkness. Alongside the way in which, he travels by totally different worlds aboard his Gummi Ship, assembly numerous Disney and Ultimate Fantasy characters, and helps seal the keyhole to guard the world from the Heartless. In the meantime, Maleficent leads a gaggle of fellow Disney Villains to hunt out the seven Princesses of Hearts and rent Riku to open the ultimate keyhole resulting in Kingdom Hearts.
By the point Sora arrives at Hole Bastion, Kairi’s physique is discovered lacking, as her coronary heart was transferred to Sora’s physique throughout the Future Islands apocalypse. Riku turns into possessed by Ansem, who manipulates Maleficent into opening Kingdom Hearts. Kairi is then revealed to be the Coronary heart Princess, and as such the guts is transferred from her to Sora, who frees Kairi’s coronary heart after impaling himself with Ansem’s Keyblade, turning right into a Heartless within the course of. Kairi succeeds in returning Sora to human kind by recognizing his Heartless nature and embracing him, from which Sora defeats Ansem and seals the door to Kingdom Hearts with the assistance of Riku and Mickey on the opposite aspect.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts overview.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections
After sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts, whereas looking for Riku and Mickey, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to Citadel Oblivion, the place they lose their recollections upon coming into. They’re advised by the fort’s lord, Marcia, who’s revealed to be a member of Group XIII, that the deeper they go into the fort, the extra recollections they’ll lose, however they’ll uncover new ones within the course of. The group is given a deck of playing cards referred to as “World Playing cards” primarily based on Sora’s recollections, and as they progress by every flooring of the fort, they meet reminiscence variations of characters they met in earlier video games and battle a couple of members of the group aside from Marxia (Axel, Larxene, and Vexen). In the meantime, Riku makes his approach by the fort’s basement, battling two different members of Group XIII, Lexaeus and Zexion, as he struggles with the darkness inside him and Ansem’s makes an attempt to regulate him.
Except for the playing cards that had been criticized for its inefficient fight system, Chain of Recollections launched new characters who’ve grow to be important gamers within the Kingdom Hearts sequence. Namine steadily remembered that Sora was an previous buddy, but it surely was later revealed that she had been manipulating Sora’s recollections of Kairi by changing them along with her personal false recollections underneath Marluxia’s orders. After Sora fights Marcia for his life and Namine’s freedom, Namine places Sora and his mates to sleep in a pod-like machine to allow them to get better their misplaced recollections.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections overview.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
The day 358/2 is ready throughout the occasions of Chain of Recollections. It depicts the beginning of Roxas as Sora’s No person when Sora turned a Heartless in Kingdom Hearts, his each day life because the thirteenth member of Group XIII, and his friendship with Axel and Xion, who mysteriously arrived because the 14th member.
As time passes and their bond deepens, it’s revealed that Shion is a man-made reproduction created primarily based on Sora’s recollections of Kairi as a failsafe in case Sora and Roxas show ineffective to the group of their aim of summoning Kingdom Hearts and turning into excellent, whereas absorbing Sora slows down the method of Sora’s reminiscence restoration. This discovery causes Roxas to defect from Group XIII to search out himself, and later Xion fuses with him to battle to grow to be entire and stop Sora from awakening. Finally, Roxas defeats Xion, who disintegrates into mild with all of the recollections he has absorbed and returns to Sora.
Enjoyable reality, however not precisely humorous. 358/2 was devoted to the reminiscence of Mickey Mouse voice actor Wayne Allwine, who died 12 days earlier than the sport’s launch in Japan in Could 2009.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts 358/2 overview.
kingdom hearts 2
The sport begins in Twilight City, the place Roxas is having fun with his summer time trip with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, however has no recollections of his time at Group XIII, nor does Axel. Axel remembers Roxas throughout the encounter whereas waking up from a dream of Sora, who had been asleep for a 12 months at that time. When Sora awakens with Donald and Goofy after Roxas fuses with him, they as soon as once more got down to defend the world from the Heartless and go to new worlds to cease Group XIII from creating one other Kingdom Hearts that restores hearts to Nobodies.
As Sora and the gang additional discover the idea of hearts, they study that the Ansem they fought was Xehanort’s Heartless. Xemnas, the chief of Group XIII, is Xehanort’s No person. And Xehanort is a disciple of the true Ansem, named Ansem the Sensible, and the clever king of Radiant Backyard (Hole Bastion, after which renamed Radiant Backyard).Earlier than being exiled to the dominion, Xehanort, together with Braig, Dylan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo (the human variations of Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexeus, and Zexion, respectively), researched the guts and guarded the folks from darkness. The Kingdom of Darkness corrupted them with the identical darkness and took on a brand new identification DiZ (Darkness in Zero). Much more stunning is studying that Roxas and Namine are none aside from Sora and Kairi, respectively.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts 2 overview.
Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded
Initially launched as an episodic cell recreation referred to as “Coded” in Japan, Re:coded focuses on King Mickey and a digital model of Sora repairing Jiminy Cricket’s diary, which chronicles the true Sora’s adventures towards corrupted Heartless and Group XIII. The message had been digitized to investigate the key message that Jiminy didn’t write. “Their harm will likely be mended once you return to finish it” (the coded model initially learn “we should return to alleviate them of their struggling”). In Knowledge House, Knowledge Sora and Mickey battle bugs within the type of crimson and black blocks and Heartless, making an attempt to decipher the which means of the message.
Sq. Enix initially launched eight elements and previews of Coded to cell customers in Japan between June 2009 and January 2010, which ran nearly like a full season of the tv sequence. To make the sport accessible to followers world wide, your entire recreation was repackaged as Re:coded for Nintendo DS.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts: Recoded overview.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
To arrange for Grasp Xehanort’s return, Grasp Yen Sid supervises Sora and Riku in essentially the most unconventional approach potential by the Proof of Mastery examination. Sending Sora and Riku into the previous to open the keyholes of seven worlds left dormant after being destroyed by the Heartless, together with the worlds of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, Tron: Legacy, and Fantasia. They expertise totally different sequence of occasions in the identical world, however with the assistance of the “Spirit” Dream Eater and the ability of Flowmotion, they try to defeat the “Nightmare” Dream Eater.
In the course of the Mastery Mark examination, they encounter a youthful model of Xehanort. Xehanort reveals that he, Ansem, and Xehanort, who had been presupposed to have been defeated, lured Sora right into a entice in a “world that by no means existed” and put him right into a deep sleep (the place he was protected by Ventus’ armor), and that Riku had been operating by Sora’s desires as a Dream Eater all alongside. To save lots of Sora from the darkness, Riku fights a younger Xehanort, and the revived previous Grasp Xehanort arrives with the intention of turning Sora into the thirteenth vessel of the New Group XIII, consisting primarily of their timeless previous selves, and pitting the 13 Seekers of Darkness towards the 7 Guardians of Gentle to create the Ο-Blade. Fortunately, Xehanort’s plan is thwarted by King Mickey, Leah (a human model of Axel), and Riku, and he in the end passes the Mark of Mastery examination, however Sora fails when he loses the ability of Awakening, the power to revive his thoughts.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Assessment.
kingdom hearts 3
Within the remaining chapter of the Darkish Seeker Saga, Sora regains the ability of awakening and units out to assemble the seven Guardians of Gentle in preparation for the ultimate battle between Group XIII and Grasp Xehanort. Grasp Xehanort not solely creates the Ο-blade, but additionally works diligently to keep up the right stability between darkness and light-weight. In the meantime, Kairi trains with Rhea to grow to be a Keyblade person, and Riku goes with King Mickey to seek for a lacking Keyblade person.
Kingdom Hearts 3 was 13 years within the making, with a number of trailers launched between 2013 and 2018, and at last launched in 2019. To this present day, it stays the best-selling Kingdom Hearts recreation.
learn our article Kingdom Hearts 3 overview.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Reminiscence
Melody of Reminiscence is a rhythm recreation the place Sora and different Keyblade wielders defeat Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters to the beat of each tune within the sequence. Kairi acts as narrator, outlining the occasions of the sequence, with Kairi within the Radiant Backyard laboratory setting.
Whatβs subsequent for Kingdom Hearts?
Kingdom Hearts 4 was introduced for 2022, however Sq. Enix has been fairly quiet about KH4 since its announcement and has but to disclose a launch date. A sequence of screenshots seemingly dropped out of nowhere in mid-2025, and through a Nintendo Direct in June 2026, the studio launched a brand new trailer that seems to point out some gameplay. The trailer additionally confirmed that the sport will ultimately be playable on Change 2 “at launch.”
Cristina Alexander is a contract author for videogameaddicted. She has contributed work to varied publications together with Digital Developments, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. Within the phrases of Calvin Harris, she makes an enormous deal out of her love for Sonic the Hedgehog. Observe her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.