Sq. Enix and Disney introduced Kingdom Hearts 4 on the Kingdom Hearts twentieth Anniversary occasion in 2022, giving us a recent new take a look at Sora and what he’s been as much as after he left his pals for a solo journey on the finish of Kingdom Hearts 3. To nobody’s shock, there haven’t been many updates for the sequel because it was introduced, however a latest unfold of screenshots affirmed the sport’s continued growth.
To additional ease our impatience for Kingdom Hearts 4, Sq. Enix introduced your complete Kingdom Hearts sequence to Steam on June 13, 2024. Effectively, virtually your complete sequence, together with Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Closing Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Thoughts DLC, and Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece — the latter of which is a bundle that launched on the Nintendo Change in cloud streaming type in 2021.
Whereas we look ahead to extra updates and a possible launch date for Kingdom Hearts 4, we’re providing you with an inventory of Kingdom Hearts video games to play in chronological order. As convoluted because the sequence’ plot could also be, this listing ought to offer you a transparent perspective on the historical past of the Kingdom Hearts world, how Sora was set as much as be the Keyblade’s chosen one, and the way Grasp Xehanort retains making an attempt to plunge the world into darkness, therefore the title of the sequence’ first arc: the Darkish Seeker Saga.
The Kingdom Hearts sequence consists of 13 video games throughout a number of platforms, together with the PSP and Sport Boy Advance. There may even be a brand new recreation within the mainline sequence, which was formally introduced in April 2022.
If you’re new to the Kingdom Hearts sequence, we extremely suggest beginning off with Kingdom Hearts 2. Whenever you play as Roxas to start with of the sport, you get flashbacks of crucial scenes from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections to get you on top of things on the story of the sequence to this point, and provides perception on how Sora and Roxas are related within the first place.
The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 2 can be extra easy than Kingdom Hearts, and also you don’t must play by way of each Gummi Ship mission greater than as soon as even while you revisit worlds. Thank us later.
Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package deal
0
10 Kingdom Hearts “experiences,” together with Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far and Kingdom Hearts III.
The way to Play Kingdom Hearts Video games in Chronological Order
Kingdom Hearts χ / Unchained χ / Union χ
Apologies for grouping all of the titles in a single part, however Kingdom Hearts χ [chi], initially a Japan-exclusive title for PC, had been subsequently rebranded into Unchained χ and Union χ [Cross] for cellular customers worldwide throughout the eight years it was operating on-line. The χ refers back to the χ-blade, a coveted weapon designed by two Keyblades in an “X” form able to unlocking Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ is about tons of of years earlier than the sequence’ occasions, in an period main as much as the Keyblade Struggle. You management a newly minted Keyblade wielder within the 2D world of Dawn City who joins considered one of 5 factions and works to make sure its supremacy over the opposite 4 as they battle over the finite mild obtainable to the world. Union χ happens shortly after Unchained χ, however in an alternate knowledge world the place the participant relives the previous to overlook the Keyblade Struggle. The sport shut down in Could 2021, however you’ll be able to nonetheless watch cutscenes of it on-line. If gacha video games are usually not your model, you’ll be able to watch HD cutscenes of the occasions within the cinematic Kingdom Hearts χ Again Cowl, which is included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Closing Chapter Prologue.
Kingdom Hearts Darkish Highway
Because the title suggests, Kingdom Hearts Darkish Highway is the origin story of villain Grasp Xehanort set 70 years earlier than the occasions of Delivery by Sleep. As a younger man, Xehanort is taken from Future Islands to Scala advert Caelum to coach alongside Grasp Eraqus to develop into a Keyblade wielder and is tasked by Grasp Odin to seek for the Misplaced Masters, triggering a series of occasions that leads him to develop into the Seeker of Darkness.
Darkish Highway employed the identical 2D graphics current in Kingdom Hearts χ and its subsequent rebranded titles, which aren’t very spectacular, however the recreation nonetheless contained particulars integral to your complete sequence. It’s possible you’ll not have the ability to play the sport, however you’ll be able to nonetheless watch cutscenes on YouTube to get the complete scope.
Kingdom Hearts Delivery by Sleep
Set 10 years earlier than the occasions of Kingdom Hearts, Delivery by Sleep is informed from the vantage factors of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua — all Keyblade Apprentices of Grasp Eraqus residing within the Land of Departure. Shortly after Aqua and Terra end their Mark of Mastery examination, with the previous passing and acquiring the title of Keyblade Grasp and the latter failing for not holding his darkness in test, the trio go on separate journeys to seek out Grasp Xehanort, who disappeared and not using a hint, and defeat the Unversed, creatures created by Xehanort’s apprentice Vanitas to assault different worlds.
Delivery by Sleep dives into the origin of Sora and Grasp Xehanort, as Ventus had a part of his coronary heart patched up by a bit of Sora’s coronary heart. Xehanort, in the meantime, created Vanitas from the darkness he purged from Ventus’ coronary heart, which Xehanort deemed too frail for him to make use of as a vessel to forge the χ-blade, forcing him to go after Terra as a substitute. It additionally explores how Sora and Riku may wield the Keyblade within the first place, as Terra bestowed the facility of the Keyblade to Riku, whereas Aqua sensed sturdy ties with Sora and Riku to Ventus and Terra, respectively.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts: Delivery by Sleep.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Delivery by Sleep — A Fragmentary Passage
Though it’s secure to position A Fragmentary Passage (included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Closing Chapter Prologue) earlier than the primary Kingdom Hearts recreation, it acts as an epilogue to Delivery by Sleep and a prologue to Kingdom Hearts 3. Nevertheless, the story for this recreation begins shortly after the occasions of Dream Drop Distance as a result of King Mickey tells the story of how he got here throughout Aqua within the Realm of Darkness to Riku, Kairi, and Grasp Yen Sid.
After sacrificing herself to save lots of Terra from the Realm of Darkness on the finish of Delivery by Sleep, Aqua has been wandering in darkness for 10 years, looking for a means again to the Realm of Gentle. She visits the darkish variations of Fortress of Goals, Dwarf Woodlands, and Enchanted Dominion to battle hordes of Heartless that type into Demon Towers, battle apparitions of Ventus and Terra, and save Terra’s coronary heart. In the meantime, Mickey went to the Realm of Darkness to save lots of Riku. When he meets Aqua after utilizing her misplaced Wayfinder to seek out her, he tells her 10 years have handed since they final met and proceeds to Future Islands after preventing one other Demon Tower. There, the door to Kingdom Hearts is noticed, and Mickey helps Sora and Riku seal it shut, leaving Aqua to dwell within the Realm of Darkness as soon as extra.
Kingdom Hearts
Within the very first entry of the sequence, Sora units out on a journey with Donald and Goofy to reunite with Riku and Kairi after the Heartless destroy Future Islands and plunge the world into darkness. Alongside the way in which, he travels to completely different worlds aboard the Gummi Ship, meets varied Disney and Closing Fantasy characters, and helps defend their world from the Heartless by sealing Keyholes. In the meantime, Maleficent leads a gaggle of her fellow Disney villains to hunt out the seven Princesses of Coronary heart to unlock the final keyhole resulting in Kingdom Hearts, and she or he employs Riku.
By the point Sora reaches Hole Bastion, Kairi’s physique is discovered along with her coronary heart lacking because it was transferred to Sora’s physique throughout the apocalypse at Future Islands; Riku turns into possessed by Ansem, who was manipulating Maleficent to open Kingdom Hearts; and Kairi is revealed to be the Princess of Coronary heart, therefore the guts switch from her to Sora, who then frees Kairi’s coronary heart after impaling himself with Ansem’s Keyblade, turning right into a Heartless within the course of. Kairi manages to show Sora again to human type by recognizing his Heartless and embracing him, and from there Sora defeats Ansem and seals the door to Kingdom Hearts with assist from Riku and Mickey from the opposite facet.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections
Whereas trying to find Riku and Mickey after sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to Fortress Oblivion, inflicting them to lose their recollections upon entry. They’re informed by Marluxia, the lord of the citadel who’s revealed to be a member of Group XIII, that the deeper they go into the citadel, the extra recollections they’ll lose, however they will uncover new ones within the course of. The group is given a deck of playing cards referred to as “world playing cards” based mostly on Sora’s recollections, and so they meet reminiscence variations of the characters they met within the earlier recreation and battle a couple of members of the Group apart from Marluxia — Axel, Larxene, and Vexen — as they progress by way of every flooring of the citadel. In the meantime, Riku goes by way of the basement ranges of the citadel, wrestling with the darkness inside him and Ansem’s makes an attempt to manage him whereas preventing two different members of Group XIII: Lexaeus and Zexion.
Apart from the playing cards being decried as an ineffective battle system, Chain of Recollections launched new characters that grew to become important gamers within the Kingdom Hearts sequence, equivalent to Naminé, whom Sora step by step remembered as being an previous buddy solely to seek out out later she was manipulating Sora’s recollections of Kairi by changing them with faux ones of herself beneath Marluxia’s orders. After Sora fights Marluxia for his life and Naminé’s freedom, Naminé locations him and his companions to sleep in pod-like machines to assist them regain the recollections they misplaced.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
358/2 Days is about throughout the occasions of Chain of Recollections. It explores the delivery of Roxas as Sora’s No one when Sora was a Heartless throughout Kingdom Hearts, his day by 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 progresses and their bond deepens, it’s revealed that Xion is a synthetic duplicate created after Sora’s recollections of Kairi as a fail-safe if Sora and Roxas are confirmed to be ineffective for the Group to realize their aim of summoning Kingdom Hearts and turning into complete, all of the whereas delaying Sora’s reminiscence restoration course of by absorbing them. This discovery causes Roxas to defect from Group XIII to seek out himself, and later Xion, who fights to merge with him to develop into complete, stopping Sora from waking up. Finally, Roxas defeats Xion, who disintegrates into mild with all of the recollections she absorbed returning to Sora.
Enjoyable truth, however not exactly enjoyable: 358/2 was devoted to the reminiscence of Wayne Allwine, the voice actor for Mickey Mouse, who died 12 days earlier than the sport’s launch in Japan in Could 2009.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts 358/2.
Kingdom Hearts 2
The sport begins in Twilight City, the place Roxas enjoys his summer season trip with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, having no recollections of his time with Group XIII nor Axel, who remembers him throughout their encounters whereas waking up with desires of Sora, who had been asleep for a yr at that time. As soon as Sora wakes up together with Donald and Goofy after Roxas merges with him, they got down to as soon as once more defend the worlds from the Heartless and go to new ones to cease Group XIII from creating one other Kingdom Hearts that may give the Nobodies their hearts again.
As Sora and the gang discover the idea of the guts even additional, they study that the Ansem they fought was Xehanort’s Heartless; Xemnas, the chief of Group XIII, is Xehanort’s No one; and that Xehanort was an apprentice of the true Ansem, named Ansem the Smart, the sage-king of Radiant Backyard (renamed Hole Bastion after which Radiant Backyard once more) who studied the guts alongside Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo (human variations of Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, respectively) to guard his individuals from darkness earlier than he was exiled to the Realm of Darkness for corrupting them with the identical darkness and taking up the brand new id DiZ (Darkness in Zero). Much more stunning, they study Roxas and Naminé are the Nobodies of Sora and Kairi, respectively.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts 2.
Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded
Initially launched as an episodic cellular recreation referred to as “Coded” in Japan, Re:coded facilities on King Mickey and a digital model of Sora as they work to restore Jiminy Cricket’s journal, which chronicles the true Sora’s adventures preventing the Heartless and Group XIII, after it received corrupted. It was being digitized to research a secret message Jiminy didn’t write: “Their hurting can be mended while you return to finish it” (initially written as “We should return to free them from their torment” in Coded). Within the dataspace, Information-Sora and Mickey battle the bugs, who take the type of red-and-black blocks and Heartless, and work to decipher the message’s which means.
Sq. Enix initially launched eight components of Coded and a preview to Japanese cellular customers from June 2009 to January 2010, making it run virtually like a full season of a tv sequence. To make the sport accessible to followers worldwide, your complete recreation was repackaged into Re:coded for the Nintendo DS.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
To organize for Grasp Xehanort’s return, Grasp Yen Sid proctors the Mark of Mastery examination to Sora and Riku in essentially the most unconventional means potential: sending them again in time to unlock the keyholes of seven worlds that have been left in a sleeping state after being destroyed by the Heartless, together with the worlds of Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, Tron: Legacy, and Fantasia. Although they undergo a special chain of occasions in the identical worlds, they work to defeat the “Nightmare” Dream Eaters with the assistance of their “Spirit” Dream Eaters and the facility of Flowmotion.
All through the Mark of Mastery examination, they run into the youthful model of Xehanort, who reveals that he, Ansem, and Xehanort, who have been speculated to have been defeated, lured Sora right into a lure at The World That By no means Was and put him right into a deep sleep (the place he was protected by Ventus’ armor), and Riku has been operating by way of Sora’s desires as a Dream Eater the entire time. To avoid wasting Sora from the darkness, Riku fights the younger Xehanort, and the revived, older Grasp Xehanort arrives with intentions to show Sora into his thirteenth vessel for the brand new Group XIII, comprised of largely his previous selves from throughout time, and create the χ-blade by pitting the 13 seekers of darkness and the seven guardians of sunshine in opposition to one another. Fortunately, Xehanort’s plans are foiled by King Mickey, Lea (the human model of Axel), and Riku, who in the end passes the Mark of Mastery examination, with Sora failing for dropping the facility of waking, which is the flexibility to revive hearts.
Learn our Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance overview.
Kingdom Hearts 3
Within the last chapter of the Darkish Seeker Saga, Sora units out to reclaim the facility of waking and collect the seven guardians of sunshine to organize for the ultimate showdown with Group XIII and Grasp Xehanort, who’s hellbent on not solely creating the χ-blade, but in addition holding darkness and light-weight in correct steadiness. In the meantime, Kairi trains to develop into a Keyblade wielder with Lea, and Riku goes with King Mickey to seek for the lacking Keyblade wielders.
Kingdom Hearts 3 took 13 years to make, with a couple of trailers launched between 2013 and 2018 earlier than lastly being launched in 2019. To today, it stays the best-selling Kingdom Hearts recreation.
Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts 3.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Reminiscence
Melody of Reminiscence is a rhythm recreation the place Sora and the opposite Keyblade wielders defeat the Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters to the beat of each tune within the sequence. It’s set in opposition to the backdrop of Kairi being within the lab at Radiant Backyard, as she provides a abstract of the sequence’ occasions because the narrator.
Kingdom Hearts Video games in Launch Order
- Kingdom Hearts – September 17, 2002 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections – December 7, 2004 (Sport Boy Advance)
- Kingdom Hearts 2 – March 28, 2006 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days – September 29, 2009 (Nintendo DS)
- Kingdom Hearts: Delivery 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 Closing Chapter Prologue – January 24, 2017 (PS4)
- Kingdom Hearts 3 – January 29, 2019 (PS4, XBO, PC)
- Kingdom Hearts Darkish Highway – June 22, 2020 (Android, iOS)
- Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Reminiscence – November 13, 2020 (PS4, XBO, Nintendo Change, PC)
What’s Subsequent for Kingdom Hearts?
Kingdom Hearts 4 was introduced in 2022, although Sq. Enix has been quiet about KH4 since its announcement and has but to disclose a launch window. The newest growth, a sequence of screenshots, got here out of just about nowhere, however hopefully signifies we’ll be getting our arms on Kingdom Hearts 4 sooner fairly than later. I would not be shocked if the sport finally ends up releasing on the upcoming Nintendo Change 2.
Cristina Alexander is a contract author for IGN. She has contributed her work to varied publications, together with Digital Traits, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a giant deal. Comply with her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.