Square Enix and Disney confirmed Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development following its debut at the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event in 2022. The game recently appeared at a Nintendo Direct presentation, confirming active progress toward what will become the fourth mainline entry in the sprawling franchise. However, Kingdom Hearts 4 remains without a release date, leaving fans in a holding pattern.
For newcomers preparing for the next installment, the series' convoluted timeline and multiplatform releases across PSP, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and mobile devices can feel overwhelming. Understanding how to navigate the existing 13 Kingdom Hearts games requires strategy.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is the recommended starting point for new players, despite being technically the third game released. Early in the game, Roxas' flashbacks recap the most critical story beats from the original Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, allowing fresh players to absorb essential plot without replaying earlier titles. The gameplay is also more streamlined than the original, with simplified Gummi Ship missions that won't force repetition across multiple playthroughs.
For those committed to experiencing the full saga chronologically, the journey begins centuries before the main events. Kingdom Hearts Union χ, which shut down in May 2021, exists as a mobile gacha game set before the Keyblade War. Players can still access the story through HD cutscenes included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue or watch them online.
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road follows next, serving as the origin story of villain Master Xehanort set 70 years before Birth by Sleep. While the game employed basic 2D graphics similar to Union χ, the narrative contains details critical to understanding the entire series. Like Union χ, Dark Road is no longer playable, but YouTube cutscene compilations preserve the story.
Birth by Sleep takes place 10 years before the original Kingdom Hearts and follows three Keyblade Apprentices: Ventus, Terra, and Aqua. Their separate journeys to find the vanished Master Xehanort establish crucial backstory, including why Sora and Riku could wield Keyblades in the first place. Terra grants the power to Riku, while Aqua senses strong spiritual connections that bind Sora and Riku to Ventus and Terra respectively. The game also reveals how Xehanort created Vanitas from darkness purged from Ventus' heart, and how Ventus' heart was later bonded with Sora's.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage, included in the HD 2.8 compilation, bridges Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3. It follows Aqua's 10-year wandering in the Realm of Darkness after sacrificing herself to save Terra, culminating in Mickey's rescue mission and the sealing of the door to Kingdom Hearts alongside Sora and Riku.
The original Kingdom Hearts launches the main saga. Sora journeys with Donald and Goofy to find Riku and Kairi after Heartless destroy Destiny Islands. Along the way, he discovers that Kairi is the Princess of Heart and that Riku has been possessed by Ansem. Sora defeats Ansem and seals the door to Kingdom Hearts with assistance from Riku and Mickey from the opposite side.
Chain of Memories follows immediately after, trapping Sora, Donald, and Goofy in Castle Oblivion where they lose memories with each floor climbed. The game introduces Naminé, a key character who manipulates Sora's memories while members of the mysterious Organization XIII stand in their way. Riku simultaneously navigates the castle's basement levels, battling his own darkness.
358/2 Days unfolds parallel to Chain of Memories, exploring Roxas' existence as Sora's Nobody and his life within Organization XIII. Roxas forms friendships with Axel and Xion, an artificial replica created from Sora's stolen memories. The game explores themes of identity and belonging before culminating in Roxas' defection from the Organization.
Kingdom Hearts 2 begins with Roxas enjoying summer in Twilight Town before merging with the awakening Sora. Sora, Donald, and Goofy resume their mission to protect worlds from Heartless and stop Organization XIII from harvesting Kingdom Hearts. The game deepens understanding of the heart's nature, revealing that the Ansem fought earlier was Xehanort's Heartless and that Organization XIII's leader Xemnas is Xehanort's Nobody, setting up the Dark Seeker Saga's overarching conflict.
After Kingdom Hearts 2, the timeline branches across mobile games, 3DS titles, and eventually Kingdom Hearts 3, which resolves the Dark Seeker Saga. The path to Kingdom Hearts 4 is long, but knowing the correct sequence makes the journey manageable.
Author Emily Chen: "The Kingdom Hearts series is a commitment, but the franchise rewards players who stick with it through its most convoluted moments."
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