What You Need to Know Kingdom Hearts

As whatsoever Kingdom Hearts fan will tell you, the series timeline is murky – both chronologically, and in terms of release dates. With so many games spread across multiple regions, versions, packages, consoles, and more, it can exist difficult to know where to begin, or which gild to play them in. Just don't exist afraid, future keyblade chief, we're hither to assist. With our listing of all the Kingdom Hearts games, yous tin can get the gist of where each title falls in the series, what office they play in the overall plot, and which social club is best to play them in.

Of course, even playing all theKingdom Hearts games in society isn't guaranteed to give you lot all the answers you seek – we've played them all multiple times and still miss things in the lore. But hey, we think skipping the odd title isn't going to ruin your fun, so feel free to use this as more of a guide to piece of work out which games you lot want to dip your toes into. Smacking heartless with a giant primal and swinging from the copse with Tarzan is merely every bit enjoyable without the context.

If you want more help on your Kingdom Hearts adventure, be sure to check out our guides to all the Kingdom Hearts characters and Kingdom Hearts keyblades. You can too head over to our list of the best Switch adventure games to embark on a fresh journeying today.

All Kingdom Hearts games

Release order
Collections
Chronological society

All Kingdom Hearts games in release order

Here are each of the Kingdom Hearts games in gild of release. Keep in listen that the release timeline is not the aforementioned equally the chronological i lore-wise, then nosotros'll become into which guild you should play them in later.

Kingdom Hearts

Originally released on the PS2 back in 2002, Kingdom Hearts is where it all began. Introducing you to the primary trio of original Kingdom Hearts characters, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and plunging you lot into the magical worlds of some of your favourite Disney movies, the first game establishes the lore of the heartless and the keyblades. Venture out on your kickoff journey as Sora, alongside Donald and Goofy, as you lot endeavor to reunite with your friends, while also saving each of the worlds you visit from the malevolent presence of the Darkness.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories (Or Re:Concatenation of Memories)

Beginning released on GameBoy Advance in 2004, Concatenation of Memories is a straight sequel to the start game, taking place in Castle Oblivion, where you're introduced to (and face off against) the mysterious Organization XIII. It bridges the gap between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, while also employing a unique mixture of RPG and card game mechanics, where every attack, spell, and party member is tied to a deck of cards you must rotate strategically in gild to win.

Kingdom Hearts 2

Delving farther into the concept of the centre, Square released Kingdom Hearts 2 on PS2 in 2005 and it takes place after the events of Chain of Memories. You begin the story with Roxas, Sora's Nobody who'due south experiencing some weird glitches and anomalies in his life, before diving into another adventure with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, as they travel beyond multiple worlds. This time, you're not only fighting the Heartless – you're also facing off confronting the Unversed, and the ominous Organization XIII.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded

Originally released as 'Kingdom Hearts Coded', as an episodic mobile game in Nippon, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded was later turned into a Nintendo DS game for global release. It's an activeness part-playing puzzle game set subsequently the events of Kingdom Hearts II, revolving around ii cloak-and-dagger letters you discover in Jiminy Cricket's journal, written by an unknown person. Afterward the journal is digitised for farther analysis, these messages become corrupted, resulting in Rex Mickey and his friends making a digital Sora to transport into the journal in club to repair and decipher it.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Set primarily betwixt Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Square originally released Kingdom Hearts 358/ii on Nintendo DS, and focuses on Roxas' time in the Organization. As the newly born Nobody of Sora, Roxas joins Organization Thirteen every bit its thirteenth fellow member, and is highly valued for his power to wield the keyblade. You join him on his daily life in the Organization, completing missions around familiar Disney worlds and befriending Axel and Xion equally he attempts to piece together his identity. The gameplay is similar to the previous mainline entries, but features a mission arrangement in place of an open map. It besides introduces a unique mechanic chosen the panel organisation, where you can customise the character's levels, items, equipment, and abilities.

Kingdom Hearts Birth Past Sleep

A prequel set ten years before the start of the first Kingdom Hearts game, Nativity Past Sleep follows the intertwining stories of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus – three aspiring Keyblade Masters training under Master Eraqus. Released on PSP in 2010, information technology features ARPG and hack and slash gameplay, where you lot travel through multiple Disney worlds, both familiar and new, and go over the story from the three different perspectives of our feisty young keyblade wielders.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Predominantly set afterward the events of Kingdom Hearts II and Re:Coded, Square released Dream Drop Distance on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. It follows Sora and Riku equally they undergo the Marker of Mastery exam at Principal Yen Sid's request, to refine their command of the keyblade in preparation for Master Xenahort's render.

Throughout the game, you have control of both Sora and Riku, switching between them through the 'Drop' system as you travel through fourth dimension and explore multiple sleeping worlds. Featuring the aforementioned ARPG, hack and slash combat from the previous games, Dream Driblet Distance adds new features such equally flowmotion, where yous hop between walls and parkour around maps, and Dream Eaters, a Pokémon-style pet system where you heighten animal companions, play with them, and have them fight alongside you.

Kingdom Hearts X (Unchained X/Union 10 Dark Road)

Kingdom Hearts X started as a Japanese web browser game, and later developed into a mobile game called Kingdom Hearts Unchained X. After this, Square released it globally equally a mobile game under the title Kingdom Hearts Union X, which was then continued in Union Ten Night Road. Fix in Daybreak Town, the game takes identify before the legendary Keyblade War, and follows the stories of the Main of Masters, the Foretellers, and the Dandelions. With a 2D art style, story missions, multiple worlds, and turn-based bill of fare combat, these games develop on much of the circuitous lore that acts every bit a foundation for the world of Kingdom Hearts.

You can download Kingdom Hearts Wedlock Ten Dark Route from Google Play or the App Shop, but it's mostly offline these days and predominantly consists of cutscenes.

Kingdom Hearts Iii and Re Mind

Square Enix offset released Kingdom Hearts III in 2019 on PlayStation and Xbox, fourteen years after the offset chief instalment of the serial. It picks upwardly the story where Dream Driblet Distance left off. Our favourite half-pint heroes, Sora, Donald, and Goofy make their return, joined past Riku, Rex Mickey, and a whole host of other familiar faces, as they seek out the seven guardians of calorie-free and attempt to thwart Xenahort's plans to initiate another Keyblade War.

Expanding on the gainsay of Kingdom Hearts Ii and borrowing elements from Dream Driblet Distance, Kingdom Hearts III sees you once more travelling around multiple Disney and Pixar-themed worlds, slashing through Heartless and the Unversed and helping those in need. With some pretty jazzy reaction commands, new attacks, keyblades, and fresh worlds to explore, it plunges you into a vibrant, new take a chance that maintains the spirit of its predecessors.

In 2020, Kingdom Hearts 3 Re Listen came out as DLC for the base game. It takes place at the climax of Kingdom Hearts III and the Keyblade War, as Sora travels through the Keyblade Graveyard in search of Kairi, passing through the hearts of the seven guardians of light in the process.

Kingdom Hearts Tune of Retentiveness

A bit of an outlier in the series so far, Kingdom Hearts Tune of Memory is a rhythm activeness game that came to the Switch in 2020. Goose egg through the familiar sounds and scenes of the series so far, as Kairi reflects on the events that lead upwardly to this point. Bash buttons to the beat out, and bonk some baddies on the head as you lot bop to those tunes. It acts almost as an abridged summary of the events of the Kingdom Hearts games to date, with access to 21 playable characters, 47 worlds, 33 blackness holes, and heaps of music.

If you want to know more, bank check out our Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory review.

Purchase it here!

Kingdom Hearts collections

With so many games spread beyond and so many consoles, Square Enix released compilation collections in the atomic number 82 upwardly to Kingdom Hearts III, which allow you lot to go upwards to appointment with the story so far, even if you lot tin't get your hands on the originals.

Kingdom Hearts Hard disk ane.5 Remix

Kingdom Hearts Hard disk drive 1.5 Remix contains the following:

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix – the first game with the add-on of HD graphics, tweaked gameplay, additional enemies, cutscenes, and weapons
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories – an up-scaled version of the GBA game, complete with polygonal graphics as opposed to the original 2D sprites
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – not available in playable form, this version of 358/2 Days is adjusted into two hours and 50 minutes of cinematic retelling, recounting Roxas' time in the System

Kingdom Hearts Hard disk 2.5 Remix

Kingdom Hearts Hd 2.5 Remix contains the post-obit:

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix – a HD remaster of the second master story game, featuring new cutscenes and bosses
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Last Mix – the original PSP game remastered in Hard disk, with new features such as an additional fifth scenario
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded – similar 358/2 Days, Re:Coded isn't available in playable course in this version, simply is instead adapted into a cinematic retelling, featuring scenes and events that weren't seen in the original game

Kingdom Hearts Hard disk drive 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Bridging the gap between 2.five and Kingdom Hearts 3, ii.8 Final Affiliate Prologue features the post-obit:

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Altitude Hard disk drive – a total remake of the original Nintendo 3DS game, with a more traditional gamepad controller scheme replacing the touchscreen controls
Kingdom Hearts 0.two: Nascence By Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage – a brand new game from the perspective of Nativity By Slumber's protagonist, Aqua, following her journey through the Realm of Darkness
Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover – an hour-long cinematic that recounts the events of the Kingdom Hearts X browser and mobile games, told from the perspective of the Foretellers and explaining their motivations and actions

Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece Cloud Version

Released on Switch equally a Deject version, the Integrum Masterpiece includes the following games:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.five + two.5 Remix
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.eight Terminal Affiliate Prologue
Kingdom Hearts III + Re Listen

Naturally, it's great to see a collection that brings the bulk of the series together on Switch. However, retrieve information technology's a Cloud version, and therefore non without its bug – without a strong net connection (and, sometimes, even with a strong cyberspace connectedness), information technology'southward prone to operation issues and disconnections from the server. Before diving into a purchase, be sure to check out our Kingdom Hearts Cloud version Switch review.

Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece Switch Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece Switch Nintendo $89.99 $71.99 Purchase here! Network N earns chapter commission from qualifying sales.

Kingdom Hearts games in chronological gild

Whew! That's a lot of games. Just which is the correct guild to play them in? Well, if we follow the timeline of the series so far, hither's the best way to go the full story. Of course, if you don't have admission to a Nintendo DS, you'll need to skip playing 358/2 Days and Re:Coded, and just picket the cinematics released with the HD Remixes instead.

Kingdom Hearts X/Unchained X/Union 10 (or picket the Kingdom Hearts X Back Embrace cinematic featured in the Hard disk two.8 Final Chapter Prologue)
Kingdom Hearts Spousal relationship X Dark Road
Kingdom Hearts Nativity By Sleep Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Nativity By Sleep 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re:Concatenation of Memories
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts ii Concluding Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts III: Re Listen DLC
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

And that's it for our guide to all of the Kingdom Hearts games and what guild you should play them in. Needless to say, this series has a whole heap of content to get through, just if you lot're looking for a journey you lot can have on the go, exist sure to bank check out our list of the all-time mobile take a chance games to find a fresh world to explore.

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Source: https://www.pockettactics.com/kingdom-hearts/games