How to Play the Kingdom Hearts Games in Order

How to Play Kingdom Hearts Games in Chronological Order

Kingdom Hearts χ / Unchained χ / Union χ

Apologies for grouping all the titles in one 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 working on-line. The χ refers 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 up to the Keyblade Battle. You management a newly minted Keyblade wielder in the 2D world of Dawn City who joins one in all 5 factions and works to guarantee its supremacy over the different 4 as they battle over the finite gentle accessible to the world. Union χ happens shortly after Unchained χ, however in an alternate information world the place the participant relives the previous to neglect the Keyblade Battle. The sport shut down in Might 2021, however you may nonetheless watch cutscenes of it on-line. If gacha video games usually are not your model, you may watch HD cutscenes of the occasions in the cinematic Kingdom Hearts χ Again Cowl, which is included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Remaining Chapter Prologue.

Kingdom Hearts Darkish Street

As the title suggests, Kingdom Hearts Darkish Street is the origin story of villain Grasp Xehanort set 70 years earlier than the occasions of Beginning by Sleep. As a younger man, Xehanort is taken from Future Islands to Scala advert Caelum to practice alongside Grasp Eraqus to turn into a Keyblade wielder and is tasked by Grasp Odin to seek for the Misplaced Masters, triggering a sequence of occasions that leads him to turn into the Seeker of Darkness.

Darkish Street employed the similar 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 the total sequence. You might not be ready to play the recreation, however you may nonetheless watch cutscenes on YouTube to get the full scope.

Kingdom Hearts Beginning by Sleep

Set 10 years earlier than the occasions of Kingdom Hearts, Beginning by Sleep is informed from the vantage factors of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua — all Keyblade Apprentices of Grasp Eraqus dwelling in the Land of Departure. Shortly after Aqua and Terra end their Mark of Mastery examination, with the former passing and acquiring the title of Keyblade Grasp and the latter failing for not preserving his darkness in examine, the trio go on separate journeys to discover Grasp Xehanort, who disappeared and not using a hint, and defeat the Unversed, creatures created by Xehanort’s apprentice Vanitas to assault different worlds.

Beginning 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 use as a vessel to forge the χ-blade, forcing him to go after Terra as an alternative. It additionally explores how Sora and Riku might wield the Keyblade in the first place, as Terra bestowed the energy 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: Beginning by Sleep.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Beginning by Sleep — A Fragmentary Passage

Though it’s secure to place A Fragmentary Passage (included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Remaining Chapter Prologue) earlier than the first Kingdom Hearts recreation, it acts as an epilogue to Beginning 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 in the Realm of Darkness to Riku, Kairi, and Grasp Yen Sid.

After sacrificing herself to save Terra from the Realm of Darkness at the finish of Beginning by Sleep, Aqua has been wandering in darkness for 10 years, making an attempt to discover a method again to the Realm of Gentle. She visits the darkish variations of Fort of Goals, Dwarf Woodlands, and Enchanted Dominion to battle hordes of Heartless that kind 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 Riku. When he meets Aqua after utilizing her misplaced Wayfinder to discover 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 in the Realm of Darkness as soon as extra.

Kingdom Hearts

In 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 method, he travels to totally different worlds aboard the Gummi Ship, meets varied Disney and Remaining Fantasy characters, and helps defend their world from the Heartless by sealing Keyholes. In the meantime, Maleficent leads a bunch of her fellow Disney villains to search out the seven Princesses of Coronary heart to unlock the final keyhole main to Kingdom Hearts, and he or she employs Riku.

By the time Sora reaches Hole Bastion, Kairi’s physique is discovered together 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 coronary heart switch from her to Sora, who then frees Kairi’s coronary heart after impaling himself with Ansem’s Keyblade, turning right into a Heartless in the course of. Kairi manages to flip Sora again to human kind 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 different aspect.

Learn our overview of Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections

Whereas looking for Riku and Mickey after sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to Fort Oblivion, inflicting them to lose their recollections upon entry. They’re informed by Marluxia, the lord of the fort 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’re going to uncover new ones in the course of. The group is given a deck of playing cards known as “world playing cards” primarily based on Sora’s recollections, they usually meet reminiscence variations of the characters they met in the earlier recreation and battle just a few members of the Group apart from Marluxia — Axel, Larxene, and Vexen — as they progress by way of every ground of the fort. In the meantime, Riku goes by way of the basement ranges of the fort, wrestling with the darkness inside him and Ansem’s makes an attempt to management him whereas preventing two different members of Group XIII: Lexaeus and Zexion.

Other than the playing cards being decried as an ineffective battle system, Chain of Recollections launched new characters that turned important gamers in the Kingdom Hearts sequence, reminiscent of Naminé, whom Sora regularly remembered as being an previous good friend solely to discover 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 become a Heartless throughout Kingdom Hearts, his day by day life as the thirteenth member of Group XIII, and his friendship with Axel and Xion, who mysteriously arrived as the 14th member.

As time progresses and their bond deepens, it’s revealed that Xion is a synthetic reproduction created after Sora’s recollections of Kairi as a fail-safe if Sora and Roxas are confirmed to be ineffective for the Group to obtain their aim of summoning Kingdom Hearts and turning into complete, all the whereas delaying Sora’s reminiscence restoration course of by absorbing them. This discovery causes Roxas to defect from Group XIII to discover himself, and later Xion, who fights to merge with him to turn into complete, stopping Sora from waking up. In the end, Roxas defeats Xion, who disintegrates into gentle with all the recollections she absorbed returning to Sora.

Enjoyable reality, 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 recreation’s launch in Japan in Might 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 goals of Sora, who had been asleep for a 12 months at that time. As soon as Sora wakes up together with Donald and Goofy after Roxas merges with him, they set out to as soon as once more shield the worlds from the Heartless and go to new ones to cease Group XIII from creating one other Kingdom Hearts that will give the Nobodies their hearts again.

As Sora and the gang discover the idea of the coronary heart even additional, they be taught 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 actual Ansem, named Ansem the Clever, the sage-king of Radiant Backyard (renamed Hole Bastion after which Radiant Backyard once more) who studied the coronary heart alongside Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo (human variations of Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, respectively) to shield his folks from darkness earlier than he was exiled to the Realm of Darkness for corrupting them with the similar darkness and taking up the new identification DiZ (Darkness in Zero). Much more stunning, they be taught 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 known 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 actual Sora’s adventures preventing the Heartless and Group XIII, after it received corrupted. It was being digitized to analyze a secret message Jiminy didn’t write: “Their hurting shall be mended once you return to finish it” (initially written as “We should return to free them from their torment” in Coded). In the dataspace, Knowledge-Sora and Mickey battle the bugs, who take the type of red-and-black blocks and Heartless, and work to decipher the message’s that 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 recreation accessible to followers worldwide, the total 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 the most unconventional method doable: 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 similar worlds, they work to defeat the “Nightmare” Dream Eaters with the assist of their “Spirit” Dream Eaters and the energy 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 supposed 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 working by way of Sora’s goals as a Dream Eater the complete time. To save lots of Sora from the darkness, Riku fights the younger Xehanort, and the revived, older Grasp Xehanort arrives with intentions to flip Sora into his thirteenth vessel for the 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 energy of waking, which is the capacity to restore hearts.

Learn our Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance overview.

Kingdom Hearts 3

In the last chapter of the Darkish Seeker Saga, Sora units out to reclaim the energy of waking and collect the seven guardians of sunshine to put together for the last showdown with Group XIII and Grasp Xehanort, who’s hellbent on not solely creating the χ-blade, but additionally preserving darkness and lightweight in correct stability. In the meantime, Kairi trains to turn 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 just a few trailers launched between 2013 and 2018 earlier than lastly being launched in 2019. To at the present time, 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 different Keyblade wielders defeat the Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters to the beat of each music in the sequence. It’s set in opposition to the backdrop of Kairi being in the lab at Radiant Backyard, as she offers a abstract of the sequence’ occasions as the narrator.

Kingdom Hearts Games in Launch Order

1. Kingdom Hearts – September 17, 2002 (PS2)
2. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Recollections – December 7, 2004 (Recreation Boy Advance)
3. Kingdom Hearts 2 – March 28, 2006 (PS2)
4. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days – September 29, 2009 (Nintendo DS)
5. Kingdom Hearts: Beginning by Sleep – September 7, 2010 (PSP)
6. Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded – January 11, 2011 (Nintendo DS)
7. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance – July 31, 2012 (Nintendo 3DS)
8. Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross] – April 7, 2016 (Android, iOS)
9. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix – March 28, 2017 (PS4)
10. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Remaining Chapter Prologue – January 24, 2017 (PS4)
11. Kingdom Hearts 3 – January 29, 2019 (PS4, XBO, PC)
12. Kingdom Hearts Darkish Street – June 22, 2020 (Android, iOS)
13. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Reminiscence – November 13, 2020 (PS4, XBO, Nintendo Swap, 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 reveal a launch window. The latest improvement, a sequence of screenshots, got here out of virtually nowhere, however hopefully signifies we’ll be getting our palms on Kingdom Hearts 4 sooner fairly than later. I would not be stunned if the recreation finally ends up releasing on the upcoming Nintendo Swap 2.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Screenshots Might 2025