The new Coco World announcement for Kingdom Hearts IV has increased a lot of interest in the game. It also helps that it is only a year out now, with a confirmed late-2027 release. The next question I often see on social media and in comments on other news outlets is: What do I need to play to understand Kingdom Hearts IV? I hope this article helps you with that.
Just How Many Games Are In This Series?
The easiest recommendation is to buy the Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Edition on any platform it is available on. It is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. In October 2026, there will be a new collection that expands it natively to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Once you have bought that, though, what is the proper order to play it in? That question is, oddly enough, more controversial than you would think.
One thing you have to understand is that Kingdom Hearts, as a series, has games all over the chronological timeline. So even after you have played it in the order I recommend, the next time you play through the series can be different and add extra context to other scenes as you traverse the series. I will first give you the play order I recommend in a way that you can just keep on hand, screenshot, and come back to. I also want to take a bit of time to explain my reasoning and why I think this is the proper order to play through the games for the first time.
- Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
- Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded
- Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
- Kingdom Hearts Back Cover
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Kingdom Hearts Union Cross
- Kingdom Hearts Dark Road
- Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
The First Three Games
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix is technically a remaster of Kingdom Hearts, and it has extra content and different balancing. It is the version of the game that was brought over to newer consoles. It details the story elements of the series, such as who Sora is and why he is with Donald and Goofy. It also explains who the Heartless are. Basically, it is an easy recommendation as a starting game.
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories is a full 3D remake of the Game Boy Advance game Chain of Memories. Voice acting in this game makes the dialogue different from the all-text version of Chain of Memories. I personally prefer the Game Boy Advance game over the 3D remake, but it isn’t available. The game’s card system was built with the Game Boy Advance’s limitations in mind. On the PlayStation 2, it just added worse gameplay to the original Kingdom Hearts game engine. Anyway, it details the connective tissue between Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix.
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is the sequel to Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Pretty easy to understand. Many consider it the magnum opus of the series. It added a lot of new elements to the gameplay and added elements to the magic system that make it easier to combo with your normal attack chains. Some like the magic system; some think it was a downgrade from the original game’s magic system.
The Awkward Middle Phase
This is where the series experimented with a lot of different game consoles and engine systems. A lot of these games add lore to the series, with a few narrative advancements to the plot.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is the first game I recommend playing after Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It is the story of Roxas and what he did after coming to life between Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. The reason I recommend this game after Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, even though it takes place before it, is that it removes some of the mystery surrounding Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. A lot of the twists hit harder when you don’t know his story. If you get the collection, it only provides a remastered cinematic retelling of the Nintendo DS game.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is a prequel to Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. It talks about three other wielders of the Keyblade and their dealings with Xehanort. It builds up the story of Xehanort as well as his comrade Eraqus.
Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded is a remastered cinematic retelling of the Nintendo DS remake called Re: Coded. Kingdom Hearts Coded was initially a mobile phone game that was discontinued. It details the events of Jiminy Cricket going to Mickey Mouse to help him figure out the journal from the first Kingdom Hearts.
Build Up To Kingdom Hearts III
The next series of games helps build up the series to Kingdom Hearts III. These games take place all over the timeline, but they provide some connective context between the awkward middle phase and where the Dark Seeker saga was set to finish.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance is a game that takes place after Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It is about Sora and Riku taking on the Kingdom Hearts Mastery exam in order to become full-fledged masters. They need this exam to unlock special powers for the future.
Kingdom Hearts Back Cover is a cinematic retelling of the first half of the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross mobile game. There is, oddly enough, a lot of lore in this game and how it relates to the rest of the series. Back Cover is basically just the essential information you will need to understand Kingdom Hearts III.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage is the last game that you will need to play to understand Kingdom Hearts III. It connects the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep to the current point in the Kingdom Hearts timeline.
Kingdom Hearts III
The end of the Dark Seeker saga, technically, is Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts III attempted to take a lot of plot threads from a lot of Kingdom Hearts games and tie them all together. Some were tied together better than others, but ultimately, it is also the game that paves the way for Kingdom Hearts IV.
Kingdom Hearts Union Cross is the next game on the list. This one is easy to experience now since you don’t have to actually play anything. There are YouTube Let’s Plays you can watch or even a fully dubbed movie of all the cutscenes. (Part 1, Part 2)
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road is in the same place as Kingdom Hearts Union Cross; it isn’t available to play, but you can watch YouTube Let’s Plays or cinematics. This is the literal beginning of Xehanort’s story, and it wasn’t revealed until after Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts IV seems to be bringing in some characters from both of these mobile games.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is the final game you will need to play to fully understand Kingdom Hearts IV. Note that these games are meant to help you fully understand the lore and characters. The plot will likely not need too much explanation. Kingdom Hearts narratives are generally pretty simple; it is the lore and characters that get convoluted. So if you miss a game or two, that won’t always affect your experience negatively or make the next mainline game confusing for you.
Afterwards
Once you have played through or seen the story of these games in the order I have recommended, you don’t have to replay these games in that order every time you want to replay the series. You can replay them in chronological order, or you can skip games you don’t want to play. This is merely a guide to help you get into the games if you want to.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end, and I hope the games positively impact your life as they have impacted mine. Kingdom Hearts IV will be released in late 2027, and Nomura was very adamant that it would not be delayed beyond 2027. It will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
