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Kingdom Hearts is famous for its intricate plot and occasionally odd release strategy spread across various platforms. As the series makes its way to Steam, many new players might wonder about the best Kingdom Hearts play order.
Kingdom Hearts Timeline Explained
The Kingdom Hearts series has a notoriously elaborate story weaving together Disney and Final Fantasy characters. The plot spans several games, each contributing essential pieces to the overarching narrative. Also, the series’ often unconventional naming conventions add to the confusion. This makes it challenging for newcomers to know what to play.
To truly grasp the Kingdom Hearts saga, the best approach is to play the games in their release order. This is both the simplest in terms of lore and allows you to experience the growth of the series mechanics.
Best Kingdom Hearts play order
- Kingdom Hearts (2002)
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (2004)
- Kingdom Hearts II (2005)
- Kingdom Hearts Coded (2008)
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (2009)
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (2010)
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (2012)
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage – (2017)
- Kingdom Hearts III (2019)
- Kingdom Hearts III ReMind (DLC, 2020)
Fortunately, all the listed titles are available in convenient compilation packs. Therefore, it’s never been easier than ever to dive into the series. The packs are available as follows: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC). There are a few caveats about the collections.
They include Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, an enhanced version of the original and the preferred choice to play. Similarly, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days are presented as cutscene compilations. This serves as an adequate substitute if you can’t access the original games.
This list doesn’t include the various Kingdom Hearts mobile titles, such as Kingdom Hearts χ. However, the Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover short film, available in the collections, offers some relevant info on these distant prequels. These mobile stories may become more relevant in future titles, and their cutscenes are available on YouTube for those interested.
Additionally, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, a rhythm game released in 2020, acts primarily as a recap of the series with a small, new story beat at the end. Save this one until after completing the other entries. It is not included in any of the collections. By following this play order and utilizing these compilations, you’ll be well-prepared to understand the deep lore of Kingdom Hearts.
The Kingdom Hearts series will be released on Steam on June 13, 2024.
