Which game to play first - explaining the order of Kingdom Hearts games Kingdom Hearts III Guide and Walkthrough
Last update: 31 January 2019
Kingdom Hearts III is the next game from the saga with the same title. However, the three in the title doesn't mean that you should play it as a third game in the series. This unique jRPGs, combining Disney and Final Fantasy worlds, have an extremely complicated timeline that doesn't correspond with the publishing chronology of the Kingdom Hearts games. Over a dozen years of the series's existence, 8 full-fledged titles were released (not counting their re-editions and compilations), which may make it difficult for new fans to understand the sequence of events.
To make this it easier for the newcomers, in this part of the Kingdom Hearts III guide we've prepared a list of games from this series in the suggested order of their completion based on the chronology of the events. In addition, we've also included the release date and information on existing reeditions or compilations.
Suggested order of completing Kingdom Hearts games
The table includes the suggested order of completing Kingdom Hearts games with re-editions, platform and the date of European release (if available):
Game name | Platform and European release date | Re-edition | Platform and European release date |
Kingdom Hearts X | PC, 2013 (browser game, Japan exclusive) | Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X Kingdom Hearts Union X (rebranding) Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover (a movie presenting part of the story told from a different perspective) | Android, iOS, 2016 Android, iOS, 2017 PS4, 2017<br>(included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue) |
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | PSP, 2010 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix | PSP, 2011 (Japan exclusive) |
Kingdom Hearts I | PS2, 2002 | Kingdom Hearts I Final Mix | PS2, 2002 (Japan exclusive) |
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories | GBA, 2004 (Japan exclusive) | Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories | PS2 (Japan 2007, USA 2008, no PAL version) |
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days | Nintendo DS, 2009 | - | - |
Kingdom Hearts II | PS2, 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix | PS2, 2007 (Japan exclusive) |
Kingdom Hearts Coded | Mobile game (2008-2010, Japan exclusive) | Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded | Nintendo DS, 2011 |
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | Nintendo 3DS, 2012 | - | - |
*Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage | PS4, 2017 (not counted as a separate game, part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue) | - | - |
Re-editions of KH differ in the degree of changes made comparing to the original. Final Mix edition means that the original game was enriched with additional content such as new Keyblades, bosses, collectibles or cut-scenes. Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded are remakes of these games released on different platforms. The situation with Kingdom Hearts X is a bit more complicated - released for Android and iOS Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X contains X events and is also a continuation of the story known form the browser edition. Without going into details - the player once again has to go through the same events as in the previous part (this is a continuation because these events happen in a different world). Kingdom Hearts Union X is simply a new name for Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X, while Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover is an hour-long animation about some events that took place before and during Kingdom Hearts X from the perspective of the so-called Foretellers.
Currently, you can find a compilation of Kingdom Hearts games, which make it much easier to get to know the story of Kingdom Hearts. Thanks to them, you can play games and re-editions that were never released outside Japan or the United States. Additionally, they were released on Sony consoles (PS3, PS4), which means that the necessity of having different platforms has been significantly reduced.
The table includes the list of compilations of Kingdom Hearts games with the date of European release and it's content.
Compilation name | Platform and European release date | Content |
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX | PS3, 2013 | Kingdom Hearts I Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days remade as cut-scenes |
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX | PS3, 2014 | Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded remade as cut-scenes |
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX | PS4, 2017 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX |
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue | PS4, 2017 | Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage, Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover (movie) |
Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far | PS4, 2018 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue |
Due to the fact that the timeline of some games overlaps with each other, we also provide a picture showing this connection.