is a Japanese video game series and media franchise developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney properties and original characters based within an original fictional universe, also featuring appearances by characters from Square Enix properties such as Final Fantasy and The World Ends with You. Noted for its intricate lore and complex narrative, the series features a large ensemble cast of characters and includes several story arcs. The series' main plot centers on Sora, a boy who wields a Keyblade, as he journeys across various worlds to protect his friends and thwart the schemes of numerous villains. Longtime Square designer Tetsuya Nomura has served as the series' director and creative lead since its beginning.
The series consists of thirteen games available for multiple platforms, with the first eleven games collectively comprising the "Dark Seeker Saga", and future games are planned. Most of the games in the series have been positively received and commercially successful. As of August 2026, the Kingdom Hearts franchise has grossed over $1 billion and shipped more than 39 million games worldwide. A wide variety of related merchandise has been released along with the games, including a manga series, light novels, soundtracks, action figures, companion books and a collectible card game.
Media
Games
Kingdom Hearts is the first game in the series, released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2. Kingdom Hearts introduces the main characters of the series, and establishes the plot's framework involving hearts and dark beings known as the Heartless, as well as the supporting roles of Disney and Final Fantasy characters in the series. An expanded re-release of the game featuring new and additional content, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, was released exclusively in Japan later in 2002. Final Mix was later released globally as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a direct sequel to the first game, released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Touted as a bridge between the two PlayStation 2 games, Chain of Memories introduces characters and plot points that would be further explored in Kingdom Hearts II. The gameplay is a departure from the original game, employing a real-time card-based battle system. Chain of Memories received a full 3D remake for the PlayStation 2 titled Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, released in Japan in 2007 and North America in 2008. Re:Chain of Memories later received an HD port as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection. Kingdom Hearts II takes place one year after the events of Chain of Memories. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2005 and globally in 2006. The game further explores the "heart" concept by involving a new group of enemies, the Nobodies. The gameplay is similar to that of the first Kingdom Hearts game. Like the first game, Kingdom Hearts II received an expanded re-release titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, containing new and additional content. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was originally released exclusively in Japan in 2007, and was later released globally as part of the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix collection. Kingdom Hearts Coded is an episodic mobile phone game that picks up directly after Kingdom Hearts II. The "preinstall" episode was released in Japan in 2008, with an additional eight episodes released between 2009 and 2010. The game was remade as Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for the Nintendo DS, released in Japan in 2010 and globally in 2011, featuring updated gameplay. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009. It is primarily set between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, focusing on Roxas' time in Organization XIII and leading directly into the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II. It is the first game in the series to feature a protagonist other than Sora, as well as the first in the series to feature cooperative multiplayer. Gameplay is mission-based, and features a unique panel system which governs character improvement, special abilities and equipped weapons. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010. A prequel to the series, the game is set ten years before the events of the first Kingdom Hearts game, revealing the origins of the villain Xehanort. The game features three new protagonists, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and consists of four separate scenarios, introducing a new Command Deck system to the game's combat. The game received an expanded re-release, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, released exclusively in Japan in 2011. The Final Mix version of the game was later released globally as part of the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix collection. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. The game focuses on Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam in anticipation of Xehanort's return. Inheriting similar gameplay systems from Birth by Sleep, the game also features "Dream Eater" companions which can be trained to assist the player in battle. The game later received an HD console port, released as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection. Kingdom Hearts χ, previously known as Kingdom Hearts for PC Browsers, was a browser game exclusively playable in Japan from July 2013 to September 2016. It featured cartoon-like 2D models and served as a prequel to the series, taking place thousands of years before the first Kingdom Hearts and detailing events leading up to the Keyblade War. Kingdom Hearts: Unchained χ: An international port of Kingdom Hearts χ titled Kingdom Hearts: Unchained χ was released for Android and iOS devices in Japan in 2015 and globally in 2016. Later in April 2017, it was rebranded as Kingdom Hearts: Union χ, featuring an all-new story that expanded and diverged from the original. In January 2019, the game was made available on the Amazon Appstore for Amazon devices. The app was rebranded once again to Kingdom Hearts: Union χ Dark Road with the release of Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. The game was shut down and converted into a cutscene viewer in May 2021, and delisted in August 2024. Kingdom Hearts Dark Road is a mobile game accessed within Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross], which released globally in 2020. The game is set 70 years before Birth by Sleep and explores the origins of Xehanort and his eventual turn to darkness, and was developed by the same team working on Union χ. Following the shutdown of Union χ, Dark Road was converted into an offline game and received its final story update in August 2022. Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- was released as a part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection for the PlayStation 4 in 2017. Intended as a short, playable prologue for Kingdom Hearts III, the game features Aqua as the protagonist and depicts events both leading into Kingdom Hearts III and intersecting with the ending of the original Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts III was released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game sees a return to the gameplay style seen in the previous two numbered titles, In Kingdom Hearts III, Sora embarks on a journey to regain his lost "Power of Waking" while uniting his allies to face Xehanort and his cohorts in a final battle. The game concludes the "Dark Seeker Saga". Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind: A downloadable content (DLC) expansion for Kingdom Hearts III titled Re Mind was released in 2020. The DLC continues the story after the original game's conclusion and teases the future of the franchise. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a rhythm game released in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Featuring 140 songs, it features gameplay similar to Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Melody of Memory continues the story from the end of Kingdom Hearts III.
Other games A Kingdom Hearts game was developed for V CAST, Verizon Wireless's broadband service, and was released on February 1, 2005, in the United States. It was one of the launch games for the V CAST services. The game, developed by Superscape and published by Disney Mobile with no involvement from Square Enix, features gameplay akin to the first Kingdom Hearts game, modified for the input method of mobile phones. The game's non-canon storyline features Sora struggling to free himself from a nightmare induced by Maleficent's magic.
Kingdom Hearts Mobile was a Kingdom Hearts-themed social game in which players could play mini-games together. Unlike Kingdom Hearts for the V CAST and Kingdom Hearts Coded, this game does not have a storyline and focuses more on socializing. The service operated in conjunction with Kingdom Hearts Coded, as new avatar costumes became available after the player completed an episode of Kingdom Hearts Coded. Kingdom Hearts-related media such as wallpapers, ringtones, graphics, and other items could be purchased and downloaded through the service for mobile phones.
Kingdom Hearts VR Experience is a 10-minute interactive video released in 2019 "featuring iconic moments [and music] from the Kingdom Hearts games" with the ability to unlock additional content by progressing through the experience. via:
Sora has made guest appearances in other video games, including World of Final Fantasy, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Fortnite.
Collections and bundles The series has seen many collections, packages and re-releases throughout its history, centered on three HD collections.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix was originally released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013. The collection includes HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (released outside of Japan for the first time) and Re:Chain of Memories, as well as a 3-hour collection of cutscenes to represent Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix was originally released for the PlayStation 3 in 2014, and includes HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix (both released globally for the first time), as well as a 3-hour cutscene collection representing Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was originally released for the PlayStation 4 in 2017, featuring an HD console port of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a new game entitled Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- intended as a short playable prologue for Kingdom Hearts III, and Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, a one-hour cutscene movie telling the story of Kingdom Hearts χ.
The three collections have been repackaged and re-released together in various combinations for various platforms: Kingdom Hearts Starter Pack -HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX- was released for the PlayStation 3 exclusively in Japan in 2014, featuring the first two collections on separate discs. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix was released globally for the PlayStation 4 in 2017, featuring the first two collections included on a single disc. The compilation also features additional enhancements to the games, including 60 FPS gameplay and faster load times. It was later released for the Xbox One in 2020, for Windows in 2021, and for the Nintendo Switch in 2022. Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far was released for the PlayStation 4 in North America in 2018 and in Europe in 2019, including all three collections with HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix on one disc and 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue on another. Kingdom Hearts: All-In-One-Package was released digitally in North America and Europe in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, and was given a physical release in 2020. This bundle includes The Story So Far in addition to Kingdom Hearts III.