The Complete Guide to Playing Kingdom Hearts Games in Order

The timeline of the Kingdom Hearts series can seem daunting at times, especially when trying to play it through different consoles, spin-offs, and remasters. Each game they create adds a new layer to Sora's story, weaving together Disney worlds, new characters, and elements from Final Fantasy into one saga over the years.

There is a right way to experience the story; it is necessary to know how everything connects and which entry was first in the timeline. Below is a comprehensive guide that allows you to view all Kingdom Hearts games in order.

Kingdom Hearts Games in Chronological Order

Before we get into the full breakdown of the story, here is just a clean and easy list of all Kingdom Hearts games in order in the universe. This order lists every game based on when the events in the lore occur, rather than release dates. This is the easiest way to follow the whole saga, as the characters experienced it.

Here are all Kingdom Hearts games in chronological order:

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Kingdom Hearts Games in Story Order

The story sequence explains how each game fits into the overarching narrative, along with a full context of admission. This description helps you understand the reasoning behind events, the struggle with light and darkness, and how Sora's adventure unfolds over time.

Each game below includes its original release year and a brief description of its role in the story, allowing new players and returning franchise fans to digest the full saga without confusion. The Kingdom Hearts games in order are:

1. Kingdom Hearts X (2013)

This title, available on browsers or mobile devices, takes place at the very beginning of the saga - during the time of the Keyblade War that took place long before the birth of Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

Players proceed through story segments as a Keyblade wielder who is alive during the time of a unified world, and the Book of Prophecies unveils a horrible future. The events of Kingdom Hearts X serve to define the ancient struggle between the light and dark that the entire franchise is built upon. It is the first title in the long list of Kingdom Hearts games in order.

2. Kingdom Hearts Union Cross (2015)

Union Cross builds on the events of Kingdom Hearts X and provides extensive lore about the Dandelions, the Foretellers, and the world following the Keyblade War.

It is instrumental in providing context regarding the Organization that will prove to be a pivotal plot point in the modern timeline. It is the plot developments introduced in Union Cross that will affect more plot twists seen in Kingdom Hearts 3.

3. Kingdom Hearts Dark Road (2020)

Dark Roads offers an in-depth look at Xehanort's life and establishes an origin story for the soaring antagonist of the saga. Players become students in the world of Scala ad Caelum, as they learn how his views of balance and of darkness are shifting. Dark Road directly connects to key motivations behind the plot that unfolds over the coming decade.

4. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (2010)

Birth by Sleep takes place 10 years before Kingdom Hearts and focuses on three characters: Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Their story serves as the foundation for nearly every significant event that affects Sora in the future (for Ventus) and helps to explain how Terra and Aqua encounter Master Xehanort. This game is how we learn about Ventus' links to Sora.

5. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage (2017)

This short title, named A Fragmentary Passage, features Aqua after the events of Birth by Sleep. It features the gap between the end of Birth by Sleep and the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 3, as well as how the Realm of Darkness transforms Aqua's character and how the plot is important to her eventual return.

6. Kingdom Hearts (2002)

Kingdom Hearts, the original title in the series, introduces Sora, Riku, and Kairi. When their home is taken over by darkness, Sora acquires the Keyblade and teams up with Donald and Goofy in search of a rescue. Together, the three travel through Disney worlds searching for their partners and protecting those realms against the Heartless. This title serves as the core heart of the saga.

7. Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories (2004)

Immediately after the events of the first game, Sora enters Castle Oblivion and begins to lose memories while climbing each floor in Chain of Memories. The Organization members make their debut, and the story splits into two campaigns: Sora's and Riku's. It explores why Sora must restore his lost memories before Kingdom Hearts 2.

8. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (2009)

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days plays in tandem with Chain of Memories and transitions into Kingdom Hearts 2. You will be playing as Roxas, Axel and Xion, who are members of Organization XIII. It provides more backstory on Roxas's connection to Sora, the mechanics of the Organization, and the tragedy between the three characters.

9. Kingdom Hearts 2 (2005)

After Sora regains his memories, he awakens and reunites with Donald and Goofy in Kingdom Hearts 2. Together, they take on Organization XIII and the new Nobodies series alongside the revived Xemnas threat.

It's one of the largest expansions to the universe, and raises the stakes further with the introduction of Organization XIII, cementing its place as one of the most significant entries in the series

10. Kingdom Hearts Coded (2008)

Kingdom Hearts Coded follows a digital version of Jiminy's journal. Mickey investigates a mysterious message found within it, which reveals hidden threats and serves as a setup for the larger conflict that unfolds in Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts 3.

11. Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance (2012)

In Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Sora and Riku take the Mark of Mastery exam and travel to worlds asleep. They each confront time travel, Xehanort's various reincarnations, and the creation of a new Organization XIII. Dream Drop Distance flows directly into the events of Kingdom Hearts 3.

12. Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019)

Kingdom Hearts 3 ties all major storylines together. Sora and his friends prepare for their ultimate battle against Xehanort. The heroes travel through Disney worlds and in original locations to assemble the power of waking.

Kh3 pulls together the long-standing Xehanort saga and delivers a significant payoff for fans who have followed the series from the beginning.

13. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (2020)

This rhythm-based title, Melody of Memory, serves as a postscript to Kingdom Hearts 3. In essence, Kairi’s memories provide a glimpse of what is to come in the new saga. Melody of Memory prepares players for the future of the series and sets up what Sora’s friends hope to do. It is the final game in the long list of all Kingdom Hearts games in order.

Kingdom Hearts Non-Canon and Side Story Compilation

Here's a list of Kingdom Hearts games in order, which do not fall under the main canon and are often looked upon as minor additions to the whole franchise. They include

• Kingdom Hearts Mobile (2008) — Mobile (Japan)

• Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix (2013) — PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC

• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix (2014) — PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC

• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (collection, 2017) — PS4, Xbox One, PC

• Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far (2018) — PS4

• Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package (2020) — PS4

• Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link (upcoming, 2025) — iOS, Android

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