It’s been a over a decade since theKingdom Heartsseries has seen a numbered entry. After being announced all the way back in 2013,Kingdom Hearts IIIhas been a hotly-anticipated game from Square Enix. With seven spin-offs, three remastered collections, and one all-inclusive bundle, there has been a lot going on in the series in that time. Jumping in toKingdom Hearts IIIcan be daunting for newcomers and long-time fans alike, but don’t worry: here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know before playingKingdom Hearts IIIon June 13, 2025.
The Story So Far
TheKingdom Heartssaga is first and foremost riddled with a complicated narrative and daunting lore. It’s both a mess and a delight.Much like Charlie inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,fans may come off as crazy when explaining the differences between Heartless, Unversed, Nobodies, and Dreameaters. Don’t even get us started on Organization XIII and Xion.
There is a TON to digest before the release ofKingdom Hearts III. Thanks to a buttload of spinoffs, the story has been made unnecessarily (but oh so necessarily) complex. Instead of trying to summarize this saga in written form, I’ve got two video recommendations that can sum up the series for you.
For a thorough recap of the entire narrative, the YouTube channel Suggestive Gaming whipped up a 36-minute explainer video. This video is dense: you’ll want to give it your undivided attention. While the video does tell the story clearly, concisely, and in chronological order, it helps if you’ve played all or most of the games, but just haven’t played them all recently…in order…while taking notes…and taking theKingdom HeartsHistory and Lore class at your local college. The most important thing to remember about the story is that everyone is tied to Sora somehow, and Xehanort is bad.
For a pretty accurate, but much more comedic approach (and shorter), check out Video Game Dunkey’s “Kingdom HeartsExplained” video below. He’s pretty spot-on. Damn Pumba.
Which Games Should You Play?
If you are determined to play someKingdom Heartsgames instead of watching a recap, here is a list of the entries you’llhaveto play. The past fewKingdom Heartsgames have had summaries of the previous games included in the game’s menu, so it is safe to assume thatKingdom Hearts IIIwill include a similar feature. Banking on this, the games listed below will give you the best context forKingdom Hearts III’s story, based on how deep you want to get into things.
The Barebones Approach
Kingdom Hearts&Kingdom Hearts II
If you only can make time for two games, it’s best to replay the two numbered entries. Odds are that these are games you have already played in the past. This means it’ll combine nostalgia, context, and 40~ hours to create a cram-study-sesh for the upcoming release. It’s also likely that lots of people only played these games and are their only frame of reference for the series. you may’t go wrong withKingdom HeartsandKingdom Hearts II: they are still both tremendous games.
How can you play these now, you ask? You can dust off your PS2 and boot up your original copies if you still have them. If that’s not possible and you own a PS4, you can pick upKingdom Hearts: The Story So Far. It includes not onlyKingdom Hearts I&II, but every game of consequence in the series (sorryKingdom Hearts V CAST).
The Beginning & The End
If you want to make a gaming binge out of the series, but just want the essentials, your next two targets should beKingdom Hearts: Birth by SleepandKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.Birth by Sleepserves as a prequel to the entire series up to its release, providing context for the Keyblade War and Xehanort as a villain. It also introduces key characters such as Aqua, Terra, and Ventus as you play through three intertwined campaigns.
Dream Drop Distanceis the most recent game in the narrative, and its events lead right intoKingdom Hearts III. The game has had the largest impact on the overall story to date and frames things nicely. Outside of the narrative, it offers a fair glimpse at some of the mechanics thatKingdom Hearts IIIwill have.
To play these games on their original hardware, you’d need a PSP and a 3DS, respectively. However, this is nowhere near as convenient as playing them throughKingdom Hearts: The Story So Far, which has both games remastered in HD on the PS4.
The Icing on the Cake
If you miraculously have time, you should play (deep breath)Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage. That doozy of a name acts as a sort ofMetal Gear Solid: Ground ZeroesforKingdom Hearts III. It provides a backstory to Aqua after the events ofBirth by Sleep, while giving a look at what a modernKingdom Heartsgame looks like on PS4. This is the closest to playingKingdom Hearts IIIas fans have gotten since its inclusion inKingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologuein 2017.
The best way to play this short game is on the PS4 inKingdom Hearts: The Story So Far. The original physical release ofKingdom HD2.8appears to no longer be made, makingThe Story So Farbundle the best and cheapest way to play it.
All of the Confirmed Worlds
One ofKingdom Hearts’ biggest selling points is the opportunity to explore Disney-themed worlds and team up with the popular characters from those worlds. Here is a list of every confirmed world set to appear inKingdom Hearts III:
Every Edition ofKingdom Hearts III
When it comes to playingKingdom Hearts IIIitself, there are a few different editions of the game that you can pre-order. All of them come with the exact same game, just different goodies you may or may not enjoy having.
There are alsoexclusive pre-order bonuses forKingdom Hearts IIIon Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and the Square Enix Store. Check out the short list below detailing those.
And that’s pretty much everything you need to know before diving intoKingdom Hearts IIIon January 29. For the spoiler-sensitive folks (like myself), we here atDualShockerswhipped up a spoiler-free guide to avoiding spoilers forKingdom Hearts III. You ought to check that out to make the internet as safe a place as possible. We also showed off theKingdom Heartspop-up shop at Disney Springsin Orlando, FL.
