Kingdom Hearts 4 Is Coming in 2027: Everything Revealed So Far
Kingdom Hearts fans finally have something substantial to talk about again.
Square Enix and Disney have provided a new look at Kingdom Hearts 4, giving fans more information about Sora's next adventure — and confirming that the game is targeting 2027. For a series famous for making its fans wait, that's already good news. Here's what we know so far.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Is Coming in 2027
Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently scheduled for a 2027 release. The timing will make it particularly significant because the original Kingdom Hearts debuted in 2002, meaning the franchise is approaching its 25th anniversary. That's a long journey for a series that began with an idea that sounded almost impossible: What if Final Fantasy met Disney?
Somehow, it worked.
Sora Is in Quadratum
Kingdom Hearts 4 continues Sora's story following the events of Kingdom Hearts 3. This time, Sora finds himself in Quadratum, a mysterious city inspired by Tokyo's Shibuya district. The setting immediately gives Kingdom Hearts 4 a noticeably different atmosphere. Kingdom Hearts has traditionally bounced between colorful Disney worlds, but Quadratum looks much closer to a modern real-world city. That doesn't mean the Disney craziness is going anywhere.
Coco Is Joining Kingdom Hearts
One of the biggest new reveals is a world inspired by Pixar's Coco. It's an almost perfect fit. Coco's Land of the Dead already feels like a world designed for Kingdom Hearts. It's colorful, emotional, supernatural, visually distinctive, and built around themes of memory and the people we leave behind. Those themes could work extremely well with Sora's story. It should also give Square Enix an opportunity to create one of the most visually impressive Disney worlds we've seen in the franchise.
Mickey Is Getting Something Very Different
Another intriguing reveal involves a Paper Mickey Mouse world. The new setting will apparently feature its own gameplay ideas and allow players to control Mickey in a storybook-like environment. Kingdom Hearts has always been at its best when Disney worlds aren't simply different backgrounds. Giving individual worlds unique mechanics could make KH4's adventure feel much more varied.
Familiar Characters Are Returning
Don't worry. The gang isn't disappearing. Donald and Goofy are returning alongside Sora, and familiar characters including King Mickey and Maleficent are also part of the next chapter. Exactly how everyone reconnects with Sora remains one of the biggest questions. because this is Kingdom Hearts, answering one question will probably create approximately seventeen new ones. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Has a Huge Opportunity
Kingdom Hearts 3 had an almost impossible amount of hype surrounding it. Kingdom Hearts 4 is entering a different situation. Square Enix has an opportunity to take everything that worked about KH3 — its combat, scale, Disney worlds, presentation, and spectacle — while creating a more focused adventure. The series doesn't need to abandon its famously complicated lore. That's part of Kingdom Hearts. But making that story easier for returning and newer players to follow could help Kingdom Hearts 4 reach an even larger audience.
2027 Can't Come Soon Enough
Kingdom Hearts has always been a strange franchise. Final Fantasy characters. Disney villains. Key-shaped swords. Anime hairstyles. Donald Duck healing you approximately three seconds after you already used a potion. And somehow it all comes together. With Quadratum, Coco, Mickey, returning characters, and a new chapter of Sora's story on the way, Kingdom Hearts 4 is quickly becoming one of the games we're most interested in playing in 2027. Now we just need Square Enix to give us that release date.