Every Kingdom Hearts Game, Ranked From Worst To Best

Since 2002, the series has accompanied its three numbered entries with a dizzying array of spin-offs, spanning many platforms, including the Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and even mobile devices. Each one builds upon the existing lore of the franchise, branching out to explore new characters or revisit previous events from a different perspective. Although the numbered Kingdom Hearts titles are often considered the most significant, each one carries in some way over to the next game.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X / Dark Road

Kingdom Hearts X initially launched in 2013 as a web browser exclusive game, eventually moving to mobile devices in late 2015 and early 2016. The game is notorious for its microtransactions, gacha system, and repetitive gameplay.

Although it does contain important story information for the series as a whole, each narrative update is spaced in between hours' worth of grinding. Kingdom Hearts Unchained X officially closed in May 2021, but not before an additional spinoff, Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, was added to its launcher.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage

Introduced with the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, this game served as a prologue of sorts for Kingdom Hearts III, delving into Aqua's backstory from Birth by Sleep in a short gameplay experience that only lasts 2 to 3 hours. It also tested some of the visual and gameplay elements that would later be introduced in Kingdom Hearts III.

Its relevance to the overall story is minimal, however, and its short playtime makes Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage more worth watching than playing.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

The most recent Kingdom Hearts game, Melody of Memory, came out in late 2020 to help bridge the gap between Kingdom Hearts III and the next major numbered title. Unfortunately, it has minimal plot elements, largely serving as a rhythm game with only brief cutscenes depicting the story of Kairi diving into her dreams to help locate the missing Sora.

There was also some criticism from fans after Melody of Memory's ending, which effectively shelved the series' primary female protagonist heading into the next game. It's a solid rhythm game in its own right, but not an exceptional one, and it isn't as likely to satiate fans of the series as the majority of entries in the franchise.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded

Re:Coded is one of the least narratively important games in the Kingdom Hearts series, so much so that only its cutscenes were remastered in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix as opposed to the full game. Its story involves a data version of Sora reliving the series' past adventures, and as a result, it can largely be seen as a retread of the first game.

Re:Coded's gameplay is worth noting, though, if only because of how unique it is and how effectively it utilizes the command deck featured in Birth by Sleep. There isn't that much point in watching through the cutscenes in the remix bundles, but if you have a DS on hand, actually playing through the game can be fun.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Also included as a remastered series of cutscenes is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which takes place between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2 and introduces essential story content relating to a few of the game's secondary protagonists. Focusing on characters associated with Organization XIII, 358/2 Days delivers some of the strongest atmosphere in the franchise and some surprisingly emotional scenes.

Although its place in the timeline is much more relevant than Re:Coded, its gameplay is significantly more repetitive than other mainline entries in the series. Nonetheless, it's impressive as a mobile entry, especially in just how much juice it squeezes out of the DS hardware.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories

The 2D Game Boy Advance title Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories branches out significantly from the rest of the franchise in terms of gameplay, featuring strategic card battles instead of the button-mashing that's more typical for Kingdom Hearts. The PS2 version, Re:Chain of Memories, drops those same ideas into a 3D environment, resulting in an unusual and undeniably fascinating system.

Not everyone enjoyed the change, though, and the PS2 version is arguably a bit of a mechanical mess compared to the GBA original. Aside from introducing a few returning characters such as Naminé, the larger story of Re:Chain of Memories can be mostly skipped over. It primarily revisits the worlds and events of the first game, and Sora forgets about the experience entirely ahead of Kingdom Hearts 2. That doesn't mean the story is bad, however. Like Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, it cultivates a strong atmosphere that's arguably among the best of the franchise.

KH3D: Dream Drop Distance

First released in 2012 and remastered later in 2017, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance introduces storylines and gameplay that would eventually become mainstay parts of the series, such as time travel aspects and creatures known as Dream Eaters. The smooth and versatile combat of Flowmotion and the inclusion of The World Ends with You both seem as though they'll be important moving into Kingdom Hearts 4 and other future titles, as well, making Dream Drop Distance an essential part of the Kingdom Hearts timeline.

Compared to the DS titles, Dream Drop Distance is much closer to a console Kingdom Hearts experience on the go. One handheld entry still edges it out, though, as Dream Drop Distance struggles to deliver a truly memorable story. Its monster-catching elements also aren't for everyone, requiring some tedious work to unlock some of the game's best abilities.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

Birth by Sleep sets itself up as both a prologue to the events of Kingdom Hearts and an entirely separate story entity, following three new characters instead of focusing on Sora. Although there are a few familiar faces in the game — Mickey Mouse plays a fairly large role in its events — for the most part, it stands on its own, introducing new story elements and gameplay features similar to what Dream Drop Distance accomplished later on down the line.

Additional game modes and challenges add more playability to Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, as well. To date, this remains the most compelling handheld Kingdom Hearts package, and it can also be played on console in the remixed bundles.

Kingdom Hearts 3

Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of the more recent games in the series, and the first proper numbered title to release since Kingdom Hearts 2. Although it technically served as the ending to the current story saga of the series, Kingdom Hearts 3 left many theories and loose ends for the franchise to continue moving forward.

This long-awaited entry combined gameplay from several other titles to make an engaging and customizable experience, but it didn't live up to the astronomical expectations of some fans. Button-mashing gameplay and some narrative flaws struggle to recapture the heights of the first two games in the series. Even so, it was still a joy to see the series return in full form.

Kingdom Hearts

Although many aspects of the original Kingdom Hearts' gameplay are now outdated given it was initially released almost twenty years ago, it's still the best of the bunch in some key regards. Its straightforward premise and expansive cast of crossover characters arguably best exemplifies what the series set out to do in the first place: encapsulate childhood nostalgia in an accessible and charming way.

Without the more convoluted elements of some later games and the frequently silly presentation of Organization XIII, Kingdom Hearts understands the idea of "simple and clean" far better than any other entry. At the same time, it can also be a lot more interesting and complex to explore, with more puzzle-oriented level design compared to the streamlined hallways of Kingdom Hearts 2.

Kingdom Hearts 2

Kingdom Hearts II built further upon what the first game did best, providing fans with more playtime, characters, and complicated story elements while still maintaining the spirit of the crossover that made Kingdom Hearts unique in the first place. It loses some things in the process, but for most fans, the increased gameplay fluidity alone put it on top.

Kingdom Hearts 2 is one of the strongest entries in almost every respect, and it set the standard for every game in the franchise that came out after it. Hopefully, Kingdom Hearts 4 will be able to bring the series back to the heights that Kingdom Hearts 2 explored.