The Actual, True Kingdom Hearts Play Order

Every other Kingdom Hearts series play order list is wrong. This is the true, most recommended, and absolutely correct play order. If you want to know how to play Kingdom Hearts, this video is for you. If you already know, this video is even more for you.

The Play Order Spreadsheet:

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This play order wasn't streamed live on Twitch! If you'd like to catch me when I'm live, you can head to:

If you'd like to watch the stream archives, they're on the Let's Strem channel. I stream directly on there too, now!

*Sources*

[Gamechamp]

UPDATE 9/7/24
Two things: First, a while back both Mobile and coded were found and uploaded online! And turns out, Mobile is actually playable in an emulator! Right now!! I won't include direct links for obvious reasons, but gosh there sure are ways to play games! coded is not currently playable unfortunately, but I'll update here if that ever changes.
Second, bad news: the Kingdom Hearts Union χ Dark Road app has been removed from "sale" on both the Apple and Google Play stores. Unsure how it works with Apple, but the Google Play page pretends not to exist unless you've already downloaded the game before. This means Dark Road specifically will be harder to play; luckily, as with Mobile, gosh there sure are ways to play games! On an unrelated note please do not break the law it is illegal to break the law my lawyer says you would be bad if you broke the law

UPDATE 5/15/24:
Turns out there's a major major major major mistake! It appears there isn't actually credible evidence Kingdom Hearts V Cast released in Japan, at all, and actually released a few months later. Meaning, it's the *third* Kingdom Hearts game, after Chain of Memories.



The Current Play Order Sheet:

An important note, there was a major mistake in the video near the end regarding the ordering of Union; the spreadsheet is corrected.

[onlinestonedogii]

If we are strictly academic about it, a “true play order” of kingdom hearts would require not playing a single game in the series until you’ve gone through every single final fantasy game referenced and have watched every single Disney movie that appears in the story. If you fail to do so you will not be aware of plot critical lore and get confused when a hitherto unmentioned naked man and his gorilla friends show up.

Edit: posted this 3 days before the premier, this is crazy.

[YuiWrong]

Ive never seen an "im not THAT crazy" statement fall apart so quickly

[elsuaverteur]

I don't understand why people act like the Kingdom Hearts series is so complex and confusing, I find this video very straightforward

[dragonfluf]

I was talking to a non-gamer friend about this and I had to do a mental reset when he said "Yeah, to play kingdom hearts 3 I'd have to play kingdom hearts 1 and 2, and that just seems like too much."

[ChongoShow]

This was a really great video, and I’d love to talk more about how I feel about it, but, you guessed it, this comment was released episodically

[HBMmaster]

"how many Kingdom Hearts games are there?"

[elbow_juice]

Insightful video! My only critique is you forgot to mention the point I should watch a cell phone recording of the Kingdom Hearts Concert -First Breath-. As I’m sure you remember now, this included the spoken conversation between Lingering William and Naminé regarding Terra’s soon encounter with Aqua. As all of the tracks at this concert are from the Kingdom Hearts series, this is an extension of the game’s theatre mode and cannot be ignored.

[Aburner]

This has convinced me to experience the Kingdom Hearts series in a brand new play order where you play chain of memories and then none of the other games ever

[VARII]

the HORROR upon seeing dragon quest heroes knowing youve just opened up the infinite winding expanse of musou games was indescribable omg

[anything]

this is one of my favorite videos on youtube. I have never played a single Kingdom Hearts game, and when I have time to sit down and spend a year of my life on a single game franchise, this list will be heavily inquired by me. thank you for this genuine work of art

[dazcarrr]

but wait - if you want to watch disney's hercules, you must read the prerequisite material that the story is based on. enjoy legally purchasing and reading all of Homer, Ovid and Virgil before you can even think about playing kingdom hearts

[That_Emi_]

As the rules state, this play order is a *play order*, meaning it doesn't include auxiliary content from things like the manga or hotels, but there's a very odd and quick little addition you can make to your play through if you want!

On August 11th, 2016, Kingdom Hearts Concert -First Breath- was performed for the first time. It was of course an orchestral event but was billed to include the voice actors of Terra and Naminé at the performance. What wasn't informed in advanced was that it would include a fully voiced dialogue scene spoken in character between the two of them that has been deemed canon by route of word of god thanks to Nomura himself. The transcript isn't long, I'm not sure if there's a recording of it but it's quick to read, and it's deemed canonical in relation to Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep A fragmentary passage. If you want to add a little quick non-game engine rendered detour to your run, you can look up that quick little passage and through it in either release order (it'd go in between 16.99 and 16.991 in the list) or just read it before or after you finish Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep A fragmentary passage.

[joymoding]

358/2 Days being XIII is just a testament to the fact that this timeline is both
a. divine and intentional and
b. proof that the entirety of the heartsverse is seamlessly and flawlessly crafted in on itself to make every part of it not only important, but necessary

[OozySpatula]

Actually, playing Chess is also required reading since they play chess.
To play chess, required reading is the 6th century game chaturanga which chess was based on.
Additionally, since rules were released episodically you need to play multiple versions of chess with slightly different rules (e.g. without en passant)

[ZacharyShow]

Love that the document states "Theatrhythm has some prerequisites"

[joshinator]

Really thought I was gonna have to play all of Metal Gear for a second there

[Azure-Flame-Bee]

Fun fact. There's two Fate musou games. Which means the entire Fate franchise is prerequisite reading material. Good luck playing the multiple 100+ hour visual novels, countless manga, several anime, numerous videogames and the mobile gacha game just to play the spinoff of the series that has a spinoff thats required to play to understand the series that spawned the epilogue to Kingdom Hearts 3

[Swan-may]

I wish I could mail you a photo of my face when you dropped rule 4 and I suddenly understood that you expect me to watch Disney Three Musketeers for my Kingdom Hearts superplaythrough

[MishiMIshaniz]

started this video going "ha ha, great parody" and ended with a full salute. this is the first I've heard of the VR experience, I may claim to be a KH fan, but I am like an ant before your power and strength.