- Primary Subject: Kingdom Hearts 4 and Series Recap
- Key Update: Officially announced during the June 2026 Nintendo Direct, the upcoming installment will take place in the Tokyo-inspired unreality of Quadratum as Sora fights off a new darkness while Donald and Goofy search for him.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: June 17, 2026
- Quick Answer: Kingdom Hearts 4 directly connects to previous games, but this quick recap of KH1-3 covers the essential lore you need to dive right in.
During the June 2026 Nintendo Direct, it was officially announced that we’re getting Kingdom Hearts 4.
For Kingdom Hearts fans, this has been a long time coming. After all, Kingdom Hearts 3 came out in 2019. However, if you’re interested in jumping into the series with the fourth entry, you’ll be going in blind, as the upcoming game directly correlates to previous installments.
Whether you’ve played before and just need a recap, or you’re a franchise newbie who wants the lowdown, here’s an overview of Sora’s story so far and what to expect in Kingdom Hearts 4.
Kingdom Hearts 1
Sora and his best friends, Riku and Kairi, build a raft to explore other worlds away from his home world of Destiny Islands. Their plans are ruined when a storm of darkness destroys their home during the day of their planned voyage. Riku vanished into the dark, Kairi lost her heart and fell into a coma, and Sora mysteriously obtained a key-shaped weapon called the Keyblade, a weapon effective against the Heartless.
Credit: Square Enix
Sora wakes up in Traverse Town, a refuge for people whose worlds have been destroyed. He meets the Royal Magician Donald Duck and the Captain of the Royal Guard Goofy. Both belong to the Disney Castle. Donald and Goofy are on a mission from King Mickey to find the «key» that will protect the world from the looming darkness. Together, the trio travels across different Disney settings to seal the «keyholes» of the realms, protecting them from the Heartless.
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Soon, they discover Maleficent and other Disney villains capture the seven Princesses of Heart, who are pure souls untouched by darkness. Kairi is one of them. They are kidnapped to open the doorway to the Kingdom Hearts, which is the source of all light and power. Though Maleficent is seen leading the villains, their true mastermind is revealed to be Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Ansem possesses Riku, who is brainwashed and manipulated by Maleficent.
During a confrontation at Hollow Bastion, Sora discovers Kairi’s heart has been hiding in his body the whole time. To save her, Sora uses the Keyblade on himself to release his heart, briefly transforming him into a Heartless before Kairi’s heart restores his humanity. Sora defeats Ansem at the End of the World. To prevent the darkness of Kingdom Hearts from spilling out, Sora and King Mickey decide to seal the door from both sides. Mickey and Riku are trapped on the inside, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy are on the outside.
They resolve to find Riku and Mickey.
Kingdom Hearts 2
Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been asleep for a whole year to regain their lost memories. We are introduced to a boy named Roxas, Sora’s Nobody — an empty, physical shell left behind when Sora briefly turned into a Heartless. Roxas holds a piece of Sora’s soul, and for the latter to wake up, the two must fuse.
Credit: Square Enix
Roxas is trapped in a simulation of Twilight Town created by DiZ to merge him and Sora. DiZ’s plans are turned upside down after it is threatened by Nobodies led by Axel. They infiltrate the town to extract Roxas, but he is able to repel them. He fuses with Sora, allowing all three to wake up from their slumber. They meet up with King Mickey and Yen Sid, and are instructed to find Riku and uncover the Organization XIII’s plans.
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During a visit to Hollow Bastion, it’s revealed that the Heartless Ansem they defeated is actually an imposter named Xehanort. His Nobody, Xemnas, is the Organization’s leader. The Organization’s goal is to force Sora to use his Keyblade to destroy every Heartless, as every Heartless killed releases a captive heart. The Organization plans to construct an artificial Kingdom Hearts so they can regain human souls. They reveal they have held Kairi hostage to try to get Sora to comply with their plans.
In the World that Never Was, Sora, Donald, and Goofy fight their way to the Organization’s stronghold. They reunite with Kairi and Riku, with the latter having mastered his inner darkness. Together, Sora and Riku defeat Xemnas and break up the Organization. The friends return home to Destiny Islands, believing the fight against darkness has come to an end.
Kingdom Hearts 3
Well, it didn’t come to an end. It’s revealed that by destroying a person’s Heartless and their Nobody triggers a complete reconstitution of the original person. By destroying both Ansem and Xemnas, Master Xehanort — the ancient Keyblade Master who started the conflict in the first place — has returned.
Credit: Square Enix
Master Xehanort’s goal is to spark a second Keyblade War. He forms the real Organization XIII by assembling the 13 Vessels of Darkness. To counter him, Sora and his friends need to protect the Princesses of Heart by assembling the 7 Guardians of Light.
Sora, along with Goofy and Donald, travels Disney worlds to perfect the «power of waking,» a Keyblade ability that allows the wielder to traverse hearts and restore lost souls. Riku and King Mickey journey into the Realm of Darkness to rescue Aqua, a legendary Keyblade Master. By saving Aqua, they are also able to save her old comrades, Ventus and Terra.
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The Keyblade War erupts at the Keyblade Graveyard. An intense battle erupts, where legendary heroes are ultimately restored. Master Xehanort kills Kairi in front of Sora, successfully forging the ultimate Keyblade called the X-Blade. With the X-Blade, Xehanort is able to unlock Kingdom Hearts.
To stop him, Sora, Donald, and Goofy transport him to his childhood home of Scala ad Caelum. There, they are able to defeat him. The spirit of Xehanort’s former friend, Master Eraqus, convinces Xehanort to let go and move on to the afterlife.
However, Kairi is still gone. Unable to accept her death, Sora abuses the Power of Waking, rewriting reality to bring back Kairi from death. He succeeds, but by breaking nature’s laws, Sora fades out of existence.
Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 4 takes place in Quadratum, a modern city inspired by Tokyo. The trailer featured a fictionalized version of Shibuya and Minami-Aoyama. This world has completely different rules, where light and darkness do not naturally exist in people’s hearts.
Credit: Square Enix
However, the arrival of otherworldly figures brings the Darkness to Quadratum. The darkness manifests as creatures, wreaking havoc on the streets. Sora, who has adapted to living an everyday life in the city, finds himself fighting to protect this world. A threat is looming on the horizon, with the trailer hinting at past battles and alternate timelines.
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While Sora lives in Quadratum, Donald and Goofy are frantically looking for him. They confront characters like Hades in the Underworld to help locate, find, or navigate to where Sora is.
Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature Sora uncovering the darkness that is looming in this unreality, as well as Donald and Goofy’s venture into bringing Sora back to the Destiny Islands.
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