Kingdom Hearts 4 release date estimate, trailer, and latest news

What is the Kingdom Hearts 4 release date? Few things in gaming inflict more suffering than a mainline Kingdom Hearts game release cycle, and we all instantly knew we were in for a long ride after seeing Sora awaken in Quadratum at the KH 20th Anniversary event. With the Dark Seeker Saga concluded, now begins The Lost Master arc.

There were initial hopes that Square's continuation with Unreal Engine, which it switched to mid-way through the development of Kingdom Hearts 3, would ensure there wouldn't be another huge gap between instalments of the dearly beloved RPG series. But, three years after Kingdom Hearts 4's announcement, we're still surviving on scraps. Read on for our latest KH4 release date estimate and what we know so far.

Kingdom Hearts 4 isn't expected to launch until April 2026 at the earliest. This estimate is based on Square Enix's current business plan, KH3's development time, and what we can glean from the available game snippets.

In May 2025, Square published its medium-term business plan to cover the next few years of its new 'reboot and awaken' strategy. Slide seven offers a general release structure for its projects, which, most notably, states new "major titles" won't be released until the beginning of the 2027 fiscal year (this runs from April 2026 until March 2027).

While yes, Square still plans to launch "multiple new titles" during the current fiscal year, a mainline Kingdom Hearts game, in our eyes, constitutes a 'major' release. Additionally, the total lack of trailers or other substantial information on KH4 in recent times strongly indicates it's still a ways off.

Kingdom Hearts 4 was initially revealed at the 2022 Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event. Based on the in-engine gameplay shown, it's clear the game had already been in development for some time at that point. The biggest clue for exactly how long comes from an October 2020 Famitsu interview with series mastermind Tetsuya Nomura.

During the interview, Nomura is asked about the series' future, to which he responds: "So… I'm looking to the 20th anniversary and doing my best (laughs). As for me, my mind has already switched to the next title, and the Kingdom Hearts team is already working on something new." As we now know, KH4 was the title in question, so we can assume it's been in the oven for around five years so far.

Interestingly, KH4 is well on course to surpass the five years KH3 took to make after Square switched from its proprietary Luminous Engine to Unreal Engine 4. KH3 felt rushed and suffered greatly for it, so it seems the devs are taking the necessary time to ensure the sequel doesn't tumble into the same pitfall. Yes, Square has had to shift KH4's production from UE4 to UE5, but the two engine switches aren't remotely comparable in scope.

All this to say, be patient and let Square cook.

Kingdom Hearts 4 trailers

The only Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer we have so far is the reveal shown at the April 2022 Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event. The trailer seemingly takes place soon after the conclusion of KH3, with Sora awakening on a couch in Quadratum.

Soon after, we're reintroduced to Strelitzia, someone Union Cross (RIP) players should be very familiar with. Like Sora, Strelitzia 'died' and came to Quadratum. There's some sense of juxtaposition here, as she tells Sora it's "a world full of life - but for you and I, it's similar to an 'afterworld'." Modeled on Shibuya, we can imagine the intersecting Jujutsu Kaisen fans will be desperately hoping to avoid an incident in Quadratum.

As their conversation ends, the scene switches to Sora engaging a huge Darkside that has appeared in the city, sending its denizens into a panicked frenzy. We get a quick look at the familiar UI elements from past games as Sora shows off some impressive mid-air parkour moves and magical new abilities.

The other big trailer moment arrives right at the end, as we find Donald and Goofy on the hunt for their lost comrade. Their search, it seems, has brought them to the Underworld, as they're jumped by a voice behind a blue glow that quickly shifts to a scorching orange. Though it's not confirmed to be Hades, the evidence is pretty conclusive.

Elsewhere in the trailer, we see a snippet of a lush forest, which has tentatively been identified as Star Wars' Endor. The inclusion of one of Disney's biggest properties wouldn't come as a shock.

Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay

Though we've seen very little from Kingdom Hearts 4 so far, there's already plenty to analyze. In the announcement trailer, perhaps the most significant new element we see is Sora utilizing the Keyblade's keychain as a chain hook, enabling him to zip to various parts of the environment. Considering the sheer scale and verticality of Quadratum, it makes sense that Square would add new ways to get around.

Of course, Sora has more than enough experience sprinting up the sides of skyscrapers, which we also see during the Darkside encounter. There are plenty of buildings flying about for Sora to navigate, which is redolent of the Xemnas fight in KH2.

In the announcement trailer, we see an EX bar above the MP and health bars. However, in the screenshot shared by Square in May 2025 (the one seen above), this bar has seemingly been moved above the HP bar. What's more, there are now arrows on either side of the 'Attack' button, implying cyclable commands or decks. The final UI element of note is the 'Build' command, which we'd presume allows Sora to manipulate Quadratum in some capacity.

The screenshot also shows Sora utilizing magical chains to get around, though this could easily just be an airborne ability animation. The Heartless below him look deceptively Sora-like in the way their 'hair' flicks out at the back, though this could just be a coincidence. (Note: Knowing Nomura, it's definitely not a coincidence.)

In the screenshot below, the other half of the May 2025 post, we get an updated look at Sora and Strelitzia, presumably now in their Unreal Engine 5 iterations. Mickey looks to be playable as he hops from chandelier to chandelier in a vast library - Mickey modders, your watch has ended. A major point of interest is the two lights descending towards the Darkside in the bottom left corner. We'd like to believe they're somehow connected to Terra (gold) and Aqua (blue), but we'll see.

Kingdom Hearts 4 news

Since its 2022 announcement, Kingdom Hearts 4 news has surfaced in dribs and drabs, with entire years going by without so much as a whisper. In this industry, no news is typically good news, and Square has recently shown signs of life.

In May 2025, the Kingdom Hearts Twitter account sprang to life, sharing a collage of screengrabs from the game. "We're currently working hard on Kingdom Hearts 4 and will continue pouring ourselves into the game's development," the post reads.

"We're dedicated to making this an experience that lives up to your expectations! We've seen how excited you are, and we are truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts. We are equally excited and can't wait to share more about Kingdom Hearts 4 when the time is right. Until then, we appreciate your patience." Many hoped this would prompt a new trailer at Summer Game Fest, but alas, nothing.

During the 20th Anniversary celebrations, a Famitsu interview with Nomura was translated on Twitter. Here we learn more about Quadratum's role as Sora's base at the start of the game, and how Sora's world is perceived by its inhabitants. KH2's reaction commands were also confirmed to be back, manifesting as the 'scrap and build' system we allude to in our gameplay section.

The 'male narrator' mentioned in the interview later transpired to be Union X's Sigurd. His identity was revealed via a secret message left during the 20th Anniversary.

And that's everything we know about Kingdom Hearts 4 so far. While the long wait for Sora and the gang's next adventure continues, check out some of the exciting upcoming PC games that will arrive this year.