Everything we know about Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts IV

Kingdom Hearts 3 left fans with more questions than it answered, especially in terms of the fate of the series’ protagonist Sora. After three years of waiting, we finally know Kingdom Hearts 4 is on the way, kicking off a brand new narrative known as the “Lost Masters Arc.”

There’s a lot to dig into, from a brand new look for Sora to the mysterious world known as Quadratum. Kingdom Hearts has always been known for its remarkably dense storytelling and lore, and that certainly doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.

Here’s everything we know about Kingdom Hearts 4.

When will Kingdom Hearts 4 come out?

Kingdom Hearts 4 was first revealed during the series' 20th-anniversary event in Japan on April 10, 2022. Unfortunately, the reveal didn’t have any kind of release window whatsoever, and that means we’re likely still quite a ways off.

Square Enix has a wealth of projects currently in the works, including Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2, Dragon Quest XII, and Star Ocean: The Divine Force. It’s unlikely we’ll see Kingdom Hearts 4 until at least Final Fantasy XVI and Remake Part 2 are released, and we still don’t have a release window for either of those projects.

This is pure speculation at this point, but we don’t expect to get our hands on Kingdom Hearts 4 until early 2024 at the earliest.

Is there a Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer?

Kingdom Hearts 4 was revealed on April 10, 2022 with a short trailer that provides plenty of lore details and a look at Sora’s fresh new look. Most of the trailer takes place in a world called Quadratum, which is essentially a fictional world featured in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Quadratum looks exactly like modern-day Tokyo, and Sora’s new more realistic design matches the world, likely because of his magical clothing.

The trailer was shown alongside two other announcements. The first was an August 2022 release date for Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road, a mobile spinoff focusing on Xehanort. The second is a brand new mobile game called Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link.

What new worlds will be in Kingdom Hearts IV?

Outside of Quadratum, there are no other worlds officially confirmed for Kingdom Hearts 4. However, there are a few big hints in the reveal trailer. One especially strange section of the trailer stands out, showing a dense forest that contrasts starkly with the concrete jungle of Quadratum.

Eagle-eyed fans think they’ve spotted a foot in this section that looks like an AT-ST from Star Wars, which opens the door to some truly wild crossover potential. Donald and Goofy searching for Hades likely means that Hercules will, once again, be included in some capacity.

Past that, we don’t know any other worlds that could be featured, although there are plenty of new animated films that could appear like Moana, Encanto, Turning Red, and more. There’s also the larger question of if any characters from Disney’s Marvel universe will appear.

What is the plot of Kingdom Hearts IV?

[Spoilers ahead for Kingdom Hearts III's Re Mind DLC]

Kingdom Hearts 4’s trailer shows Sora waking up in Quadratum and meeting Strelitzia, a prominent character featured in Kingdom Hearts Union X. Strelitzia is one of the leaders of a Union after the First Keyblade War, and she’s also a member of the Dandelions to succeed the Foretellers. In the mobile game, she’s about to tell the player the truth of the world when she’s killed by a mysterious figure. It’s not clear why Strelitzia is in Quadratum, but she tells Sora he’s been asleep for seven days since he appeared in the city.

Our first look at KH4 could also imply some kind of crossover with The World Ends With You universe. Sora has entered Shibuya multiple times thus far, and each time he does, the viewer is shown Shibuya’s 104 building, a structure located only in The World Ends With You-verse.

From Re Mind’s secret ending, we can assume a few things about what could happen in Kingdom Hearts 4.

Firstly, the Master of Masters will play a much larger role, as will the remaining members of Organization XIII. The secret ending of ReMind revealed that Luxord is somehow involved with the Master of Masters, an enigmatic and seemingly ancient character who may have been pulling the strings all along, making him an even bigger bad than Xehanort. The trailer shows two cloaked figures that are likely the Master of Master and his apprentice Luxu, who’s now confirmed to be Xigbar.

The final shot of the trailer shows Donald and Goofy roaming through darkness in search of someone, who seems to be Hades. The duo could be searching for Hades due to his expertise on the underworld and afterlife, perhaps to learn how to bring Sora back. This seems especially likely since during the trailer, referencing Quadratum Strelitzia tells Sora “But for you and I, it’s similar to an ‘afterworld,’ I suppose.”

What will Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay be like?

Kingdom Hearts 4’s trailer gave a brief glimpse at what we can expect from gameplay, but it seems like it's still at the conceptual stage. All of the major elements are there, Sora still has an HP, MP, and EX gauge. There’s a command menu on the left side of the screen and interestingly there’s a new command there called “Build.” Sora seems to be using a lot of parkour instead of the Flowmotion of past games, as he may not have access to that ability anymore.

There are two other abilities we see, the first of which is a brand new grappling hook-style ability that Sora uses to launch himself around the area. The second is some kind of energy drill that looks very similar to the Drill Punch Form the Toy Story Keyblade had in Kingdom Hearts 3. Past those little details, it’s clear Kingdom Hearts 4 will retain a heavy action focus, but we don’t know much else.

Just Lunning and Corey Plante contributed reporting to previous versions of this article.