Kingdom Hearts IV: New Platforms and Simultaneous Release

After four years of near silence, Square Enix has finally shown Kingdom Hearts IV again. The new gameplay trailer premiered during the Nintendo Direct on June 9, 2026, and revealed the most concrete news yet: confirmation of the platforms and a simultaneous release. The exact date, however, remains a closely guarded secret.

Simultaneous Release on All Major Platforms

The big headline from the Direct was the distribution strategy. According to the official announcement, Kingdom Hearts IV will launch simultaneously on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store/Xbox on PC).

The historic detail lies with the Switch 2: this is the first mainline game in the franchise to launch on a Nintendo console on release day. Until now, versions for Nintendo handhelds were limited to spin-offs and compilations. The promise of a unified multiplatform launch marks a clear shift in strategy for Square Enix, which historically staggered its releases.

No release date yet

Despite the new material, Square Enix has not announced a release date. The images shown in the Direct featured the watermark “development footage, subject to change,” a sign that the game is still in production. In September 2025, director Tetsuya Nomura stated that development was proceeding “on schedule.”

Please note: any mention of 2027 is speculation. Some media outlets and analysts are predicting this timeframe due to the series’ 25th anniversary in March 2027, but there is no official confirmation of the release schedule.

Quadratum and the “Lost Master” Arc

Kingdom Hearts IV kicks off the new narrative arc dubbed “Lost Master.” The story follows Sora, who is trapped in Quadratum, a realistic metropolis inspired by Tokyo, featuring fictional versions of neighborhoods like Shibuya and Minami-Aoyama. While Sora tries to understand this new world, Donald and Goofy set out to rescue him.

In addition to the classic trio, Square Enix has confirmed the return of Strelitzia, a Keyblade wielder from Kingdom Hearts Union X, and revealed that Mickey will be a playable character. The central theme revolves around the contrast between two worlds: the inhabitants of Sora’s original reality believe that Quadratum is fiction, and vice versa.

Gameplay Updates

The trailer highlighted elements already shown in previous reveals and showcased combat in action. Among the confirmed highlights are:

• Parkour-style movement and Keyblade transformations;

• Using the Keyblade as a sort of grappling hook for traversal;

• The return of the reaction commands from Kingdom Hearts II;

• A new mechanic called “scrap and build”;

• Moments that explore Sora’s daily life in the city.

Behind the scenes, the game is being developed by Square Enix’s Creative Studio I, running on Unreal Engine 5, with Nomura as director and Tai Yasue as co-director.

And a collection is on the way

To build anticipation, Square Enix also announced the Kingdom Hearts Collection [I–III] for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, set to launch on October 8, 2026. Pre-orders opened on the same day as the Direct, June 9. It’s the perfect chance for newcomers to get ready before diving into Quadratum.