Square Enix confirmed at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event that Kingdom Hearts IV is launching in late 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. The announcement came alongside a new trailer revealing Pixar's Coco as the game's first confirmed Disney world, plus the surprise reveal of an original Kingdom Hearts anime series.
Sora hits the Land of the Dead
The D23 trailer drops Sora straight into Coco's Land of the Dead, the marigold-lit afterlife from Pixar's 2017 film. He shows up with skull face paint, a Keyblade styled after the movie's imagery, and a full set of Heartless to fight through. Benjamin Bratt is confirmed to reprise his role as Ernesto de la Cruz, which is a genuinely good get for a world built around music and performance.
Here's the thing: Coco actually makes a lot of sense as a Kingdom Hearts world. The film's themes around memory, family, and music being passed down across generations map directly onto what the series has been doing emotionally since the first game. Fans reacting to the reveal seem to agree.
The extended version of the trailer, which runs about 2 minutes and 30 seconds longer than the initial cut, also adds new footage of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in action. The trio are shown searching the Underworld for a way to reach Sora, and that search puts them in contact with Hades from Hercules.
Where Quadratum fits in
The trailer also returns to Quadratum, the photorealistic city setting introduced in earlier footage. Sora is trapped there, dealing with a new wave of Heartless while his friends work from the other side to find him. The footage shows him grappling across buildings, running up walls, and launching midair attacks through the city environment.
Kingdom Hearts IV kicks off the Lost Master Arc, a new narrative chapter for the series after Kingdom Hearts III spent years wrapping up the Dark Seeker Saga. The earlier ports and updates for the existing games, released across platforms including Nintendo Switch 2 earlier this year, were clearly designed to get new players caught up before this one lands.
An anime series is also coming
D23 brought one more announcement: an original Kingdom Hearts anime series is in development for Disney Channel and Disney+, built in collaboration with Nomura and the Square Enix creative team. It's described as a new story set within the existing Kingdom Hearts universe rather than a direct retelling of the games, though details beyond that are sparse for now.
For a franchise that spent most of the past four years in near-silence after the 2022 announcement, this D23 was a substantial course correction. A confirmed release window, a marquee new world, a firm denial of delay fears from both directors, and a whole anime series on top of it.
If you want to get ready before late 2027, the Kingdom Hearts IV guides hub is the place to start building your knowledge of the lore and mechanics ahead of launch.
