Summary:
- There are 8 total Kingdom Hearts games, and 3 one hour movies across 2 bundles and 2 games on PS Plus Extra.
- Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 +2.5 ReMIX is a bundle of 2 collections, one is built on KH1, and the other on KH2.
- 2.5 ReMIX comes with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded.
- 1.5 ReMIX comes with Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
- 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue comes with Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts X.
From an outside perspective, Kingdom Hearts looks like one of the most enjoyable RPG experiences ever. It’s made by the genre veteran Square Enix, and it combines insanely popular Final Fantasy characters with beloved Disney characters and their worlds. You can’t lose with that combination, right?
Well, the answer is a mixed bag. Some of my best gaming memories are with these titles. The only problem is that with some of the titles, they decided to take the story up too many notches. If you asked me to explain the series story in 5 minutes, I couldn’t do it. But it has some of the most memorable and flat-out extraordinary moments in gaming, so I can forgive the confusing story.
So if you have PlayStation Plus Premium and want to get into the series. Here’s our list of the games available on the service ranked from worst to best. Most games were re-released in bundles during the PS4 era, so we’ll rank them by bundle vs. each title.
Looking for other adventure games? Check out our PS Plus rankings for God of War, Uncharted, or Jak and Daxter.
What Kingdom Hearts Games are on PlayStation Plus Extra?
There are 8 total Kingdom Hearts games and 3 one hour movies across 2 bundles and 2 games on PS Plus Extra. Here are all the available games are broken down by bundles and single titles:
- KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 +2.5 ReMIX
- KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE
- KINGDOM HEARTS III
- KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory
What Kingdom Hearts Games are on PlayStation Plus Premium?
There are no additional Kingdom Hearts games on PS Plus Premium.
4: KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory
Melody of Memory breaks the franchises’ combat formula and gives fans an enjoyable guitar hero-style rhythm game. It comes packaged with most of the songs in the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack. The game’s story is a surface-level retelling of all the previous games’ plots up to Kingdom Hearts 3. It also gives a small tease of what’s coming.
If you want to get up to speed on the somewhat confusing Kingdom Hearts storyline and like music games, this is an excellent game. It will catch you up on Sora’s adventures while listening to the awesome soundtracks composed mainly by Yoko Shinomura. I’m putting it at number 4 on this list, not because it’s a bad game but because of its competition.
3: KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE
2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a collection of 2 games and a movie. It comes with Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts X.
I’m putting this collection at number three on this list mainly because of A Fragmentary Passage and how fun it is to play. The stories in this package have the three most confusing plots in the series. You could skip the whole collection if you’re not looking to soak up every inch of Kingdom Heart’s story. But if you want to see the deeper aspects of it, then give these a try.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
Dream Drop Distance was initially made for the 3DS, and it follows Sora and Riku on their way to becoming key blade masters. The story ends up being one of the more convoluted ones in the story, but it does help set up Kingdom Hearts 3.
Gameplay-wise, you get to partner with cute little pets called spirit dream eaters that help you fight their evil counterparts: dream eaters. They also introduced flowmotion combat, allowing you to use the environment to bounce off structures and perform high-up aerial attacks.
If you’re looking to play every game in the series and have full knowledge of the story, then definitely take the time to play this game. But if you’re not, I’d put this game on your skip list because getting into it can be overwhelming.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
Another prologue to KH3, a fragmentary passage, follows a protagonist from Birth by Sleep – Aqua. It’s quite a short game, only coming in at a round 3 hours for a playthrough, but it has the classic combat style and plays smoothly since it’s the second newest entry on this list.
This is the game to play out of all the games in 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. But if you don’t want to dive deep into the story, you’ll be fine without playing it.
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover
Overall, χ Back Cover isn’t as bad as you might expect from a one-hour movie based on a browser game. There are some enjoyable moments, especially when the Master of Masters talks enthusiastically about his clever plans.
However, the story presented here takes place long before the events of the main games. The only reason to watch Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover is if you’re really interested in the world’s background. Without gameplay or essential characters for the future, there’s no real reason to give this a look.
2: KINGDOM HEARTS III
Kingdom Hearts 3 surpasses the first Kingdom Hearts games with its incredible visuals. It is a visually stunning game that captures the essence of Disney and Pixar films. The attention to detail in the world is remarkable, making it one of the best video game adaptations of movies.
However, due to its design, the Kingdom Hearts series has encountered a challenge. The games often need help to connect the main story with the Disney worlds they feature. While the gameplay is enjoyable, it feels like you’re watching shortened versions of the movies they’re based on vs a new story. Meaningful story moments and exciting boss fights are scarce throughout most of the game, only becoming more prominent towards the end.
KH3 is worth the playthrough, especially since it was built for PS4, and the gameplay feels the smoothest out of all the games. But with its confusing and somewhat repetitive story, if you’ve seen the Disney movies, I’d put it lower on the list than Kingdom Hearts 2.
1: KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 +2.5 ReMIX
I’ll admit it, this list isn’t really fair when it comes to matching up games. 1.5 +2.5 ReMIX comes with way too many games not to put it on top of the list. If it only had Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 in it, it would still top the list since those titles are so strong. Here’s what comes in this mega bundle of games.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX
1.5 ReMIX is a collection of 2 games: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
These games are great to return to and see how the story started. Although the first game feels clunky, it is a straightforward introduction to the world.
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
This game started it all; the first Kingdom Hearts game opened up new possibilities. Square Enix combined their Final Fantasy franchise with popular Disney characters and worlds, a dream come true for most fans.
The game has the least confusing story in the franchise, so it’s unique. I have some gripes about how the game feels clunky in 2023, and some of the platforming segments are a bit frustrating. But the package is fantastic and a great start to this wacky, wild world of characters.
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
Chain of Memories is the second game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It has a different style of gameplay compared to the other games. Instead of free-flowing combat, it uses a card-based battle system where you have to use cards to fight in real time. It takes a little time to get the hang of it, but it’s profound once you start mastering it.
The story of Chain of Memories expands on the original quite a bit. It introduces many new characters and is Sora’s first encounter with Organization XIII. It also sets the stage for Kingdom Hearts 2. In addition to playing as Sora, you can control Riku and experience a separate storyline. There are no new worlds to explore compared to the first KH, and you must revisit the same worlds multiple times to complete both storylines. This can make playing the back-to-back game feel like a chore.
If you want to dabble a bit in the expanded storyline of Kingdom Hearts. But if you don’t want to get into the craziness, I’d recommend playing Chain of Memories.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Like X Back Cover, 358/2 Days was remade into a cinematic version for the PS4 without any gameplay. However, unlike X Back Cover, it has an exciting and vital story that helps you understand what happens in Kingdom Hearts 2. The only downside was that, for some reason, it was released after Kingdom Hearts 2.
In 358/2 Days, you play as Roxas and fight alongside members of Organization XIII instead of against them. Despite this, the characters and story of 358/2 Days are the best parts and the cutscene movie version still delivers an emotional experience.
If you’re gearing up to play Kingdom Hearts II and have an hour to kill, I’d highly recommend watching it before you get started to help fill in the story gaps.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.5 ReMIX
2.5 ReMIX, is a collection of 2 games: Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and a 1-hour film of all the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded.
In my opinion, this is the best overall package out of the three released so far. The games are delightful to play, and the stories are mostly excellent.
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Back in 2005, when this game was first released, it wasn’t received that well. However, it has been dramatically improved with lots of extra content and enhancements in the Final Mix version.
Although Kingdom Hearts 2 has its flaws, they can be easily ignored. The game has lovable characters that you can easily get attached to. It also features some of the best villains, and boss fights in the entire series. The combat system builds upon what was established in the first game and takes it to the next level. Many consider Kingdom Hearts 2 the best game in the series.
KH2 is my favorite game in the series, and it eliminates any tough-to-control platforming segments from the first game. Once it gets going, the story and worlds you visit are the best in the series. However, you do have to get past a lengthy introduction for it to get started.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
Birth by Sleep offers a captivating, emotional, and surprisingly dark story that differentiates it from other games. You get to play as three new characters and explore worlds that take place before the events of the other Kingdom Hearts games. This provides answers to some questions while raising new ones. The game also features one of the most touching scenes in the entire series.
While you revisit the same worlds in Birth by Sleep as you play through the stories of all three characters, the game manages to avoid repetition. It does this by taking you to different areas, having you fight various enemies, unlocking special abilities unique to each character, and gradually revealing more of the game’s heartfelt story.
Out of all the side stories in the KH series, this has to be the best overall game. If you want to play any games outside the main titles, this would be a great title.
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
Compared to other games in the series, Re:Coded has a less exciting story. It follows a digital version of Sora, who goes through the same events as the first game. The story doesn’t impact the overall series narrative much and feels unimportant.
Re:Coded was initially released in Japan as episodes before being remade for a wider audience on the DS. However, only the cutscenes from the game were included in the remastered PS4 collection. It becomes tiresome to watch without any gameplay to support the repetitive and uneventful story. It doesn’t meet the standards set by other Kingdom Hearts games.
I wouldn’t recommend watching this installment, but if you’re a completionist, then by all means, take an hour to re-watch the first game in a slightly different way.