Square Enix and Disney gave “Kingdom Hearts IV” a release window of late 2027 during a D23 panel on Saturday, along with a first look at the game’s next Disney and Pixar world.
The new trailer confirmed that Sora, the series’ longtime hero, will travel to the world of “Coco” for his next adventure. It is the first Pixar setting built for the mainline series since Disney and Square Enix began folding in Pixar characters and worlds.
The “Deep Dive Into Kingdom Hearts” panel ran Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. ET as part of D23, which continues through August 16 in Anaheim. Voice actors including Haley Joel Osment, who has played Sora since the original 2002 game, joined the discussion.
Square Enix also showed a behind-the-scenes look at development, giving fans a rare glimpse of how the team builds the game’s blend of Disney worlds and original story. The panel marked the franchise’s biggest update in roughly four years, according to Collider’s coverage of the event.
“Kingdom Hearts IV” is open for wishlisting now on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, giving players a way to signal interest ahead of a firm release date. Square Enix has not yet announced pricing or a specific release month.
The series began in 2002 as a crossover between Disney characters and Square Enix’s original “Final Fantasy” universe. It has built a following that spans more than two decades. Saturday’s reveal gives that audience its clearest sense yet of when the next chapter will actually arrive.
Disney and Square Enix also confirmed an animated series tied to the game is coming to Disney+, expanding the franchise beyond games for the first time in this way. Executives did not give a premiere date for the show during Saturday’s panel. The D23 reveal caps a summer of steady teasers for the long-awaited sequel, which follows 2019’s “Kingdom Hearts III.”
