After a long period of radio silence, Square Enix showed a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV during today’s Nintendo Direct—and confirmed the rest of the series is coming to the Switch 2 (properly) this fall.
Kingdom Hearts IV was initially announced back in April 2022, during a celebration for the series’ 20th anniversary, but has been missing in action ever since. Director Tetsuya Nomura mentioned back in November that his team was “making great progress on the game” but couldn’t say more.
That has all changed now, as the new trailer gives us a better look at Kingdom Hearts IV‘s new, realistic look and expands on the reveal trailer’s scene. A figure dressed in an Organization XIII robe laments that “at first, there were no manifestations of what we know as light and darkness” in this Shibuya-like world, “but our arrival here brought those concepts with us.” All the while, the giant shadowy monster from the previous trailer emerges and threatens to rampage.
Protagonist Sora is then shown using the Keyblade’s chain to sling around the monster as part of what appears to be a huge, multi-phase fight. We also see him in battle footage, taking on Heartless monsters with large, shield-like forearms, using the chains as projectiles, binding the monsters, and even surfing on a wave of them.
The trailer confirms that Kingdom Hearts IV will be available at launch on Nintendo Switch 2, but does not elaborate on when that launch will be. This follows on Square Enix’s recent recommitment to multiplatform development; the newly announced Final Fantasy VII Revelation will also be a day one launch for the Nintendo Switch 2.
In the meantime, Square Enix also announced a new collection of the previous games, and this time they’ll be native versions for Nintendo—unlike the previous, ill-received Cloud Edition released in 2022. Kingdom Hearts I-III Collection will include Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Heart HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC) for “the definitive way to experience the beloved franchise.”
The collection’s announcement follows the stealthy removal of the Cloud Editions’ demos from the eShop in North America and Japan a few weeks prior. Those who did purchase the prior edition will need to shell out for the new—albeit at an unspecified discount—but can at least transfer their save data. A demo for Kingdom Hearts III will be available later today.
With no further ETA for Kingdom Hearts IV, fans and newcomers will have plenty of time to catch up. In the meantime, the new trailer offers an exciting proof-of-life for the long-awaited sequel, which will begin a new story arc dubbed “The Lost Master Saga.”
Kingdom Hearts IV is currently in development for all platforms. Kingdom Hearts I-III Collection will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC, and XBOX Series X|S on October 8, 2026.
