Kingdom Hearts IV arrives late 2027, and the new trailer reveals a Coco world

Square Enix used this year's D23 event in Anaheim, California, to show a fresh Kingdom Hearts IV trailer and confirm the game's release window: late 2027. The timing lines up neatly with the franchise's 25th anniversary, which falls next year.

The new footage confirms that the world of Coco — Pixar's 2017 film inspired by Mexico's Day of the Dead tradition — will appear in Kingdom Hearts IV. The Japanese publisher also shared a story overview: Sora wakes up in the strange realm of Quadratum and searches for a way back to his original world, while his companions Donald and Goofy head into the Underworld looking for clues about his whereabouts.

Combat is described as fast-paced, letting players blend attacks and magic seamlessly and chain combos through a new battle feature. The Keyblade Sora wields can be switched mid-fight to unleash distinct attacks, so players can tune the rhythm of battle to their own strategies and play style.

Kingdom Hearts IV was first announced in April 2022 during the series' 20th-anniversary celebration, kicking off a new storyline called the Lost Master Arc. The game is set roughly a year after the events of Kingdom Hearts III. Sora awakens in Quadratum — a large, realistic city inspired by Tokyo's Shibuya and Minami-Aoyama districts — after using the Power of Waking to save Kairi. There he reunites with Strelitzia, a Keyblade wielder tied to the new arc's mysteries.