what order do i play the games

[Wenda]

the numbers are really confusing

[Gokuzu]

I've created a guide with the correct order to follow, so you can enjoy all the games without worrying about missing anything:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3267063835

[Terminus]

This thread made me remove all 3 games from my cart.

[Vallard]

Originally posted by Gokuzu:

I've created a guide with the correct order to follow, so you can enjoy all the games without worrying about missing anything:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3267063835

This is the guy I referenced when posting my first reply. Couldnt link his guide at the time but included your name for credit.

[Iron Maiden]

Chronological for the story, do not listen to the numpties that say game order. Always play a game series is story order if the release order does coincide with it.

[Mustachious]

Use Gokuzu's guide in the guides section if you want the most cohesive and intended play order. The order in the menu does have at least one error (358/2 days comes before KH2 when it should be watched AFTER KH2)

[Vallard]

I feel bad for OP he came here for a simple answer and got a flame war.
If you want to play the games in the developer intended order follow Gokuzu's guide thats been linked a few times.
If you want an easier intro to the series that lets you learn without spoilers in a game with much better controls than KH1 start with birth by sleep then go in Gokuzu's order.

If you don't like Rechain (a lot of people dont) Dont feel bad about skipping it. it gives a bit of backstory on a few characters and youll be a little confused starting KH2 but Sora, Donald, and goofy enter that game similarly confused so it works out.

[Elvick]

Originally posted by Vallard:

Seeing as most of the actual characters in the game have no idea what happened in Cast Oblivion its fine to skip it (as a kid I was limited to the god awful GBA port of chain and understandably never beat it)

"port"

opinion discarded.

Originally posted by Mustachious:

Use Gokuzu's guide in the guides section if you want the most cohesive and intended play order. The order in the menu does have at least one error (358/2 days comes before KH2 when it should be watched AFTER KH2)

Shouldn't watch it, you should obtain a copy of the game itself and play it. The "movie" version is terrible and does a disservice to the plot.

[Apocryphox]

Originally posted by Seb | セビ:

Originally posted by Apocryphox:

The chronological order to understand the story is following:

1. [chi] Back Cover (2.8)
2. Birth by Sleep (1.5+2.5)
3. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (1.5+2.5)
4. Re:Chain of Memories (1.5+2.5)
5. 358/2 Days (1.5+2.5)
6. Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix (1.5+2.5)
7. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (1.5+2.5)
8. Dream Drop Distance (2.8)
9. 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage (2.8)
10. Kingdom Hearts 3
11. Re:Mind (KH3 DLC)

this is complete madness and wrong, lol. no one should play the series in chronological order

You have absolutely no right to decide how people should or should not play something. They either accept the players' tips or not and this order is the chronologically correct order for new players to understand the story, many websites and videos proof that. Whether you like it or not. Please stop creating uncertainty with your strange posts. The claim that you should play the games in release order to understand the story is pure bs because many parts are prequels. I also don't understand why so many people here tell such bs and sometimes number the games in a completely absurd way. Why should "358/2 days" be played AFTER Kingdom Hearts 2 if it makes no sense at all in terms of plot? 358/2 days provides essential background information and character development that significantly enhances the understanding and emotional depth of the main story in KH2. The game delves into the dynamics within Organization XIII, especially the relationships between Roxas, Axel, and Xion. This knowledge makes the interactions in KH2 more meaningful.
The only thing I would understand is if you should play 0.2 after BBS. But it's actually completely irrelevant, since 0.2 (speaken of the the time period) covers almost the entire series and takes place between Kingdom Hearts 1 and Kingdom Hearts 3.

[Mustachious]

Originally posted by Elvick:

Originally posted by Vallard:

Seeing as most of the actual characters in the game have no idea what happened in Cast Oblivion its fine to skip it (as a kid I was limited to the god awful GBA port of chain and understandably never beat it)

"port"

opinion discarded.

Originally posted by Mustachious:

Use Gokuzu's guide in the guides section if you want the most cohesive and intended play order. The order in the menu does have at least one error (358/2 days comes before KH2 when it should be watched AFTER KH2)

Shouldn't watch it, you should obtain a copy of the game itself and play it. The "movie" version is terrible and does a disservice to the plot.

Yeah I agree with finding a copy of 358 tbh, my point was just that the menu order is wrong.

[Wenda]

Originally posted by Vallard:

I feel bad for OP he came here for a simple answer and got a flame war.
If you want to play the games in the developer intended order follow Gokuzu's guide thats been linked a few times.
If you want an easier intro to the series that lets you learn without spoilers in a game with much better controls than KH1 start with birth by sleep then go in Gokuzu's order.

If you don't like Rechain (a lot of people dont) Dont feel bad about skipping it. it gives a bit of backstory on a few characters and youll be a little confused starting KH2 but Sora, Donald, and goofy enter that game similarly confused so it works out.

honestly im used to it. it is steam. thanks tho

[Slimurgical (Stormy)]

Originally posted by Seb | セビ:

Originally posted by Cam:

I personally think that the story of Kingdom Hearts 2 benefits tremendously from not having played Chain of Memories.

I recommend playing 1 and then 2, and then Chain of Memories after (or at least watch the cutscenes on youtube, I kinda hate Chain of Memories as a game), then BBS. As for the two cutscene collections I'd watch the 358/2 days cutscenes after playing at least some of KH2, and then as for the re:coded cutscenes I have no idea because I never watched them. I don't think it's impacted my understanding of the story long-term lol.

dont make it more complicated than it is. release order is the way to go here

No. The question of "what order do I play" is in order of making the lore the least confusing. You don't watch Age of Ultron then Infinity War and Endgame, Then Avengers 1. It's why the Star Wars "Prequels" were also disliked because nobody was expecting prequels, they expected sequels and the prequels which are structures like prequels and carried like prequels were not sequels.

That order, for the purposes of getting all the relevant story beats in order of temporal significance, is The order to do it in. Doing it by Release Date is dumb because release date doesn't matter outside of semantics or a debate about gaming technology, and when people typically first played a game. objectively-speaking for a newbie to an established series, release date is the least relevant piece of data in existence. Chronological is the only metric that matters because you don't go into an RPG for gameplay, you go for story and enjoy whatever crumbs of gameplay you get. Proof: Everyone who likes playing Gacha like Wuthering Waves out outside of being hornt golems who might also be cashing in on the trends like a cleaner fish with less symbiosis involved.

[Drake Platinum THE WORLD]

Originally posted by Seb | セビ:

Originally posted by Apocryphox:

The chronological order to understand the story is following:

1. [chi] Back Cover (2.8)
2. Birth by Sleep (1.5+2.5)
3. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (1.5+2.5)
4. Re:Chain of Memories (1.5+2.5)
5. 358/2 Days (1.5+2.5)
6. Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix (1.5+2.5)
7. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (1.5+2.5)
8. Dream Drop Distance (2.8)
9. 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage (2.8)
10. Kingdom Hearts 3
11. Re:Mind (KH3 DLC)

this is complete madness and wrong, lol. no one should play the series in chronological order

It is definitely the better way to experience the story if you have a brain.

[Toasty]

Originally posted by Drake Platinum THE WORLD:

Originally posted by Seb | セビ:

this is complete madness and wrong, lol. no one should play the series in chronological order

It is definitely the better way to experience the story if you have a brain.

It'd be an utterly deranged way to experience the story. Back Cover would be an absolutely awful opener to the series, BBS would be a confusing cliffhanger full of random characters you don't know, and KH2 would be an underwhelming followup to 358/2 Days.

[Drake Platinum THE WORLD]

Originally posted by Toasty:

Originally posted by Drake Platinum THE WORLD:

It is definitely the better way to experience the story if you have a brain.

It'd be an utterly deranged way to experience the story. Back Cover would be an absolutely awful opener to the series, BBS would be a confusing cliffhanger full of random characters you don't know, and KH2 would be an underwhelming followup to 358/2 Days.

You couldn't be more wrong. It actually makes the series even more tragic since you get context on Terra, Ventus & Aqua so early. Your logic on BBS makes no sense regardless considering you aren't going to know anybody in KH1 either since its the first game. Everybody is going to be "random characters". Back cover is also a solid beginning since its literally a backdrop to everything that happens and foreshadows quite a bit.

[Toasty]

Originally posted by Drake Platinum THE WORLD:

You couldn't be more wrong. It actually makes the series even more tragic since you get context on Terra, Ventus & Aqua so early. Your logic on BBS makes no sense regardless considering you aren't going to know anybody in KH1 either since its the first game. Everybody is going to be "random characters". Back cover is also a solid beginning since its literally a backdrop to everything that happens and foreshadows quite a bit.

BBS doesn't actually introduce you to any of the characters from previous games. It's assumed you already know who they are. If you don't, then they're just random characters that appear with little plot relevance.

BBS was made after KH2. It's literally the 6th entry in the series. You're not meant to play it before the first.