Kingdom Hearts 4 will be released in 2027 according to retail listings

The bigger closer at Tuesday's Nintendo Direct might have been the Ocarina of Time remake, but many of you were more excited to be shown our first look at Kingdom Hearts 4 in years. The only downside is that there's still no release date attached.

The first new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 since 2022 came after it was revealed that the collections that will allow Kingdom Hearts fans to play the entire series are coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. It's the retail listings for these collections that have given us the best indication yet of exactly when we might finally be able to play the next chapter of Sora's story.

Kingdom Hearts 4 could be here next year

Spotted by Kingdom Hearts Insider, two Australian retailers using the same seemingly officially written product descriptions for the Kingdom Hearts 1-3 collection mention the release of Kingdom Hearts 4 in 2027. “Play the entire Kingdom Hearts series in one comprehensive package before Kingdom Hearts 4 releases in 2027,” reads the end of the product listing.

The entire Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy will be out before we get Kingdom Hearts 4

We actually had a full release of the game and another was announced without getting a second trailer for KH4.

No, it's not so accurate that you can now block off your calendars and reserve time off work ready for the next game to arrive, but it's something. Also a very promising thing. After years of waiting for something, anything more about what the game looks like and when it might arrive, the potential reveal that it might just be a year away will be music to the ears of Kingdom Hearts fans.

Don't count on it until Square says so

Don't take this as definitive proof that we'll definitely be playing Kingdom Hearts 4 this time next year, or at least this time in 18 months. Until Square Enix confirms that the game will be ready and released in 2027, nothing is certain. Even in this case, there is always the possibility that the game will be delayed.

Then again, while it wasn't much, what we were shown in the latest trailer looked like the game could be pretty close to ready if you ask me. It wasn't just cinematics or cutscenes – it was gameplay and combat, and lots of it. My only concern is that we haven't shown much outside of that area and that there is still a distinct lack of Disney characters. They'll be there, of course, but I'd like to see them appear alongside this new, much more human Sora.

I'd also like to see Ocarina's Hyrule redone, but just sleepy Link for now, I guess.

If Kingdom Hearts 4 really is until 2027, it's probably safe to assume that it will be later that year. Not only because Square still hasn't officially confirmed the release window, but also because Square's early part of the year belongs to Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.