Credit: Square Enix
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Kingdom Hearts finally gets native Nintendo versions after four years
October 8, 2026·3 min read
Square Enix's new Switch 2 collection lets Nintendo players run the main Kingdom Hearts games locally after four years of cloud streaming.
The main Kingdom Hearts games are finally running natively on Nintendo hardware. Square Enix has released Kingdom Hearts Collection [I–III] for Nintendo Switch 2 on October 8, replacing the cloud-only approach that brought the series to the original Switch in 2022.
The collection includes Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind. Each collection can also be purchased separately on Switch 2.
Switch players previously had to rely on cloud streaming
Square Enix first brought the main Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch on February 10, 2022. Instead of running the games directly on the console, however, all three collections were released as cloud versions.
That meant players needed a reliable internet connection even for the single-player games. Performance also depended on connection quality because much of the processing happened remotely rather than on the Switch itself.
The new Switch 2 releases remove that requirement by running natively on Nintendo's hardware. Players can now take the games offline and play them without depending on Square Enix's cloud-streaming service.
The collection covers Sora's story through Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX includes six games and cinematic collections from the earlier part of the series. Among them are Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re of Memories.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue adds Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage and the χ Back Cover movie. The final collection includes Kingdom Hearts III and its Re Mind expansion.
Switch 2 players who buy the collection also receive the platform-exclusive Long Night Keyblade for use in Kingdom Hearts III.
Cloud version owners get a discount
Square Enix is giving existing Nintendo players a cheaper path to the native releases. Anyone who owns the individual Kingdom Hearts cloud versions or the complete Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece for Cloud can receive a 50% discount on the corresponding Switch 2 versions.
Save progress from the Switch releases can also be transferred to the Switch 2 versions. However, save files created in the native Switch 2 editions cannot be transferred back to the original Switch versions.
The native games require considerably more local storage than their cloud counterparts. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX alone has an estimated 54.2 GB file size, while HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue requires about 26.9 GB.
Kingdom Hearts IV is also heading to Switch 2
The native collection arrives before the next main entry in the series. Square Enix confirmed earlier this year that is also being developed for Nintendo Switch 2 alongside other platforms.
A release date for Kingdom Hearts IV has not yet been announced. Until then, Kingdom Hearts Collection [I–III] gives Nintendo players a native way to revisit Sora's story after four years of having only cloud-streamed versions on Switch.
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts brings back the gameplay elements featured in the original Kingdom Hearts, though it was developed exclusively for V Cast, Verizon Wireless's broadband services. Sora moves similar to a tank, with one button on the control pad moving him forward, another moving him
Released
October 1, 2004
Developer
Superscape
Publisher
Disney Mobile
Tagged In
Kingdom HeartsNintendo Switch 2Square Enix
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