Polygon’s recent piece on the Final Fantasy VII Revelation reshuffle hinted at why Kingdom Hearts 4 fans are still in the dark: Square Enix is realigning its tentpole properties before the next big swing. The wait isn’t ending soon, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind on Steam is the only mainline KH game on PC right now. Replaying the same Disney worlds for the third time isn’t a real plan.
We tested seven Kingdom Hearts alternatives on Windows that share its DNA: real-time action combat, party companions, big-emotion storytelling, and the JRPG bones underneath. The list runs from direct Square Enix lineage to Tales-style party action, with one Falcom outlier that hits the snappy-combat note Kingdom Hearts III had at its best.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Cost | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | Square Enix action-RPG with party combat | Around $70 | Synergy abilities between party members |
| Tales of Arise | Anime party action combat | Around $60 | Real-time party with skits and bonds |
| Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom | Studio Ghibli-flavoured action-RPG | Around $50 | Kingdom-building meta layer |
| Granblue Fantasy Relink | Modern Disney-style party action | Around $60 | Four-player co-op with chain bursts |
| Star Ocean The Divine Force | Sci-fi JRPG with airborne combat | Around $60 | DUMA flight mid-fight |
| Trials of Mana | Classic-feel action-RPG | Around $50 | Six-character party trees |
| Ys IX Monstrum Nox | Fast solo action-RPG | Around $60 | High-speed gift system traversal |
Why “what should I play after Kingdom Hearts III” keeps trending
The community signal on r/KingdomHearts and the Steam discussions:
- Sora’s flowmotion + Keyblade transformations + party magic is a specific combo. Pure hack-and-slash misses the rhythm
- Tetsuya Nomura’s character design taste sets a high bar. Generic anime stylings don’t satisfy
- The Disney/Pixar world-hopping structure is unique. Most JRPGs are single-world
- The Square Enix lineage matters. Players want story scale and music quality at that level
- Mainline KH games are 30+ hours each. Players want a real investment, not a side bite
Each pick below addresses a specific way Kingdom Hearts III stops scratching the itch. The first three are direct Square Enix or anime-action lineage. The middle picks broaden the party-combat formula. The last two stretch outward but stay in the real-time action-RPG bracket.
The 7 best Kingdom Hearts alternatives
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — best Square Enix action-RPG sibling
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the closest current Square Enix release to Kingdom Hearts III’s DNA. The action-RPG combat with three-character party swapping, the Synergy abilities (paired specials between characters), and the open-world structure pulled forward from FF7 Remake all sit in the same family as Sora-Donald-Goofy’s link attacks. Cloud’s three-character battles run on the same ATB-meets-real-time hybrid system.
For Kingdom Hearts players looking for the next Square Enix action-RPG with party combat and emotional story beats, Rebirth is the most natural step.
Where it falls short: Around 80 hours for full completion. Mini-games are polarizing. Some open-world bloat in the later regions.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $70 (regular sales to around $50)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Pricier and longer, with deeper combat ceiling
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Spend the first few hours on the combat tutorials. The ATB-tied special meter is the entire combat ceiling and is easy to under-use early.
Download: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam
Bottom line: Pick FF7 Rebirth when you want the closest current Square Enix action-RPG to Kingdom Hearts III’s scope.
Tales of Arise — best anime party action combat
Tales of Arise by Bandai Namco is the Tales series entry that finally clicked with Kingdom Hearts fans. The Linear Motion Battle System has real-time combat with four-character party swaps, the Mystic Artes are the cinematic special attacks Sora’s Formchange shots already prepared you for, and the Alphen-Shionne dual-protagonist arc carries the kind of emotional weight Kingdom Hearts traffics in.
For Kingdom Hearts players looking for fast party-based anime action with strong character writing, Tales of Arise is the surest pick.
Where it falls short: Late-game difficulty curves spike. Cooking system is fiddly. Side content quality is uneven.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $60 (regular sales to around $15)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Comparable scope, anime-coded, party-combat-heavier
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Bind a Boost Strike to a hotkey and use it whenever a party-mate’s icon lights up. It’s the equivalent of Sora’s Attraction Flow, and you’ll waste damage by skipping it.
Download: Tales of Arise on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Tales of Arise when anime party action with deep combat and earnest writing is what you want.
Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom — Studio Ghibli-flavoured action-RPG
Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom by Level-5 is the closest tonal cousin to Kingdom Hearts on PC. The hand-drawn animation pipeline (Studio Ghibli alums contributed to the original game), the cheerful royal-coming-of-age plot, and the swap between real-time party action and a kingdom-building meta layer give it a Kingdom-Hearts-with-extra-systems feel. Evan’s party of three with the Higgledies (small spirit companions) plays like a softer cousin to Sora-Donald-Goofy.
For Kingdom Hearts players who want the closest Disney-feeling alternative without Disney itself, Ni no Kuni II is the closest match.
Where it falls short: Combat is shallower than the systems suggest. Kingdom-building takes time to pay off. Difficulty stays low throughout the main story.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $50 (regular sales to around $10)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Cheaper, lighter, kingdom-management heavier
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Treat the Kingdom-building as a separate game inside the game. The action-RPG layer carries the story, the management layer carries the long-term progression.
Download: Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Ni no Kuni II when the Ghibli-Disney tone is what you wanted from Kingdom Hearts.
Granblue Fantasy Relink — modern Disney-style party action
Granblue Fantasy Relink by Cygames is the most Kingdom-Hearts-feeling action-RPG released in the last two years. The four-character party with on-the-fly swapping, the Chain Burst system (line up specials across party members for a screen-clearing combo), and the gacha-game-derived character roster all sit comfortably in the same neighbourhood as Sora’s link attacks and Wisdom/Strike Form switching. The optional four-player co-op mode adds a layer Kingdom Hearts never had.
For Kingdom Hearts players looking for a current-gen polish-heavy party action-RPG, Relink is the most direct gameplay heir.
Where it falls short: Story is shorter than the genre standard (around 20 hours). Endgame loot grind is heavy. Online co-op population is concentrated around JP peak times.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $60 (regular sales to around $30)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Shorter main story, deeper combat ceiling, optional co-op
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Set up Chain Bursts via the auto-attack assist before disabling the assist. You’ll learn the rhythm without losing damage during the curve.
Download: Granblue Fantasy Relink on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Relink when current-gen party action with optional co-op is the swap you want.
Star Ocean The Divine Force — sci-fi JRPG with airborne combat
Star Ocean The Divine Force by tri-Ace is the wildcard pick. The DUMA flight system (mid-combat dashing through the air toward enemies) is the closest analog to Sora’s flowmotion that any other JRPG has shipped, the sci-fi setting is the change of pace Kingdom Hearts fans don’t usually get, and the dual-protagonist arc with branching story scenes adds a Final Fantasy XII-style structure.
For Kingdom Hearts players who want flowmotion-style traversal in combat, Divine Force is the only real alternative.
Where it falls short: Voice acting and writing are uneven. Some early areas feel small. The launch had performance issues that have since been patched.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $60 (regular sales to around $20)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Comparable, more sci-fi, flowmotion-heavier
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Lean on DUMA blindside attacks (approach enemies from behind in the air). It’s the rhythm Sora’s aerial combos already trained you for.
Download: Star Ocean The Divine Force on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Divine Force when airborne action combat is what Kingdom Hearts III taught you to love.
Trials of Mana — classic-feel action-RPG
Trials of Mana by Square Enix is the most direct Square Enix party-of-three action-RPG outside Kingdom Hearts itself. The three-character party with class trees that branch at level 18 and again at level 38 lets you build a different team every run, the real-time combat with magic and special arts is responsive without going full action, and the route-branching (your three picks from six characters change the story) gives the kind of replay value Kingdom Hearts mostly skips.
For Kingdom Hearts players who want a classic Square action-RPG with party-of-three structure, Trials of Mana is the cleanest pick.
Where it falls short: Story is straightforward; don’t expect Nomura-level twists. World is smaller. Some character voicework is divisive.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $50 (regular sales to around $10)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Cheaper, shorter, more replay value
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Plan your class branch choices around your party composition. The level 38 branch is permanent for the run.
Download: Trials of Mana on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Trials of Mana when classic Square action-RPG structure with replay value is what you want.
Ys IX Monstrum Nox — fast solo action-RPG
Ys IX Monstrum Nox by Falcom is the snappiest solo action-RPG that ports the Kingdom Hearts feeling well. Adol’s combat is built around fast attacks, dashes, parries, and elemental party-mate swaps that retain the on-the-fly switching Sora’s Formchange teaches. The Gift system (special movement abilities — gliding, wall-running, hooking) gives the kind of vertical traversal Kingdom Hearts III’s flowmotion has.
For Kingdom Hearts players looking for solo action without a party-management layer, Ys IX is the most direct combat-rhythm match.
Where it falls short: Story takes a few hours to find its hook. Visual budget shows. Some side content feels filler.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: Around $60 (regular sales to around $15)
- vs Kingdom Hearts III: Comparable, faster combat, less party management
Switching from Kingdom Hearts III: Learn to break with the Flash Move (perfect dodge). The slow-motion window it triggers is what makes the late-game encounters work.
Download: Ys IX Monstrum Nox on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Ys IX when solo action-RPG with vertical traversal is the swap you want.
How to pick the right one
If you want the closest current Square Enix action-RPG with party combat and story scale, install Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It is the most natural Kingdom Hearts III follow-up.
If anime party action with strong character writing is what you want, Tales of Arise is the surest pick. If the Disney-Ghibli tone is what you actually loved, Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom is the closest tonal match.
If a modern polish-heavy party action-RPG with optional co-op is the angle, Granblue Fantasy Relink is the most fluid combat. If flowmotion-style airborne combat is the rhythm you miss, Star Ocean The Divine Force is the only real alternative.
If classic Square action-RPG with replay value is your thing, Trials of Mana is the cleanest pick. If solo action with vertical traversal is what you want, Ys IX Monstrum Nox is the most direct combat-rhythm match.
Stay with Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind when the Disney IP itself is the draw. The Re Mind DLC adds a Limit Cut difficulty pass and a Yozora secret boss that no alternative replicates. The Kingdom Hearts 4 timeline gives you a long road; a New Game+ Critical Mode run is well-earned.
FAQ
Is Kingdom Hearts 4 coming to PC?
Square Enix has not confirmed a PC release window for Kingdom Hearts 4. The previous mainline entry, Kingdom Hearts III, came to PC via Epic and later Steam years after the console release, so a delay between any console launch and PC port is expected.
Which Kingdom Hearts games are on Steam?
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind are available on Steam as of 2026. They also have a Steam bundle for all three.
What is the cheapest Kingdom Hearts alternative?
Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom, Trials of Mana, and Tales of Arise all drop to around $10 to $15 in Steam sales. Each delivers a full action-RPG arc for a fraction of a new release.
Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a sequel to Kingdom Hearts?
No, they are separate Square Enix series. They share corporate parentage, some art-direction influences, and overlapping voice and music staff, but they are not connected in the narrative.
Can I play Kingdom Hearts III on Steam Deck?
Yes. Kingdom Hearts III is rated Steam Deck Playable and runs well at lower settings. Frame pacing is generally smooth in the indoor Disney worlds; the more open Keyblade Graveyard sections benefit from a 30fps cap.
