Kingdom Hearts Surges to Second Best-Selling Steam Game in US Following Epic D23 Trailer

Kingdom Hearts is making waves on Steam, climbing to the second best-selling game in the United States after the release of the Kingdom Hearts IV gameplay trailer during D23 over the weekend.

The Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix, a comprehensive collection of games from the series, has been climbing the Steam Top Sellers list, hitting the number two spot for most purchased titles in the U.S. on August 17, 2026. According to SteamsCharts, the game reached a peak of 10,139 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, with just over 8,000 players actively engaged as of two hours before this article was written.

This surge is partly due to a massive Steam sale on the franchise, offering collections at 70% off until Thursday, August 20.

Although it has since slipped to third place, overtaken by the recently released and critically acclaimed Mortal Shell II, this is still a significant achievement for the series. The last time Kingdom Hearts appeared on Steam's Top Sellers charts was when Square Enix first brought the games to the platform in summer 2024, where it reached its all-time peak of 11,152 concurrent players.

It's no surprise that Kingdom Hearts is experiencing a popularity boost right now. Extended gameplay footage for Kingdom Hearts IV was showcased at D23, featuring prominently in Disney's Friday night presentation at the Honda Center and again during the 'Deep Dive Into Kingdom Hearts' panel on Saturday.

The Land of the Dead from Coco is an explorable world in KHIV, where Sora teams up with Miguel and Hector to battle the Heartless. We also got a closer look at Quadratum, the realistic metropolis seen in previous trailers, where Sora uses a smartphone for the first time.

Perhaps the most thrilling reveal was a special gameplay segment where players control King Mickey in a Paper Mario-style, A Link Between Worlds-inspired mission. Players will also have the chance to play as Goofy and Donald, who appear to have lost track of Sora and are desperately searching for him.

But that's not all. In a rare public appearance, Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that Kingdom Hearts IV will launch in late 2027, reassuring fans that the release date will not be delayed.

"One last thing I wanted to share: we announced the game will come late 2027. Online, some people were saying the release date might get pushed back. I want to set the record straight: that is not happening," Nomura said.

With a firm release date in sight, fans are returning to Destiny Islands to refresh their memories and experience the series again before diving into the latest installment. For a recap of the story so far, you can watch IGN's video explaining the lore of Kingdom Hearts in five minutes, which is no small feat given how deep the series' lore goes.