Summary
Fans had to wait an awfully long time forKingdom Hearts 3to release. Besides the story and finding out how the battle between the Guardians of Light and the Seekers of Darkness would end, one of the things that fans had anticipated the most was getting to explore each of the worlds that the series' third installment had to offer.
Most of the Disney worlds in this game were brand new to the franchise, with two of them even being from Pixar films, something that many fans had wanted for years. A couple of new original worlds were also introduced, with even more appearing from previous titles. However, not all the worlds visited by Sora and his friends inKingdom Hearts 3quite lived up to the series' usual high standards.
Updated July 17, 2025, by Justin Flynn:Kingdom Hearts is home to a variety of remarkable worlds, and with most games in the series now available via Steam, an entirely new group of gamers can finally jump in and see what all the fuss is about. Kingdom Hearts 3 had some pretty big shoes to fill regarding the worlds that were included, and for the most part, it did an excellent job with the worlds that appeared. That said, some worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3 are arguably better than others for various reasons.
16100 Acre Wood
A Charming World That Only Features Mini-Games
Like with the other numbered titles in the series, Sora visits Pooh andhis other friendsat the100 Acre WoodinKingdom Hearts 3. In the other games, where they explored the world inside of Merlin’s book, players got to play unique mini-games that were different from each other, something that really helped to set the world apart from the more action-oriented ones.
With this in mind, many players were disappointed when the mini-games offered in the third installment all felt the same and weren’t anything like what they were used to. It is still great to see Sora reunite with his old friends, and their interaction had a meaningful message, but the gameplay could have been so much more than it was. It is because of this misstep that the 100 Acre Wood is commonly viewed as one of the worst worlds inKingdom Hearts 3. That said, the world does feature a rather beautiful aesthetic, but that still doesn’t make up for the rest of its flaws.
15Twilight Town
A Picturesque Town That Got A Serious Downgrade In Terms Of Size
Twilight Townis usually one of the best worlds in the series, so it was really unfortunate that players could only explore a small section of it inKingdom Hearts 3. Most of the world didn’t appear at all, and the places that were shown had changed drastically. This made some fans wonder why Square Enix even bothered to include the world in the game. It would arguably have been better if either the entire world was accessible or if a different one was made, especially since most of the plot surrounding Twilight Town could have taken place anywhere, as it felt mostly like filler.
Though it remains one of the most iconic original worlds in the series, its appearance inKingdom Hearts 3left much to be desired. That said, the world did receive an incredible upgrade in terms of visuals. Now, the town and the forest areas are simply breathtaking, and though the exploration aspect is a little limited, it’s hard not to enjoyhow pretty the world has become. Unlike its appearance in previous titles, the town itself is now also jam-packed with NPCs, making it feel much more lived-in and real.
14Dive To The Heart
A Breathtaking Area Full Imagery From Previous Entries
ThoughDive to the Heartwasn’t nearly as good as it was in other titles, it didn’t disappoint fans nearly as much as Twilight Town and the 100 Acre Wood. Players just spend even less time here than usual, before quickly moving on to Olympus.
The Dive to the Heart is usually placed at the beginning of aKingdom Heartsgame, and therefore, it usually acts as a tutorial. InKingdom Hearts 3, it makes a second appearance during Sora’s visit to the Keyblade Graveyard, but it functions more like a cutscene than it ever has before. Fans may feel nostalgia during their first visit to this ethereal location, seeing images of moments from previous installments and being asked questions that impact their experience in the game, but besides that, there’s very little to actually do here.
13Land Of Departure
An Iconic Location Condensed Down To A Single Room
TheLand of Departurewas introduced inBirth by Sleepas the home to Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. After their adventure, Aqua sealed Ventus in the castle and turned the whole worldinto Castle Oblivionin order to protect him from Xehanort. It’s an interesting premise, but one that is ruined somewhat by the latest installment.
InKingdom Hearts 3, Aqua finally returns with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, ready to bring Ventus back. However, Vanitas is waiting for them, and players are required to fight him while controlling Aqua. Unfortunately, that’s all that they can really do here. The Land of Departure’s return was a monumental moment for longtime fans of the series, but its design is nothing special when compared to the other, more detailedKH3worlds. That said, this version of the Land of Departure is easily the best it has ever looked; it’s just a shame that players don’t have more time to take it all in.
12Dark World
A Hauntingly Beautiful Location That Features An Emotional Boss Fight
Prior to Aqua returning home, she was stuck in theDark World(also known as the Realm of Darkness) beforebeing saved by Riku, Sora, and King Mickey. Riku and the king were searching for her before the game began but needed to leave after Riku’s Way to the Dawn Keyblade broke during his fight against a Demon Tower.
When they return, they finally find her, but they quickly learn that she has been corrupted by darkness after spending so much time in the Dark World.She fights Riku and King Mickeyand almost defeats them until Sora arrives, bringing her back to the Realm of Light and ultimately saving her. While it’s hard to deny that the Dark World is one of the most visually stunning locations inKingdom Hearts 3, there isn’t really much else to write home about. Essentially, this world is just a circular boss arena, which is a shame considering how much of it could be explored in0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage. An additional room or two would have really done wonders for this world.
11Arendelle
A Visually Stunning World That Requires A Lot Of Backtracking
As popular asFrozenis, most players did not enjoy their experience of it inKingdom Hearts 3. A lot of the content from the movie was removed and replaced by a large, open area that players could very easily get lost in. And get lost they will, unless they’re incredibly careful.
That said, the Labyrinth of Ice that Larxene creates shortly after Sora’s arrival is arguably the most straightforward location in the world. Even without a map, players will rarely get lost while wandering its halls, which is strange considering Larxene’s reasoning for summoning it. WhileArendelleis one of the most breathtakingKH3worlds available, the world’s layout is unnecessarily complicated and can become a bit tiresome after a few hours of exploration.
10Toy Box
A Charming World That Is Somewhat Lacking In Fun Environments
Fans had been waiting a long time for Pixar worlds to appear in aKingdom Heartsgame, and then two of them appeared in the series' third installment. Unfortunately, theToy Boxworld wasn’t quite what players had been hoping for.
As everyToy Storymovie has a different setting, there were a lot of possibilities when it came to where exactly Sora, Donald, and Goofy could have gone. For them to end up at an original location that wasn’t nearly as fun as places like Al’s Toy Barn and Sunnyside Daycare was a little disappointing. Though the world itself may feel a little hollow at points, it is hard to ignore the amount of work that went into creating the environments. If it featured a slightly more gripping story, perhaps the Toy Box could have been one ofKH3’s best worlds.
9The Final World
A Beautiful World That Harbors Dark Undertones
The Final Worldis one of the most harrowingly beautiful worlds in the entireKingdom Heartsseries. After being bested by the Seekers of Darkness, Sora wakes up in this picturesque world and learns that he is on the brink of death. Since he’s in aKingdom Heartsgame, however, he is able to remedy this by collecting the pieces of himself that can be seen wandering around. Upon regaining his body, he is given a chance to save his friends by defeating the Lich who stole their hearts.
Though there isn’t much to do in The Final World aside from fighting the same boss a few times and running through a large number of Sora clones, it’s hard not to enjoy what the world symbolizes. It serves as aunique version of the afterlife, a topic that was rarely mentioned beforeKingdom Hearts 3. On top of that, it truly is one of the most breathtaking worlds in the game, even though it can feel somewhat unsettling when interacting with all the Nameless Stars.
8Quadratum
A Boss Arena That Features Some Impressive Visuals
OnceKingdom Hearts 3’s credits have finished rolling, players are rewarded with a brief scene documenting the aftermath of Sora’s journey. Instead of making it home to Destiny Island, Sora ended up ina fictional city calledQuadratum.
Aside from its likeness to Shibuya, there was very little known about the significance of this world. WhenKingdom Hearts 3: Re Mindreleased, however, this changed. Quadratum is used as a battle arena during the climax ofRe Mind, and though Sora is unable to explore the city itself, it is clear a great deal of work went into sculpting it. In theKingdom Hearts 4trailer, Strelitzia informs Sora that, for them, Quadratum acts as an afterlife. If the trailer is to be believed, it seems players will finally get the chance to explore this mysterious city whenKingdom Hearts 4eventually releases.
7Olympus
A Massive World That Encourages Exploration
Olympushas appeared in many games throughout theKingdom Heartsseries, but not all of its areas were shown. InKingdom Hearts 3, players can explore several new and interesting locations, including Thebes and the Realm of the Gods. For all of the new additions, however, there was one huge omission that completely changed the world.
Many players were left a little disappointed by Olympus, as there weren’t any tournaments for them to fight in like there were in the original game andKingdom Hearts 2. These tournaments gave players a reason to return to the world and provided a lot of great challenges and so are greatly missed inKingdom Hearts 3. Tournaments aside, Olympus is a staggeringly beautiful world. It features three distinct areas, and exploring each of them is a reward in itself. On top of that, this world is also home to some incredibly memorable boss fights, withthe first Rock Titan firstbeing one of the most striking.
