Do you need to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 before 2?
Developer Warhorse Studios has written the story of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in such a way that it's friendly to newcomers. With that said, playing the original game will give you some valuable context about the sequel's plot, protagonist Henry's quest for revenge, and some of the other characters in the story.
You don't have to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance first ...
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a gargantuan open-world RPG with well over 100+ hours of main and side story content to feast on, but as the title makes obvious, its not the starting point of protagonist Henry's journey. In fact, its opening — a mission from the lords Henry serves to deliver an important letter to a neighboring fiefdom — directly picks up where Warhorse's original 2018 Kingdom Come RPG left off. That game was a colossal 80-100 hours experience in its own right, which naturally has many newcomers to the medieval saga curious if it's something they need to play before jumping into the sequel.
Having played through both games now, I can say with certainty that new players don't need to finish the first game before playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 if they don't want to. Throughout the story of the sequel, the events of its predecessor are referenced in detail throughout various cutscenes and dialogues, and these do a good job of catching players up on the tragic sacking of Henry's hometown, his subsequent desire for revenge, and how he ultimately came to serve lords allied with King Wenceslaus IV in the 1403 Bohemian civil war the game takes place in.
This was a deliberate storytelling choice by Warhorse, with the studio doing its best to ensure that players can enjoy the story of Kingdom Come 2 whether they're a returning fan or a curious new player. Actor Tom McKay, the face of Henry, said as much in the game's original reveal: "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a continuation of Henry's previous adventures, but the story is written in such a way that it's perfect for newcomers to Henry's journey."
... but doing so isn't a bad idea by any means
So, you don't need to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance in order to understand Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. However, doing so certainly wouldn't be a bad idea, as even with the sequel's detailed references to the original, you'll be missing some of the deeper context about Henry and other returning characters in the story. For example, Henry's relationships with nobleman best friend Hans Capon and the antagonist figure Istvan Toth won't feel nearly as well-established if you don't play KCD first.
For that reason, I do recommend playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance first if you're willing to wait to experience the sequel. As I said in my Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review, I do think it's better than the previous title, but even so, the first game is an excellent RPG — one of the best of the 2010s, for sure. There's also never been a better time to play it, as it's far more stable now than it was at launch and can be purchased with all of its DLC for as little as $6.89 on CDKeys right now.
If you want to understand more about the first half of Henry's story without waiting to play the follow-up, this story recap (also embedded above) that Warhorse recently posted on its YouTube channel is a great watch. It doesn't cover everything, of course, but it features 10 minutes of the most important cinematics and dialogues from the narrative.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG), and PS5 on February 4. It's one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of the year, so if you enjoy RPGs, definitely consider picking it up. If you want more context about the story it's continuing, I also strongly recommend playing the first game (now cheaper than ever, thanks to CDKeys).
