TheMortal Kombatseries has been out for over thirty years now. That’s twice the age of many of the people playing it nowadays, which makes it easy to forget how far the series has come. Some games are indisputable classics that have stood the test of time, while others don’t quite reach that bar. Still, they’re all part ofMortal Kombat‘s legacy, so a little history lesson is in order.
Below, you’ll find the full lineage of this classic fighting game franchise. This will also include any spinoff, notable port, and compilation games.
Mortal Kombat(1992)
The firstMortal Kombatgame was the one that started it all. Though not on par withStreet Fighter 2, the fighting genre’s gold standard at the time, it more than made up for that via the inclusion of then-unseen amounts of gore.
Ever heard old folks complaining about how games are too violent? This is the game you have to thank for that.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the originalMortal Kombatchanged video game box art forever? No, not in the sense that every game copied its beautiful cover art. I mean, its violence led to the creation of the ESRB, which, therefore, made every game feature an age rating on its cover.
Mortal Kombat II(1993)
By today’s standards,Mortal Kombat IIwould feel more like an upgradedMortal Kombatthan a full sequel. Still, it’d be a damn great upgrade.
They nearly doubled the roster for the sequel. Also, instead of facing off against Shang Tsung, a mighty sorcerer in the canon but just a normal playable character gameplay-wise, we’d have to take down Shao Khan, the absurdly overpowered ruler of the Outworld.
And the additions didn’t stop with the characters.MK2brought more fatalities and also introduced the “Babality” and “Friendship” finishers. So much forMortal Kombatnot being a family-friendly series.
Mortal Kombat 3(1995)
Mortal Kombat 3was once again just a bigger but not necessarily better version of its predecessor. Even though it added the “Animality” finisher, it also seemed to have lost some of the grit of the previous two games.
It’s also considered to be one of the weaker games of the franchise for not havingMKstaples in its roster. How are you going to have aMortal Kombatgame with Sub-Zero, but not Scorpion? That’s like releasing aStreet Fightergame with Ryu, but no Ken.
Still, most of the newcomers in this game have become fan favorites decades later.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3(1995)
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3is, you guessed it, the definitive version ofMK3.It’s arguably better, though, as it features much better AI and, therefore, way more challenging enemies for die-hard players.UMK3is also the introduction of the infamous “Brutality” finisher, akin to the Ultra Combo finisher fromKiller Instinct.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy(1996)
Despite the title, Mortal Kombat Trilogywasn’t a rerelease of the first three (four?) games in the trilogy. Rather, it’s a single game that acts like a “best of” of sorts. It features all the arenas fromMortal Kombat 2 and 3, with a few from the original game.
Mortal Kombat Trilogyalso introduced the aggressor mechanic, which aims to benefit the most aggressive player by granting them extra speed and damage for a short period of time.
Think of it as the third iteration ofMK3. More characters, revamped mechanics, and just the most definitive edition of the game. We oftentimes meme about Street Fighter and their iterative games, oftentimes using “Super” and “Ultra”, but Midway (back in the day) was pulling similar moves.
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero(1997)
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zeroremains the second of the largest duds in the history of the franchise.Mythologieswas an attempt at a sidescrolling action game starring Sub-Zero, but it fell far short of expectations due to a combination of greatly outdated mechanics and new-but-awful ones.
Aside from how janky and laughable most of the game is, there is some merit to it. It fleshes out one of the most iconic characters from the OG roster. Though hilarious in execution, it’s worth a shot, or at least a watched playthrough.
Mortal Kombat 4(1997)
Mortal Kombat 4tried to followTekken’slead and make the jump to 3D, but it still had a lot to learn. While not terrible,MK4felt barely capable of holding its own against the already outdatedTekken 2,let aloneTekken 3,the new gold standard of 3D fighting games.
It’s still interesting to see the pivot into 3D for the next few iterations of the franchise moving forward (until the reboot in 2011).
Mortal Kombat Gold(1999)
Mortal Kombat 4failed to get anyone hyped, so Midway rebranded it asMortal Kombat Goldwhen they ported it to the Dreamcast. Though it had better graphics than the PS1 version, critics still reviewed this one harshly.
Mortal KombatGoldalso suffered from serious bugs upon release, so Midwayreleased a revised versionjust a month after the original release. It fixed most of the game’s problems, but it still didn’t make it good.
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces(2000)
Mortal Kombat: Special Forceswas another attempt at a spinoff, which was also another blunder. This time, we play Jackson “Jax” Briggs as he fights off, shoots, and sometimes even blows up a bunch of generic bad guys. Wacky camera angles, unintuitive controls, and straight-up unfun action prevent this one from deserving to share the name with evenMK4.
We’ve always respected attempts at breaking the mold, but this one is better left in the past where it belongs.
Mortal Kombat Advance(2001)
This is a Game Boy Advance remake ofUltimate Mortal Kombat 3,akaMortal Kombat 3: 2,and it just isn’t good. The graphics are terrible, and so is the gameplay. Electronic Gaming Monthly described its AI asutterly dumb and somehow unfair at the same time. Don’t get this one.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance(2002)
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Allianceis the first mainline title in the series afterMK4forced it into dormancy back in ’97. It does a much better job of making use of the three-dimensional space and also introduces some neat gameplay elements like weapons and the option to swap between fighting styles on the go.Deadly Alliancebrought the mainline series back and proved that it wasn’t going anywhere but up.
Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition(2003)
Mortal Kombat: Tournament Editionis a port ofDeadly Alliancefor the Game Boy Advance. One could expect an absolute failure since the company had previously fallen on its face when attempting to port the much simplerMortal Kombat 3to the Game Boy, but this one actually turned out quite well.
Mortal Kombat: Deception(2004)
Mortal Kombat: Deceptionis the direct sequel toDeadly Allianceand it improves upon the predecessor in most ways. It also features a new campaign aptly called Konquest. It also comes with the Puzzle Kombat and Chess Kombat minigames, giving you more to do.
Deceptionis oftentimes hailed as the peak era of 3DMortal Kombat. Some character omissions and the newcomers contributed to most of its complaints, but it showed everyone that the series was capable of moving forward in positive ways.
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks(2005)
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monksis yet anotherMortal Kombatspinoff, and guess what… this one isn’t actually bad at all!Shaolin Monksis a co-op prequel that invites players to choose either Kung Lao or Liu Kang as they face off against the hordes of Shang Tsung in a bunch of arena-like levels.
Fans likedShaolinMonksso much that it nearly spawned a sequel where we played as Sub Zero and Scorpion. Sadly, budget constraints forced the company to cancel the project.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon(2006)
Mortal Kombat: Armageddonis the final entry in the Playstation 2 eraMortal Kombat.If there’s one thing you’re able to say aboutArmageddon,it’s that it is big. This thing features 62 playable characters, meaning thatArmageddonhas one of the biggest rosters in the history of fighting games. Aside from that, it doesn’t really change much of its winning formula aside from the new Konquest mode, which rocks.
While it sacrifices a whole chunk of move sets for most of the characters because of the omission of second stances, the mid-air attacks and combos were really neat. This would eventually make a return inMortal Kombat 1 (2023).
Just in case you’re curious — no, we don’t understand these wacky modern naming conventions either.
Mortal Kombat: Unchained(2006)
Mortal Kombat: Unchainedhonors the series’ longstanding tradition of giving new and exciting names to inferior versions of stuff that already existed.Unchainedis justMortal Kombat: Deceptionfor the PSP. It naturally features worse graphics than the PS2 version, but it plays well.Unchainedis one of the series’ few solid ports.
Mortal Kombat Kollection(2008)
TheMortal Kombat Kollectionisn’t a new game but rather a neat re-release.Kollectionis just a collector’s box that containsDeception, Armageddon,andShaolin Monks.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe(2008)
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universeis like the DCEU movies— a late response to Marvel’s formula that fails to capture most of what its rival did so well. This game isn’t terrible, but it’s still far from the heights that this ensemble would reach in theInjusticeseries.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universeplayed really well, but it wasn’t quite aMortal Kombatgame. It feels likeMKwas a guest of a DC Universe 3D fighter because of the lack of gruesome, over-the-top Fatalities.
Mortal Kombat(2011)
As the name indicates,Mortal Kombatbrings the series back to its roots. TheMK2011 reboots the story and brings the series’ gameplay back to the 2D realm. The result? One of the best fighting games of all time, and the beginning of the unexpected golden era of the series.
All the OGs from the original trilogy are here, looking modern, but still reminiscent from their first iterations in the previous games.
This reboot set the bar for every other fighting game moving forward. From having a full-fledged, cinematic story mode to additional offline modes,MK(2011) showed that this franchise is far from slowing down.
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection(2011)
TheMortal Kombat Arcade Kollectionis a single game that includes a mildly updated version of the original trilogy. Please don’t mistake it for aMortal Kombat Trilogyremaster, as that game is a completely different thing.
Mortal Kombat Mobile(2015)
Mortal Kombat Mobileis the series’ only real dud of the ‘2010s.MK Mobileintended to bring the series to the hardcore fighters among the iOS and Android crowd. It didn’t pan out because, guess what, phones don’t make for compelling fighting game controllers. Still, it’s the other one where you got to play with Freddy Krueger, so at least there’s that.
Mortal Kombat X(2015)
Mortal Kombat Xcontinued the trend of theMKrenaissance started byMortal Kombat (2011).Many call it the bestMortal Kombatever and the only game in the series capable of going toe to toe with the best competitive fighting games out there.
Its fast-paced nature, high skill ceiling, and roster variation made it feel like there were endless possibilities.MKXprobably also has the best newcomers of the 2D revival era of the franchise, with characters like Erron Black, Kotal Kahn, Takeda, and Ferra/Torr.
Mortal Kombat 11(2019)
ThoughMortal Kombat 11retains the same gameplay system as its two predecessors, it features deliberately more slow-paced combat thanMK X. Does this make it worse? Does it make it better? That’s really up for players to decide, as both games absolutely rock.
The only real complaint I have with11is that it features always online requirements and a more grind-oriented progression system.
While also being commercially successful, the magic ofMortal Kombatgames started to squander here.
As a spectator game, it wasn’t really fun to watch high-levelMK11matches. Playing it wasn’t all too substantive either. Once you have your combos, bread-and-butters, and more advanced fundamentals down, everything boiled down to passive play and footsies.
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath(2020)
Aftermathis an expansion toMortal Kombat 11.It features a new campaign that’s very neat up until the moment you realize it’s justAvengers EndgamewithMKcharacters. From that point on, it becomes just neat.
Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate(2020)
Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimateis the complete and final bundle, which includes the base game,Aftermath, and additional characters. It was worth the wait if you held off long enough to play.
Mortal Kombat 1(2023)
Mortal Kombat 1is a “requel,” which stands for a reboot that’s actually a sequel. Even though its story technically takes place in the past, it’s still a past created by present-day Liu Kang. Does that sound complicated? Well, yeah, but most franchises get their lore to crash and burn long before they reach the 12th game in the series, so this is par for the course.
Either way, the game still does what it does and gives us a pretty story to delve into, with many callbacks to the 3D era ofMortal Kombat. With constant updates to the roster and character balance, there’s more to come from this game in the years ahead.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns(2024)
Khaos Reignsis theAftermathequivalent ofMK1: a continued story with a slew of new characters bundled in. Unfortunately, that’s kind of it. It’s more MK that just wasn’t all too exciting. Think of it this way, it’s all spectacle, but with little substance. It’s a pretty package with a weak delivery.
Mortal Kombat 1was cool during its vanilla launch, but a lot of its new mechanics and shallow offering of modes didn’t really incentivize people of all skill ranges to keep coming back.
Khaos Reignssought to fix that, but didn’t address some of the core gripes people had once the honeymoon phase was over for the base game. It also came with a hefty price tag and couldn’t be a separate purchase from the characters that came with it.
And now, with rumors of the game possibly being canceled and forcing NRS to move on to their next project, the future of the franchise looks grim right at the moment.
AllMortal Kombatgames in chronological order
To play all theMortal Kombatgames in order, you don’t have to play all the re-releases that were more prevalent before the 3D era. So, with that said, here’s the list of all the games in chronological order:
It would be a chore to play throughSpecial ForcesorMythologies, but if you want the full experience, you can always just watch someone else’s playthrough. These games felt bad and aged so poorly that the novelty of how bad they are wears off quickly.
As for the absence ofShaolin Monksin this list, it isn’t canon. However, it is one of the few spinoff games that are actually worth trying because it’s actually good. It’s a basic retelling of the first twoMKgames but from the perspective of Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Maybe one day, it’ll get an HD port.
Lastly, from11onward, most things in parenthesis are expansions that further progress the Mortal Kombat story and lore. While more about spectacle rather than substance, it’s best to go into these for an entertainment aspect and not so much something much deeper.
