Mortal Kombat is one of the most recognizable fighting video game series in the world. It is widely known for its brutality and gore – some of the finishing moves include tearing out the spine, crushing the head into pieces or cutting the opponent’s body in half, exposing the bloody guts.
The first game of the series was released in 1992 on arcade machines, often found in bars, restaurants or amusement arcades. A year later it became available on most of the popular consoles, like Super NES or Game Boy, and in 1994 – on Amiga.
The series proved to be a massive hit among the gamer community and even got two movie adaptations which with the exception of the soundtrack, are not very highly rated by both the fans of the video game series and critics alike. The latest entry in the franchise is Mortal Kombat 11, which was praised by the players and gamer community for upholding the quality of the previous entry which is considered the best in the series.
In Mortal Kombat players duel against each other in the side-viewed arenas, utilizing a wide array of moves and tricks to reduce the opponent’s health to zero. Each of the available characters plays differently and offers different moveset, making the experience much more diverse.
Mortal Kombat games usually allow to compete not only against computer-controlled characters but also against other players – either over the internet or locally using multiple controllers attached to the console or PC, making the title a popular choice for house parties or other friendly meetings.
Over the years the Mortal Kombat franchise grew in a lot of titles, some of them being more successful than others. If you are not sure which Mortal Kombat game to pick today, we decided to present you with a list of the top 10 titles of the series to hopefully make that choice much easier.
Mortal Kombat
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 1993 |
| Developer: | Midway |
This is where the Mortal Kombat series started, so it is definitely worth mentioning.
The game was at first only available on arcade machines, but later also made its appearance on the portable consoles and computers. Mortal Kombat introduced the most iconic characters of the franchise, like Scorpion with his famous „Get over here!” line.
Mortal Kombat X
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2015 |
| Developer: | NetherRealm Studios |
The title from 2015 scored highly on the list, and not without a reason – it was the fastest-selling game of the entire franchise.
The game features plenty of game modes and completely new fatalities including the stage-based ones which activate when certain environmental conditions are met. The game introduced multiple new playable characters, including Johny Cage’s daughter, Cassie, and Kung Lao’s younger cousin, Kung Jin.
Mortal Kombat (2011)
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2011 |
| Developer: | High Voltage Software |
Similarly to the above-mentioned titles representing the new generation of Mortal Kombat, the game is rendered in full 3D but is played from the side view.
This is the first game of the series developed by NetherRealm Studios. The company managed to meet the challenge of extending the longevity of the franchise and delivered a polished and well-received product. The most notable feature is the X-ray attack which, when performed, shows the victims’ breaking bones and organs. Also, long-forgotten non-lethal babalities made a return – the defeated player can be turned into a harmless baby.
Mortal Kombat 11
| Genre: | Action |
| Release date: | 2019 |
| Developer: | NetherRealm Studios |
Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest installment and a worthy successor to the Mortal Kombat series. Besides the fantastic graphics quality, the game offers advanced character customization, multiple engaging game modes, an exciting story, and a multiplayer leaderboard.
The game features most of the characters known from the previous games, like Johny Cage, Kitana and Sonya Blade, but also introduces the new ones: Cetrion, Geras, and Kollector.
Mortal Kombat 4
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 1997 |
| Developer: | Midway/Eurocom/Digital Eclipse |
Mortal Kombat 4 is the first game to be played on the 3D arenas, and the first that allowed to use weapons to fight. These could be swung, tossed or even picked up by the opponent.
The game also features a damage cap system which prevents the exploit of infinite combos – the combo breaks once the damage threshold is reached. Developers decided for a more brutal and serious approach, removing entirely the so-called „babalities” introduced in MK2.
Mortal Kombat 3
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 1995 |
| Developer: | Midway/Atari Games |
Mortal Kombat 3 was a huge milestone in the series.
The game introduced pre-programmed chain combos, as well as dynamic multi-floor arenas – using an uppercut results in the opponent being thrown in the air; he breaks through the ceiling, where the duel continues.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2008 |
| Developer: | Midway |
This game’s uniqueness lies in the crossover between characters of Mortal Kombat and DC Universe’s superheroes. Depending on the player’s choice, one group is considered as the invaders of the other’s world. Mortal Kombat vs.
DC Universe introduces rage mode and mid-air combat – when a character is thrown to the lower level of the arena, both characters enter an additional fighting mini-game.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2004 |
| Developer: | Midway |
Among the new mechanics introduced in the Mortal Kombat: Deception is a Combo Breaker system which allows interrupting the opponent from performing a combo few times per match.
The game also introduces an interesting take on the chess, Chess Kombat – a classic game of chess with the pieces being replaced by Mortal Kombat characters who need to defeat the other in order to take its square.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2002 |
| Developer: | Midway |
The game introduces the Konquest mode, a set of 8 missions acting as a tutorial for each character.
It also features the Krypt, where the player can spend Koins to unlock the 626 koffins containing various unlockables. The game itself became easier to play, thanks to the simplified controls.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Release date: | 2006 |
| Developer: | Midway/Just Games |
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon introduced a new way of performing fatalities.
Instead of pressing the sequence and watching the cinematic, now players manually perform fatality attacks one after another – each successful fatality move increases the fatality level, up to an Ultimate Fatality after 11 successful moves. The game features all previous Mortal Kombat characters, and even allows you to create your own.