Mortal Kombat 1 takes the series back to the start this September

By Giovanni Colantonio May 18, 2023

The next installment of the Mortal Kombat series is coming this year, but it’s not Mortal Kombat 12. Instead, a debut trailer from NetherRealm Studios revealed Mortal Kombat 1, which launches on September 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

A new era has begun. #MK1 pic.twitter.com/gC0mHALFeF

— Mortal Kombat 30 (@MortalKombat) May 18, 2023

Over the past few months, NetherRealm Studios has teased the next Mortal Kombat game. Fans assumed that it would be Mortal Kombat 12, but the series instead appears to be taking a reboot approach. In a press release about the game, series co-creator Ed Boon calls it a “new beginning for the franchise.”

The cinematic trailer doesn’t show gameplay, but it does give a tease of what to expect. The two-and-a-half-minute clip shows iconic characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero living peacefully in a countryside … that is, until a red portal opens up in the sky. All hell breaks loose and violence ensues, as tends to happen in Mortal Kombat.

The game’s website gives more specific details. The story takes place in an alternate universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. It’ll feature an “immersive story campaign” and new modes, as well as a new Kameo fighting system where players choose partners in battle.

Preorders for the game are now open and will get players Shang Tsung as a playable character. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players who preorder will also get access to its beta this August. The base game will retail for $70 on all platforms.

There will also be a $110 Premium Edition that adds a Johnny Cage character skin fashioned after Jean-Claude Van Damme, early access to six characters, and five new Kameo fighters. A $250 Kollector’s Edition will include all that, plus a 16.5 inch Liu Kang sculpture and more.

Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Gaming

Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities: how to do every character’s Fatality

Shang Tsung stealing someone's soul in Mortal Kombat 1.

What set the Mortal Kombat franchise apart when it first hit arcades was just how brutally violent the games were. It looks tame now, but the Fatalities of the original game were some of the most shocking things anyone had seen in a game up to that point, pixelated graphics and all. With Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm continues to churn our stomachs with some of the most disgustingly detailed ways to dismantle your opponent. Everyone loves seeing these creative ways your favorite fighter can definitively end a fight, but if you want to show off to your friends and humiliate your enemy, you have to know the specific button input to pull it off for each character. There are more that you can unlock, but here is how to perform every character's basic Fatality in Mortal Kombat 1.
How to perform all basic Fatalities
Here are all the default inputs for every character's Fatality on PlayStation and Xbox controls in alphabetical order, as well as what range you need to be at to trigger the Fatality. Once you have reduced your opponent's health to 0 and they are susceptible to a Fatality, which you will know from the announcer calling out "Finish him" or "Finish her," you will have five seconds to input the correct sequence.
Ashrah - Mid range
Down, Forward, Down, Triangle/Y
Baraka - Close range
Back, Forward, Down, Square/X
General Shao - Mid range
Back, Forward, Down, Square/X
Geras - Mid range
Forward, Down, Down, Circle/B
Havik - Close range
Down, Forward, Down, Circle/B
Johnny Cage - Close range
Forward, Back, Down, Triangle/Y
Kenshi - Close range
Forward, Down, Down, Triangle/Y
Kitana - Mid range
Down, Forward, Down, Circle/B
Kung Lao - Mid range
Down, Down, Back, Circle/B
Li Mei - Close range
Forward, Back, Forward, Cross/A
Lui Kang - Close range
Back, Forward, Down, Circle/B
Mileena - Close range
Back, Forward, Back, Square/X
Nitara - Mid range
Down, Down, Back, Square/X
Raiden - Close range
Back, Forward, Back, Triangle/Y
Rain - Close range
Down, Down, Back, Circe/B
Reiko - Mid range
Down, Down, Back, Triangle/Y
Reptile - Mid range
Forward, Back, Down, Circle/B
Scorpion - Mid range
Down, Forward, Back, RT
Shang Tsung - Close range
Back, Down, Down, Circle/B
Sindel - Mid range
Down, Back, Down, Square/X
Smoke - Any range
Back, Forward, Down, Square/X
Sub Zero - Any range
Forward, Down, Down, Triangle/Y
Tanya - Close range
Down, Back, Down, Cross/A
All Kameo Fighter Fatalities
Cyrax - Mid range
Forward, Back, Forward, RB
Darrius - Mid range
Down, Back, Forward, RB
Frost - Mid range
Back, Down, Back, RB
Goro - Close range
Back, Forward, Down, RB
Jax - Far range
Down, Forward, Down, RB
Kano Mid range
Back, Down, Forward, RB
Kung Lao - Mid range
Forward, Back, Forward, RB
Sareena - Mid range
Back, Down, Down, RB
Scorpion - Mid range
Down, Forward, Down, RB
Sektor - Mid range
Back, Forward, Back, RB
Shunjiko - Mid range
Down, Back, Down, RB
Sonya - Mid range
Back, Forward, Down, RB
Stryker - Mid range
Forward, Down, Forward, RB
Sub-Zero - Mid range
Forward, Down, Forward, RB

Gaming

Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode shares strengths and weaknesses with superhero movies

Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows Liu Kang.

NetherRealm Studios has perfected the cinematic fighting game story mode.

Ever since 2008’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the Chicago-based studio has played a critical role in fleshing out what single-player, story-focused narratives in fighting games should look like, forever changing a genre that historically focused on multiplayer. By now, the formula for these story modes feels like it’s down to a science. They’re split into multiple chapters, each focusing on one character and featuring four fights between cinematic action and character-focused scenes.

Gaming

Mortal Kombat 1: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows Liu Kang.

Are you ready to test your might? After a small leak and a couple of teases on Twitter, Mortal Kombat 1 has been confirmed to be the next entry in the best-selling fighting game series of all time. Developer NetherRealm typically alternates between franchises, so many people expected their next project to be a new Injustice since Mortal Kombat 11 was their last release in 2019. That is evidently not the plan, but this also isn't the Mortal Kombat 12 that would logically follow. The series already saw something of a reboot with Mortal Kombat 9, so what's going on with Mortal Kombat 1? Choose your fighter and memorize your fatality button inputs, because we're breaking down all the gory details of Mortal Kombat 1.
Release date

Mortal Kombat 1 will be ready for kombat on September 19, 2023. However, there will also be an early access period for those who purchase either the Premium or Kollector's Edition of the game. This early access will begin on September 14 at 10 a.m. PT.
Platforms
This fighter is ditching last-gen consoles and will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and, most surprisingly, Nintendo Switch.
Trailers
Mortal Kombat 1 - Official Announce Trailer | PS5 Games