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Mortal Kombat 1 release date, story, gameplay, DLC

Find out when the Mortal Kombat 1 release date is, as well as everything else we know about NetherRealm's timeline reset on PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC

Mortal Kombat 1 Release Date: Scorpion can be seen

When is the Mortal Kombat 1 release date? The announcement we have been waiting for has finally arrived, and while many were anticipating the next game from NetherRealm to be called Mortal Kombat 12, what we’re actually getting is a series reboot with MK1. But, when will you be able to play it and exactly what is changing?

Below, you can find a full roundup of what we know about the game and the latest trailers and gameplay snippets as we receive them from NetherRealm. Mortal Kombat 1 is likely to bring the series back to basics while still upping the gore and intensity of fatalities and brutalities.

Mortal Kombat 1 release date

The Mortal Kombat 1 release date is Tuesday, September 19, 2023, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam PC, and Nintendo Switch. Players who pre-order the Premium or Kollector’s edition can start playing from Friday, September 14, 2023. This date was announced in May 2023 when the game was revealed.

One of those original reports of this date came from WindowsCentral. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery announced in an earnings call earlier in the year that the next Mortal Kombat game was on the way. It is sad to see the game not hit PS4 and Xbox One, however with those consoles being 10 years old this year, the hardware would likely struggle to run the game.

Mortal Kombat 1 pre-orders are also now live and give players a chance to play the game before its full release date with Mortal Kombat 1 early access and by playing the Mortal Kombat 1 beta – and you can nab yourself a Jean-Claude Van Damme Johnny Cage skin with one of the pricier editions too.

Mortal Kombat 1 story

As shown during Summer Game Fest 2023, Liu Kang is gathering champions, likely to protect this new timeline after resetting it during the Mortal Kombat 11 story, with Shang Tsung being the antagonist.

There’s also some strange changes to the canon of the Mortal Kombat series, such as Sub-Zero and Scorpion being brothers, as well as other character dynamics being shifted.

The Mortal Kombat 1 characters in this reboot include Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Kano, Jax, Reptile, Sareena, Havik, Smoke, and more. It will usher in a “new era” of the franchise. These all are ranked pretty well in our Mortal Kombat 1 tier list and Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo tier list.

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Since the reveal trailer we have seen a ton of locations and story details. These include a look at Earthrealm, the Dead Pool, the royal dynamic between Meleena, Kitana, Li Mei, Tanya, and even Sindel, who was spotted in the background of a story trailer.

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Mortal Kombat 1 DLC

On top of the launch roster of characters, the Kombat Pack DLC will include Homelander, Peacemaker, Omni-Man, Ermac, and Quan-Chi. This would definitely make the DLC one of the most interesting Kombat Packs in the series for a while.

Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay

Thanks to the stress test, we saw that Mortal Kombat 1 keeps the solid gameplay foundation that fans of the series know and love, while also introducing the Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighters system. This allows supporting characters to help with combos, which will help you prove your juggling skills.

Not only that, but you should expect some of the most gruesome Mortal Kombat 1 fatalities when playing the upcoming fighting game. This entry isn’t for the faint of heart. A lot of which we have already seen in trailers, like Reptile’s.

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We do know that this reboot will include a number of features fresh to Mortal Kombat. One of those is Mortal Kombat 1 rollback netcode which is a must-have for any fighting game in 2023. Additionally, it looks like crossplay for Mortal Kombat 1 will arrive after launch, as it was included in the game’s FAQ, but mysteriously removed.

That covers everything you need to know about the Mortal Kombat 1 release date and what to expect from the game when it comes out on current-gen platforms and PC. Will it make it into our list of the best fighting games of all time? We’d be surprised if it didn’t.