From playing a key role in the creation of the ESRB to finding numerous and creative ways to annihilate your enemies, Mortal Kombat is easily one of the top three fighting game franchises of all time. The franchise is home to some famous lines like 'Get Over Here' and 'Flawless Victory,' what makes the latter of the two great is the sense of accomplishment you feel after going a perfect round.
There was no greater feeling in the 90s than walking up next to someone who was playing, throwing a quarter or token into the machine, and fighting for the title of champion of your local arcade. For this list, we're only going to be counting games that were straight-up fighters — sorry Mortal Kombat Mythologies.
Updated by Chad Thesen on September 26, 2023: This list has been updated to include the latest entry of the franchise, Mortal Kombat 1. While it may not have taken the top place, it does a great job of delivering an amazing fighting game experience.
10 Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 has various towers — some that change and update over time — and you can play as Spawn and other famous pop culture figures like Rambo and The Joker. But its story's ending is what holds it back. After defeating Kronika, Liu Kang — now a fire god — resets the timeline and goes back in time to visit The Great Kung Lao.
The game's story is just a setup to reboot the entire franchise instead of continuing to build on its story. Mortal Kombat 11 also doesn't allow you to play as Reptile and instead places him in the Krypt where you can kill him in one shot for currency. That's pretty lame.
9 Mortal Kombat (2011)
2011's Mortal Kombat aka Mortal Kombat 9 undid the wrong that was done in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and brought back regular fatalities. The game also gave you the freedom to create your own combos and the overall combat was more free-flowing than in the games prior to its release.
It was nice to play as Scorpion and mix his famous spear attack in between a flurry of hits. It was a true return to form for the franchise as it also brought back the gore — which was heavily reduced in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
8 Mortal Kombat X
Mortal Kombat X introduced various forms of each combatant that changed how they played. Scorpion's 'Ninjutsu' form allowed him to use his swords during the fight, but he could also summon a demon to aid him in battle with his 'Inferno' form. The highlight of the 10th game was the introduction of X-Ray moves which were carried over into Mortal Kombat 11. If your health got knocked down to around a quarter left, you could perform an X-Ray move. This not only had your character performing a deadly and automated sequence of attacks, but you could watch and see bones breaking as they were being performed.
The game also introduced a cool new online team-based mode called Factions allowing you to team up with other people and try to earn as many points as possible by winning fights and pulling off fatalities. At the end of each week, the winning faction and its members would be given various rewards.
7 Mortal Kombat: Deception
Despite having the worst version of Liu Kang, Mortal Kombat: Deception added instant death traps within stages, and made certain areas breakable, giving the arenas more life. Kicking your opponent through a wall just to see them tumble to the ground below was a visual treat and made you feel even more powerful.
Deception also implemented a combo breaker system and even allowed characters to kill themselves by performing Hara-Kiri instead of being killed with a fatality. If you wanted to take a break from fighting, you could complete puzzles and even a Mortal Kombat version of chess.
6 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
The game that saved the franchise. Deadly Alliance overhauled the gameplay in every way possible. There was no more running, characters had three different fighting styles, and move sets were cleaned up and shortened.
The game also contained the most shocking neck snap seen around the world as Shang Tsung — with the assistance of Quan Chi — killed the thought to be unkillable Liu Kang in the opening cinematic. Deadly Alliance was also the first Mortal Kombat game to skip the arcade and go right to the home console.
5 Mortal Kombat (1992)
The game contained a decapitation so brutal it made politicians freak out causing the creation of the ESRB. The first Mortal Kombat took arcades by storm with its bloody fatalities and even contained a secret boss fight.
By performing a fatality on the pit stage after back-to-back rounds of taking no damage and not blocking once, you got to fight Reptile — that is if a silhouette flew by the moon. The game also was the first fighter to use actual actors in the game instead of animated character models — outside of Goro who was made using stop motion animation.
4 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
An eight-player tournament mode, chain combos that could be started in the air, and the ability to change into an animal and kill your opponent at the end of each match. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 introduced some cool new features and some memorable characters including Jade, Ermac, and Smoke — whose ability to turn invisible made fighting Reptile very interesting, to say the least.
What also set the 'Ultimate' version apart from the regular version was its inclusion of several new stages including Scorpions Lair which allowed you to uppercut your opponent into a pool of lava.
3 Mortal Kombat 4
When Mortal Kombat 4 was released in 1997, it marked the franchise's move from 2D to 3D graphics and models; it was the first game to use fully computer-generated character models. Midway even developed its own hardware for the game's graphical upgrade.
Each character was also given a weapon to use in combat, and it was also the first game in the franchise to showcase characters dying from a game over — they would fall down a pit, and when the clock reached zero, they would land on a bed of spikes. The stage fatalities were also some of the best in the franchise. You could throw your opponent into a giant metal fan in the prison and uppercut them into ceiling spikes in Goro's lair.
2 Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat 1 repeats the same idea introduced for its 2011 installment by having the story be a direct continuation by resetting time. MK11 saw Liu Kang become the new guardian of time, and he used this new role to remake the entire universe into one of peace and prosperity.
Afterward, he gave it all up and assumed the new mantle of Demigod of Fire. Seeing all the changes to the timeline this time around keeps the story feeling fresh while also offering bits of nostalgia seeing the familiar faces. The new Kameo fighter mechanic allows for a ton of variations without needing to rely on mastering additional characters that you tag into battle.
1 Mortal Kombat 2
Mortal Kombat 2 is the best game in the franchise because it was the first game in the series to give fighters multiple fatalities, expanded their special move set, and added more stage fatalities. It also made Reptile a playable character and gave him his own move set and story.
The sequel to the original also introduced Babality — where you could turn your opponent into a baby — and offer your opponent a gesture of friendship after matches. It also added a ducking low punch you could use instead of just uppercutting your opponent. It also had one the sweetest cabinet design of any of the games with Raiden on the side and lightning bolts arcing above and around him.