Skip to main content

How to play the Mortal Kombat 11 closed beta and practice your fatalities

Mortal Kombat 11 is only about a month away from launch, and it’s holding a closed beta to get excited players accustomed to its new gameplay mechanics and several of its characters. The beta is scheduled to run in North America from March 27 at 11 a.m. ET to April 1 at 2:59 a.m ET.

If you want access to the closed beta, you’re going to need to pre-order the game on either Xbox One or PlayStation 4 — it won’t be available on Switch or PC. To enjoy the online multiplayer component of the closed beta, you’ll also need to have either a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Recommended Videos

Alongside multiplayer, the closed beta will include access to the Towers of Time, a single-player-focused mode that will let you play through a character-specific tower with increasing difficulty in order to unlock rewards for that character.

The Custom Character Variation System will also be available regardless of whether you have a subscription. Similar to the gear system in Injustice 2, it will let you change certain aspects of Mortal Kombat 11‘s roster to fit your preference. Customizable content includes skins, special abilities, and character-specific introduction and victory videos. Those who are skilled at the game should be seeing that last one a whole lot.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Five characters will be available in the closed beta: Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion. All of these characters return from previous games in the series, but the beta will give you a chance to try out their brutal fatalities. Baraka, for instance, bites the face off his enemy before ripping their brain out and eating it, while Scarlet impales them with spears crystallized from their own blood.

Mortal Kombat 11 is going for a more brutal and space-based approach than developer NetherRealm took in its predecessor Mortal Kombat X. With less focus on combo attacks and more on reacting to your opponent’s decisions, it’s shaping up to be a different kind of fighting game that should test the community’s skills.

In addition to closed beta access, those who pre-order Mortal Kombat 11 will also get the character Shao Kahn. The game launches on April 23 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
10 crossover characters we’re dying to see in Mortal Kombat 1
The player confronts Ryu in Street Fighter 6 World Tour.

The tradition of adding guest characters to Mortal Kombat goes back to 2011’s MK reboot, which featured Freddy Krueger on all consoles and God of War’s Kratos as a PS3 exclusive. Subsequent games have included Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, an Alien Xenomorph, a Predator, RoboCop, Spawn, Joker, John Rambo, and the Terminator. That’s quite an impressive lineup!

Mortal Kombat 1, the latest reboot in the series, is coming later this year and it might follow that same tradition. Early reports and rumors indicate that the first Kombat Pack will include DC’s Peacemaker, Omni-Man from Invincible, and Homelander from The Boys. That's a great start, but far from the only cameo appearances we want to see in the fighting game. Ahead of its fall release, we’ve put together our picks for the 10 guest characters that we want to see in Mortal Kombat 1 -- from Superman to John Wick.
John Wick

Read more
Mortal Kombat 1 beta: how to access the beta, expected dates, and exclusives
Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat 1.

The next entry in the Mortal Kombat series has finally been announced and NetherRealm Studios is taking us back to the very beginning of the story. Mortal Kombat 1 — which launches on September 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC — is set to be a “new beginning for the franchise," according to series co-creator Ed Boon.

We've still got a few months until the launch of what will essentially be a reboot, and the trailer didn't give us a look at any gameplay, but the studio did confirm that there will be a beta of the game made available before its full release. Here's what you need to know.
How to access the Mortal Kombat 1 beta

Read more
Mortal Kombat 1 takes the series back to the start this September
Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows its logo and Liu Kang.

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.

https://twitter.com/MortalKombat/status/1659182088954986496

Read more