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

By Giovanni Colantonio Published 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.

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

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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

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

Mortal Kombat 1 already teased a sequel. Here are 5 key takeaways from the ending

An ominous red portal opens up in a field in the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer.

This article contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat 1.
Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode has a bombastic conclusion.
Thousands of characters from a multiverse of timelines face off against each other as Liu Kang and Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath’s ending have their final battle. It has a fairly definitive conclusion, with Liu Kang winning and the multiverse continuing to exist, mostly in peace. When it comes to what’s next for the “new era” Liu Kang created, NetherRealm Studios does leave some plot points, especially in the canon Tower character endings, to potentially follow up in a sequel.
Some of the threads that NetherRealm can follow up on are character-specific, like Reptile looking for who was murdering Zaterrans who could turn human or Jax and Kenshi joining an Outworld-focused division of the FBI. Five narrative beats, in particular, could potentially set up the main conflicts of the game’s inevitable sequel. If a follow-up to Mortal Kombat 1’s story does come around, these are some developments that you should expect it to follow up on.
Lord Havik is coming for Liu Kang’s new era

Throughout Mortal Kombat 1, Havik is a minor player in Liu Kang’s new era, serving as a grunt for Shang Tsung before getting part of his face melted off by Scorpion. It looks like this character introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception will play a much more significant role in a Mortal Kombat 1 sequel, though. A post-credit scene in the game shows a Titan version of Havik, who likely is the master of his own timeline, walk in the aftermath of Mortal Kombat 1’s final battle.
After killing a Jax variant, he waxes poetic to evil-looking versions of Kenshi, Tanya, and Quan-Chi about how glorious it was to see warriors from across timelines all fighting in one place and how it ended too quickly. He concludes by saying: “Next time, it won’t.” It’s safe to assume that this version of the character, referred to in-game as “Lord Havik,” will be the next multiversal threat to Mortal Kombat’s timelines. He will surely create lots of chaos for the heroes.
Reiko is awakening Onaga

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I spent some time on the other side of the country for work last week. I was more disconnected than usual from the standard game release cycle during that time, but tuned in just enough to see Mortal Kombat 1 impressions going live across social media. When I flew back to New York on Friday night, I decided to unwind from a long trip by dropping $70 on a digital copy and enjoying some good old-fashioned violence.

Those plans were killed faster than Johnny Cage. I’d try to launch the game only to be greeted by a countdown screen. Assuming it was a mistake, I reloaded the store page and noticed that I had absent-mindedly preordered the fighter instead of buying it. If that was the case, then how was everyone online playing it already? It turned out I hadn’t ponied up enough. Had I spent $110 for a Premium Edition, I would have gotten a chance to play it starting on September 14, the day before I landed. Instead, I would have to wait until Tuesday, September 19, to get access. I was so frustrated, I nearly ripped my own spine out.

Gaming

How to unlock all Kameo Fighters in Mortal Kombat 1

Rain stands next to Sektor in Mortal Kombat 1.

Despite always sticking to the traditional one-versus-one format for the main series, Mortal Kombat 1 has introduced a secondary system using Kameo Fighters that you can call in to assist you during a fight. This helps expand the roster from its already impressive ranks by including some fan favorites, but more importantly, it adds a new level of depth to the fighter to consider when picking your backup. These assists even have their own unique Fatalities as well! Even so, just like Havik, you have to do a little work to unlock these Kameo Fighters. If you want to take the fight to the online ranks, you will need to have all the Kameo Fighters at your disposal. Here's how to unlock them all in Mortal Kombat 1.
How to unlock all Kameo Fighters
Unlocking Kameo Fighters is tied to your overall profile level. You level up your profile by doing basically any activity in the game, such as playing Invasions mode and the Tower. Whatever you pick, every five levels you reach will reward you with one new Kameo Fighter. Here's which ones you unlock at each milestone:

Level 5 - Scorpion