Home Game 16 Mortal Kombat Games in Order Of Release

16 Mortal Kombat Games in Order Of Release

Before putting the Mortal Kombat games in order let’s have a look at what this action-adventure game is about. Released in 1992, Mortal Kombat is one of the oldest and most popular fight-based video games available for several platforms such as Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 1 -4, Xbox, and many more.

The game has multiple sequels, the latest one being Mortal Kombat 11, released in April of 2019. The video game got so much fan following that it was turned into a franchise that consists of toys, movies,  and multiple other tangible and intangible commodities.

Having so many sequels makes it necessary for us to make a list of all Mortal Kombat games in order. 

The compatibility of this video game with so many digital platforms has helped it to attain because the creators have established a relevance with the game multiple sequels for every generation ranging from the ones playing it in 1992 to the ones playing it today. 

The lesser-known fact about Mortal Kombat is that the game was to be originally curated to have a digitized character representing JCVD i.e. the Belgian actor Jean Claude Van-Damme and was to have a ninja-themed plot, but soon the creators realized that the idea really wasn’t falling in place, therefore, the plot was turned into a fight based action sequence like game. 

Are you a part of the Mortal Kombat fan base? Do you fantasize about the secret characters, fascinating stories, and deadly fight moves? Does the thought of adventure and action make your soul glow?  Well then here is a list of all Mortal Kombat games for you to go through and enjoy. 

Mortal Kombat Games in Order Of Release

1. Mortal Kombat

When talking about Mortal Kombat (Visit Here) games in order, this one is the very first. Released in October of 1992, this game was compatible with most of the then-available devices and platforms.

The plot consists of an extremely interesting series of events. There are several characters and each character has a unique and complex backstory of its own.

Mortal Kombat Games in Order

In the very first game of the series the evil and dark forces of the Outworld want to conquer and destroy the earth, these forces want to finish the earth-realm, but this is when the Elder gods decide to put an end to the wrath of the Outworlders by introducing the Mortal Kombat tournaments.

 The Outworlders are not in any way allowed to invade the earth before they win ten Mortal Kombat tournaments against the great warriors of earth.

The Outworld is ruled and run by Shao Kahn, whereas the earth has exceptionally great warriors such as Liu Kang and Sonya Blade who with the undying support of the thunder god Raiden fight the outworlders and Liu Kang becomes the champion of Mortal Kombat.

2. Mortal Kombat II 

This game comes second when putting Mortal Kombat games in order. The first sequel of the franchise became available for its fans in the April of the year 1993, just like its prequel this new part of Mortal Kombat is also compatible with a lot of platforms namely Amiga, PlayStation,  Arcade, Saturn, etc.

In the first part we saw the defeat of the Outworld at the hands of the Earth-realm and Liu Kang being named the king.

Mortal Kombat Games in Order 1

This part begins with Shang Tsung who is a minion to the Outworld’s emperor Shao Kahn, begging for the emperor’s mercy after the devastating defeat in Mortal Kombat.

To save his life, Tsung plants an idea into Kahn’s mind that by the rules of the Elder Gods an invitation to Mortal Kombat cannot be turned down or refused.

 Therefore they must extend an invitation to Raiden the thunder god and force the warriors of the earth to come to the Outworld where they can easily be defeated. Listening to Tsung’s plan the emperor is impressed and thus spares Tsung’s life and rejuvenates him with youth and good health. 

Receiving the invitation Raiden asks the warriors to join him, Raiden and his warriors enter the Outworld and this time the Mortal Kombat is even deadlier because Shao Kahn has the advantage of being in his element.

The warriors of earth can not afford to lose this fight, else the dark evil forces will take over earth and wreak havoc. Ultimately Liu Kang the brave warrior of earth defeats Shao Kahn and once again is crowned the undefeated champion of Mortal Kombat. 

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Mortal Kombat 2 - Sub-Zero Play Through

3. Mortal Kombat 3 

Released in 1995 this sequel of Mortal Kombat had several advanced features, not only was it compatible with a lot of digital platforms but it also had special characteristics such as Kombat Kode.

Which gave the players an edge to ender secret codes which revealed certain concealed characters, a new finishing move was also introduced, named as Animality wherein the character could turn into an animal before killing the opponent.

 Moving on to the plot, unable to come to peace with his defeat Shao Kahn hatches another plan to win Mortal Combat and asks Shang Tsung to seek help from the shadow priest to resurrect queen Sindel the former empress of the Outworld.

Sindel was no ordinary queen, she possessed an ability to enter the earth, an ability Shao Kahn wished he had. Once Sindel was resurrected, the Outworlders were able to enter earth and Shao Kahn, laden with wrath killed many humans, however, some humans were saved by Raiden who was able to protect their souls.

 The twist in the tale being that Raiden’s protection was limited only to the souls, the bodies were still vulnerable to Shao Kahn and his troop’s attack.

The warriors took on the responsibility to defeat Shao Kahn and once again Liu Kang won Mortal Kombat and the Outworlders returned to where they belonged. 

4. Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

This part of the Mortal Kombat series is set in a time before it all began and was the first spin-off to be launched as a part of the franchise.

This video game was only compatible with Playstation and Nintendo 64, critics claimed that the version available for Playstation was far more superior to the one available for Nintendo 64.

The Mortal Kombat series has several spin-offs, therefore it is necessary to put all Mortal Kombat games in order for the fans to understand and relate.  

The game portrays a scenario of before the original Mortal Kombat in 1992, where Quan Chi the sorcerer hires Sub-Zero to steal the amulet of the fallen elder god Shinnok for him, but ultimately Quan Chi ends up deceiving and cheating Sub-Zero and at the end of the game Sub-Zero gets his hands on the amulet and delivers it to the thunder god Raiden.

Sub-Zero is then hired by a powerful sorcerer known as Shang Tsung to go ahead and fight the deadly battle of Mortal Kombat. 

5. Mortal Kombat 4

Came forth in the October of 1997 this action-adventure game portrays a scenario of thousands of years before the tournaments of Mortal Kombat began.

It shows the fallen god Shinnok who waged a war against the other gods, being locked up in a dimensional prison, until the present where Quan Chi the sorcerer frees him from the prison. 

Shinnok takes charge of the Outworld and leads an invasion against the Earth-realm and the kingdom of Edenia. Raiden the thunder god gets support from his brother Fujin, the god of wind. Ultimately Shinnok experiences defeat at the hands of Liu Kang. 

6. Mortal Kombat Special Forces

Released specifically for PlayStation, this part stands to be the prequel of the entire Mortal Kombat series, even before the tale of Sub-Zero. The game focuses on the Eye of Chitian which is a special artifact that opens gates directly to the other realms.

Black Dragon’s army and Kanno are after this artifact, but Jax, a character who wants to seek revenge for them for killing his comrades, stops them from obtaining it.  

7. Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance

Putting all Mortal Kombat games in order this sequel lands on the seventh position.  Launched in 2002, this video game is the fifth part of the main Mortal Kombat series aside from the spin-offs. It could be run on platforms like GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, etc.

 This version of Mortal Kombat focuses on the concoction of a deadly alliance between the sorcerer Quan Chi and Shang Tsung of the Outworld. Quan Chi hatches a plan to resurrect the evil army of the Dragon King, the very first emperor of the Outworld.

Before they proceed to resurrect the evil army of the dead soldiers, they decide to first kill Shao Kahn the emperor of Outworld, and after doing that they reach Earth where they have to fight the great warrior Liu Kang whom they manage to kill. 

After killing Liu Kang the two dark sorcerers return to Outworld where they carry the souls of the dead warriors with them to rejuvenate the dead army. Meanwhile,  Raiden gathers support from the greatest warriors Earth-realm has, so as to fight against these evil forces. 

This version of the game was then also launched on the Game Boy Advance and was referred to as the Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition, this edition received a lot of positive comments and views from the fans.

This video game also showcased several different fighting styles, unique to each character. Players witnessed the introduction of Konquest mode wherein the backstories of all characters were explained. 

8. Mortal Kombat Deception

Released in the year 2004 this came was compatible with platforms like PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube. In this sequel, the warriors of Earth-realm along with Raiden attack Shang Tsung’s palace but all the warriors are killed and Raiden is the only one left breathing. 

There is an emergence of jealousy and lust for more and more power which invites trouble between Shang Tsung and Quan Chi and both of them to want to defeat each other and take maximum control.

Shang Tsung is defeated by Quan Chi, but just as this happens there is the entry of a giant figure who happens to be Onaga, the Dragon King. 

The purpose of the return of Onaga was to reclaim his throne and take control of his army. Raiden joins hands with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung to eliminate Onaga.

Raiden the thunder god creates a massive explosion to kill Onaga but instead ends up killing Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and himself. Onaga remains untouched and attains the amulet of Quan Chi. 

Shujinko who brought the Dragon King back to life and was deceived by him defeats Onaga and the warriors of Earth-realm are freed. The game had a unique combo breaker mechanic. 

9. Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks

This video game is so far the last spin-off to be made in the Mortal Kombat series. It is set in the timeline between the first two parts.

It follows the Shaolin Monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who travel across the many realms and kill Shao Kahn’s soldiers namely Jade, Reptile, Baraka, Goro, Scorpion, Kano, Ermac, Shang Tsung, and Kintaro. 

This game was released in September of 2005 and was compatible with PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This was the first version of the game to have a versus mode where two players could go up against each other.

The representation of the series of events taking place in the game was from the perspective of a third person. This video game gained a lot of popularity amongst fans and extremely good reviews from critics. 

10. Mortal Kombat Armageddon  

Launched in October of 2006 this part is compatible with platforms like PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox. Long before the battle of Mortal Kombat began it was predicted that there would be a fight that would destroy all the realms because the powers and greatness of the warriors of the realms would be uncontrollable and extremely overwhelming. 

This prediction led King Argus to put his two sons Taven and Daegon into incubation so that when the right time comes, the two of them would awaken and put an end to the Armageddon even before it begins. Not only is Taven’s mission to prevent Armageddon, but also to take revenge on Daegon for killing his family. 

Taven kills Daegon but inevitably fails to stop the Armageddon. This version of Mortal Kombat had a create your own hero mechanic called Kreate, using the players could also create their very own unique finishing moves. 

11. Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe

Speaking of all Mortal Kombat games in order, this one stands out. This video game was the last part of the series to be made by midway, after this they went bankrupt and the franchise was sold to Warner Bros.

Interactive Entertainment. Released in 2008, this game, was the first-ever crossover in the Mortal Kombat series. In this video game, the DC universe merges with Mortal Kombat.

 Quan Chi manifests a portal to escape the wrath of Raiden, Raiden hits Shao Kahn with a bolt of thunder. Meanwhile, in the DC metropolis, Superman hits Darkseid with a heatwave. Eventually, these two universes fuse, and Dark Kahn is created as a result.

Superman and Raiden joined forces to defeat Dark Kahn and re-stabilized the two universes, but as a result, both the evil influences namely Shao Kahn and Darkseid find themselves in the opposite universes. 

Darkseid gets thrown into the Outworld and is trapped there, on the other hand, Shao Kahn is trapped in Phantom Zone. 

12. Mortal Kombat (2011)

A very interesting feature of this sequel of Mortal Kombat was the introduction of the  X-ray move which showed the player the internal damage that their brutal moves are causing to the opponent.

This game was compatible with several platforms including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, etc.

The battle of Armageddon leaves only two survivors, Shao Kahn and the thunder god Raider, Just as Raider is about to be killed by Shao Kahn, he sends a vision to his past self,  to attempt to change the series of events and outcomes in the present. 

Raiden is successful in preventing Shao Kahn’s victory in Mortal Kombat but ends up killing Liu Kang in self-defense. Raider loses most of his allies and supporters to Queen Sindel. Raiden with the help of the other elder gods is able to kill Shao Kahn but still blames himself for the death of Liu Kang.

 Raiden, with the help of the remaining survivor’s Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, takes a decision to rebuild the Earth-realm. In the end, it is revealed that Quan Chi and Shinnok have been working together to make a plan to conquer the Earth-realm in the name of the Outworld. 

13. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection

This part released in 2011 is a collection of the first three games from the series i.e. Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and III.

It has all the qualities of the previous versions with an additional plus point that it is compatible with even more digital platforms such as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, therefore keeping it up to date and making the game more relevant to the present times. 

It has more playable characters. The main attraction of fans towards this game was because of the newly introduced online mode and the trophy system. 

14. Mortal Kombat X

This new version of Mortal Kombat earned its popularity because of the introduction of two new fatalities i.e. finishing moves.

The players witness Shinnok and Quan Chi leading an army of resurrected soldiers to conquer the Earth-realm where they face Raiden and his warriors Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, and Sonya Blade. Shinnok is imprisoned after they collide but Quan Chi somehow manages to escape and run away. 

The next scene shows a scenario of twenty years later where Quan Chi appears again in an attempt to free Shinnok.

At the end of this sequel it is seen that laden with power, Raiden becomes a corrupt god and threatens Kitana and Liu Kang who are now the rulers of the Occult Realm. Released in the year 2015 this game could be played on Microsoft Window, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. 

15. Mortal Kombat 11

This video game was launched in 2019 and can be played on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PlayStation, etc.

Kronika is introduced here as a mysterious lady who is determined to maintain the peace and stability of all realms at any cost. She is the keeper of time, who is adamant that she wants to get rid of Raiden for interfering with time. 

Raiden now emerges as Dark Raiden who no longer possesses a peaceful approach, rather is very aggressive in all matters of Earth-realm.

Dark Raiden begins to torture Shinnok with lightning bolts and says that he can to take Shinnok’s arrogance anymore and wants to finish him, to which Shinnok replies that no one can kill him because he is an elder god.

Dark Raiden cuts off Shinnok’s head which still has life in it and throws it to make an example out of him for Liu Kang and Kittana.  

16. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath 

Last in the list of Mortal Kombat games in order is the latest version launched in May of 2020, it is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

The specialty of this version of the game is that the player can choose which character to fight with. At the end of this sequel of the franchise Kung Lao of the Shaolin temple trains the winner to become the ultimate champion of Mortal Kombat. 

These were all the Mortal Kombat games in order, to help the fans stay up to date!