Mortal Kombat 11 opens with a decapitation and ends with a reset of everything you know about the series. In between, NetherRealm Studios builds the most complete fighting game it has ever shipped — one that drew praise for its gameplay, story, graphics and netcode, and criticism for its microtransactions and its over-reliance on grinding.
Released April 23, 2019, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, Mortal Kombat 11 is the eleventh main installment in the franchise and a direct sequel to 2015’s Mortal Kombat X. NetherRealm developed it; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment published it. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2018. A Stadia version followed on November 19, 2019. Europe’s Switch version landed May 10, 2019, a few weeks behind the rest.
Trailer, via Gematsu.
Raiden Decapitates Shinnok
The story picks up after Shinnok’s defeat at the hands of Cassie Cage. Raiden is torturing the fallen Elder God in the damaged Jinsei Chamber. Corrupted by the Jinsei, he tells Shinnok he will no longer show mercy and will destroy Earthrealm’s enemies before they can strike. Shinnok reminds him that an Elder God cannot be killed. Raiden answers that “There are fates worse than death” and takes his head.
Kronika, the Keeper of Time, appears in the chamber. She is enraged that Raiden has upset the balance of time, tells Shinnok the Arc of Time bends to her will, and says “it’s only a matter of time.” Tired of Earthrealm’s defiance, she sets out to bring order to the universe through any means necessary.
That is a strong opening. It is also the last time the plot moves at that speed.
A Time Storm Erases Dark Raiden
Two years later, a Special Forces strike team led by Sonya Blade, Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs attacks the Netherrealm with Raiden’s help. They destroy the Netherrealm castle. Sonya dies doing it. Kronika immediately allies with the revenants and with Liu Kang and Kitana, the rulers of the Netherrealm.
Meanwhile, Kotal Kahn, the current emperor of Outworld, tries to execute Kollector, a loyalist to Shao Kahn. A time storm interrupts him and drops Shao Kahn, Skarlet, Baraka and younger versions of Kano, Erron Black, Jade, Raiden, Kitana, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Jax, Scorpion, Kabal, Triborg and Kung Lao into the present. Dark Raiden is erased from existence.
A fight breaks out in Kotal’s Koliseum. Baraka, Kollector, Skarlet, Shao Kahn, Triborg, Erron Black and Kano are spirited away to a hive and recruited for Kronika. Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Raiden show up at Special Forces HQ after making an alliance with Kotal. Jade and Kitana help Kotal defend Outworld.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao investigate the Wu Shi Academy and run into Geras, Kronika’s right-hand man, who escapes with energy capsules holding Earthrealm’s life force using his chronokinetic powers. The Special Forces learn that Sektor, backed by Noob Saibot, Triborg and a cyberized Frost, has restarted the Cyber Lin Kuei to build an army of cyborgs from kidnapped Lin Kuei warriors.
The roster runs to 37 playable characters: 25 in the base game, two of them unlockable, and 12 available as downloadable content, five of which are guest characters. That is a lot of fighters. It is also a lot of them locked behind a paywall or a grind.
Fatal Blows, Krushing Blows and a Flawless Block
Mortal Kombat 11 is a 2.5D fighting game, same as the previous three entries. The returning finishers are all here: Fatalities, Brutalities, Stage Fatalities, Friendships and Quitalities. Mercy comes back too, last seen in Mortal Kombat Trilogy — the winning player can revive an opponent after the “Finish Him” prompt, handing back a sliver of life.
The new mechanics are the story. Fatal Blows work like the X-ray moves from the 2011 reboot and Mortal Kombat X, dealing heavy damage, but they only unlock when your health drops below 30 percent and you get one per match. Krushing Blows are critical-hit versions of specific special moves or combos, triggered by meeting certain requirements, showing graphic body injuries and draining as much as 30 percent health in a single hit.
Flawless Block is the best addition. Block an attack with precise timing and you get a comeback window. It rewards knowing the matchup instead of mashing.
The Kustom Variation system is the other big swing. It borrows the Gear system from Injustice 2 and improves on the Variation system from Mortal Kombat X. Every character starts with skins, gear and moves, and you can customize from there.
The Grind Is the Problem
Here is where Mortal Kombat 11 gets in its own way.
The console versions drew generally favorable reviews at launch, with praise for the gameplay, the story, the graphics and the improved netcode. The criticism landed on microtransactions and an over-reliance on grinding. That criticism is correct, and it has aged well.
The Fatal Blows have a smaller problem. They deal massive damage but skip the bone-breaking X-ray imagery of earlier games, showing no bones or internal anatomy. Compared with Mortal Kombat X and the Komplete edition, that reads as a downgrade, not a stylistic choice.
Aftermath and Ultimate
Support did not stop at launch. An expansion called Aftermath arrived May 26, 2020, adding a story mode, three characters, new stages, and the return of stage fatalities and the friendship finishing move.
An enhanced version, Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate, collected all downloadable content to that point and launched November 17, 2020, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
| Release | Date | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat 11 | April 23, 2019 | Switch, PS4, Windows, Xbox One |
| Mortal Kombat 11 (Europe Switch) | May 10, 2019 | Switch |
| Mortal Kombat 11 (Stadia) | November 19, 2019 | Google Stadia |
| Aftermath expansion | May 26, 2020 | Not specified |
| Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate | November 17, 2020 | Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
A sequel and series reboot, Mortal Kombat 1, followed on September 19, 2023.
What Mortal Kombat 11 Gets Right
Fatal Blows add a layer of execution to combos that already demanded precision. Krushing Blows do the same. Flawless Block gives the defense a real skill ceiling, and the Kustom Variation system is a genuine improvement on the Variation system from Mortal Kombat X.
The cinematic story mode is the genre’s benchmark. Kronika’s time storm lets NetherRealm put young and old versions of the same fighters in the same room, and the cast is deep enough to carry it. The 25 years of saga the game builds on are not a marketing line here; they are the actual material.
The graphics engine does what it promises, and the skull-shattering, eye-popping moments land close enough to feel. That is the game at its best.
The Verdict on Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 is the most accomplished fighting game NetherRealm has made, and it is held back by a progression system built around grinding and microtransactions. The mechanics are sharp, the story mode is the genre’s benchmark, and the roster is enormous. The grind is not a footnote to that — it shapes how the game feels to play for anyone who does not want to spend extra.
The Aftermath expansion and the Ultimate edition added content. They did not change the design philosophy underneath it. What matters most here is the fight itself: Fatal Blows, Krushing Blows and Flawless Block will outlast every complaint about gear unlocks.
That is the paper’s view. A fighting game this good with an economy this hostile is still worth playing — it is just a more expensive one than it needed to be.
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