Look, if you’re trying to figure out the mortal kombat games in order, you’ve gotta accept one thing right away: Ed Boon and the team at NetherRealm love blowing up their own universe. It’s not a straight line. It’s more like a series of car crashes that somehow result in a faster car. You can’t just look at the release dates and think you understand the plot, because the series has literally rebooted itself three separate times. Honestly, it's a miracle the lore makes any sense at all.
The original 1992 arcade cabinet changed everything. It wasn't just the blood or the fatalities that got Senator Joe Lieberman all worked up back in the day; it was the vibe. But since that first digitized sprite of Liu Kang kicked Johnny Cage in the face, we've seen nearly 20 titles, including spin-offs that most people—rightfully—try to forget.
The Arcade Era: Where it All Began
In the beginning, things were simple. You had the 1992 original Mortal Kombat. Then came Mortal Kombat II in 1993, which many purists still consider the peak of the series. By the time Mortal Kombat 3 (and its Ultimate expansion) hit in 1995, the story was already getting weird. Shao Kahn wasn't just hosting a tournament anymore; he was literally merging Outworld with Earthrealm, which basically meant Sub-Zero was running around without a mask and robots were chasing people through the streets of New York.
Then came the transition to 3D. This is where a lot of casual fans checked out. Mortal Kombat 4 (1997) was the first leap into polygonal graphics. It introduced Shinnok and Quan Chi, characters who would eventually become massive deals, but at the time, everyone was just trying to get used to the side-stepping mechanics.
The Wilderness Years of the Early 2000s
Midway, the original publisher, started getting experimental. This gave us the "Deadly Alliance" era. If you’re playing the mortal kombat games in order, you have to look at these titles as a distinct trilogy of 3D fighters:
- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002): They actually killed off Liu Kang in the opening cinematic. Bold move.
- Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004): Introduced Konquest mode and Onaga the Dragon King.
- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006): This featured every single character from the previous games. It was a mess, but a glorious one.
By the time Armageddon ended, every single character was dead on a pyramid. The developers had written themselves into a corner so tight they had no choice but to hit the reset button. But before they did that, we got the weirdest outlier in the whole franchise: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008). It’s technically canon because it explains how the worlds split, but most fans treat it like a fever dream because Batman wasn't allowed to rip anyone's head off.
The NetherRealm Renaissance and the First Reboot
In 2011, the studio (now under Warner Bros. as NetherRealm Studios) released Mortal Kombat 9, simply titled Mortal Kombat. This is where the timeline splits. Raiden, about to be killed by Shao Kahn at the end of Armageddon, sends a psychic message back to his past self: "He must win."
This game retells the stories of MK1, MK2, and MK3 but with a time-travel twist that changes the outcomes. It’s brilliant. It's also incredibly brutal. This led directly into Mortal Kombat X (2015), which jumped forward 20 years and introduced the "Kombat Kids," like Cassie Cage and Jackie Briggs.
Then came Mortal Kombat 11 (2019). This game introduced Kronika, the Keeper of Time, who was annoyed that Raiden kept messing with the timeline. By the end of the Aftermath expansion, Liu Kang becomes a Fire God, takes control of the Hourglass, and decides to restart the entire universe from scratch. Again.
The New Era: Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)
Don't let the name fool you. Mortal Kombat 1 is actually the 12th main entry. It takes place in Liu Kang’s new timeline. Familiar characters have totally different roles. Kuai Liang (the second Sub-Zero) is now Scorpion. Mileena and Kitana are sisters who actually love each other (mostly). It’s a fresh start that still requires you to know everything that happened in the previous three games to understand why Liu Kang is so stressed out.
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The Spin-offs: A Mixed Bag of Fatalities
You can't talk about the mortal kombat games in order without mentioning the stuff that wasn't a fighting game. Some were okay. Some were disasters.
- Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (1997): A side-scrolling platformer that was notoriously difficult and featured live-action cutscenes that are now meme gold.
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces (2000): This is widely considered one of the worst games ever made. It stars Jax. Avoid it unless you're a completionist with a high pain tolerance.
- Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005): This is the outlier. It's a co-op beat 'em up following Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and it is genuinely fantastic. Fans have been begging for a sequel for twenty years.
Why the Order Actually Matters for Gameplay
If you're jumping in today, you might think the older games don't matter. You'd be wrong. The "feel" of MK changed drastically between the "Midway" era and the "NetherRealm" era.
The early games are about "dial-a-combos" and high-stakes spacing. The 3D era introduced weapons and fighting styles you could swap on the fly. The modern era (MK9 through MK1) perfected the "meter burn" system and cinematic "X-Ray" or "Fatal Blow" attacks. If you play them in order, you see the evolution of the fighting game genre itself. You see how the industry moved from digitized actors (real people filmed against green screens) to the incredibly high-fidelity facial scanning seen in the 2023 reboot.
Common Misconceptions About the Timeline
People often get confused about who is who. For example, the Scorpion in the original 1992 game is Hanzo Hasashi. The Scorpion in the 2023 game is Kuai Liang. If you don't track the mortal kombat games in order, you'll be wondering why the guy with the spear is suddenly the brother of the guy with the ice powers.
Another big one? The tournaments. There haven't actually been that many "Mortal Kombat" tournaments in the games. Most of the games are actually about the fallout of the tournaments or full-scale invasions. MK1 (1992), MK9 (the first half), and MK1 (2023) are really the only ones that focus on the actual bracket-style competition.
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Actionable Steps for New Players
If you want to actually experience this saga without losing your mind, here is the most logical path:
- Start with Mortal Kombat (2011), MKX, and MK11. This "NRS Trilogy" is a cohesive story that explains the modern lore perfectly. It’s the most cinematic experience in fighting games, period.
- Play Mortal Kombat 1 (2023) last. It's the current state of the universe. It’s also arguably the most polished in terms of mechanics, thanks to the "Kameo" fighter system.
- Watch a lore recap for the 3D era. Unless you have a functioning PS2 or an emulator, games like Deception and Armageddon are hard to play today. Watching a "History of Mortal Kombat" documentary on YouTube will fill in the gaps about Shinnok and the Elder Gods.
- Check out Shaolin Monks if you can. It’s the best piece of non-fighting game media the franchise has ever produced, including the movies.
The reality of the mortal kombat games in order is that it's a legacy of reinvention. From the gore-drenched arcades of the 90s to the multiverse-hopping epics of today, the series has survived by never being afraid to kill its darlings. Whether you're in it for the competitive frame data or just to see how many ways a spine can be removed, the timeline offers something uniquely chaotic that no other franchise has the guts to attempt.