Summary
Originally released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC back on July 10, 2025,Mortal Kombat 11turns five years old today, though that might be hard to believe for some fans. Generally speaking,Mortal Kombat 11has aged fairly well, both in terms of graphics and gameplay. Though they might not shine quite as brightly asMortal Kombat 1’s,MK11’s arenas still look vibrant and lively, and though they might not be as fluid or responsive asMortal Kombat 1’s,MK11’s combosstill feel great to execute. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to comparing the two most recent entries.
Despite releasing four years after its predecessor,Mortal Kombat 1is still regarded as a slightly weaker game by some fans. While it’s a common staple of the fighting game genre to hate the current entry and believe the last one was actually superior, there are a few lessons thatMortal Kombat 11could still teach its younger sibling.
Mortal Kombat 11 Still Has Some Lessons to Teach Five Years Later
Mortal Kombat 1 Could Still Learn From MK11’s Krypt
Mortal Kombat 1had a decent amount of content on launch. Though it still only clocked in at around six hours,Mortal Kombat 1’s main story featured some of the best presentation, writing, and set pieces that the franchise has ever seen, making it a definite highlight of the day-oneMortal Kombat 1experience. On top of this great campaign,Mortal Kombat 1also offered its classicChallenge Tower mode, and an intriguing board-game like Invasions mode, which would continue to see new content via seasonal updates.
However, one big thing thatMortal Kombat 1lacked was a Krypt. One of the big highlights ofMortal Kombat 11was its extensive Krypt mode, whichMK1dropped completely. While Invasions technically offers similar rewards to those normally found in the Krypt, actually unlocking them in Invasions doesn’t feel quite as rewarding as it does inMortal Kombat 11’s bonus mode.
Mortal Kombat 1’s DLC Should Learn From MK11 Aftermath
Mortal Kombat 11also has a lot to teachMK1when it comes to its eventual story DLC. Announced rather nonchalantly back in December of last year by Ed Boon during a talk at CCXP23,Mortal Kombat 1will have a “second part with more story…just like [NetherRealm] did withMK11.“Mortal Kombat 11’s Aftermath DLCexpansion launched just a little over a year after the base game and brought with it a 3-hour campaign, along with a handful of new playable characters. These playable characters offered a nice balance of returning franchise staples and guest characters, and its campaign moved the series' main story along in a meaningful way.
Mortal Kombat 11’s Aftermath DLC breathed new life into the fighting game, and ifMortal Kombat 1’s own story DLCcan offer a similar amount of content and a similar level of quality, then it could repeat history in the best way.Mortal Kombat 1is still pulling in solid numbers, likely due to its drip-feeding of DLC characters, but its active player-count has definitely been better, and this upcoming story DLC could be the refresh it needs, just like Aftermath was forMK1.
Mortal Kombat 11
WHERE TO PLAY
A world of pain awaitsEnter a new era of kombat with the 11th installment of the iconic fighting franchise – and reveal the consequences of Raiden’s actions dating back to the dawn of the bone-crunching series.Witness the manipulation of time itself as new characters enter the fray with the power to twist the flow of the battle, buy themselves precious seconds, and get the upper hand. Battle-hardened warriors encounter their former selves, Time Quakes shake up matches, and everything you thought you knew about Mortal Kombat will be challenged as the all-powerful force behind the brutal tournament reveals herself.
