Mortal Kombat 1

Officially the twelfth instalment in the series, Mortal Kombat 1 serves as a direct sequel to 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11.

Designed to take advantage of ninth-generation consoles, Mortal Kombat 1 stunned fans across the globe on a number of levels. Immediately evident from its launch trailer was that the game would be a huge departure, with fresh-faced kombatants, a gorgeous Asian aesthetic and blurred alliances. This change was the result of Liu Kang’s new era, a timeline forged by the Fire God following his defeat on Kronika in 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11.

Mortal Kombat 1 saw the introduction of a unique Kameo system, a secondary kombatant that players could summon to aid their primary fighter in battle. The Kameo system allowed NetherRealm Studios to reintroduce warriors such as Motaro, whose distinctive attributes previously prevented him appearing in modern titles until now. In addition to summon and ambush attacks, Kameos also have the ability to assist in Fatal Blows, as well as unleash their own devastating finishing moves. Air combos make a pleasurable return after being absent from the series since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, as well as the Breaker system which replaces the unpopular Breakaway move introduced in Mortal Kombat 11.

Although many believed that Konquest would make a triumphant return in Mortal Kombat 1, we instead received a new mode called Invasions. Laid out a bit like a board game, players moved about completing various fights with modifiers, endurance matches, survival challenges, towers and more to unlock content. In addition, Test Your Might also makes a return.

Year 2 was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in late July 2024, introducing an expansion titled “Khaos Reigns” as well as the return of Animalities 29 years after their inception in Mortal Kombat 3. In addition to an expanded Story mode, Year 2 also sees the introduction of Kombat Pack 2 which adds Noob Saibot, Cyrax and Sektor (both of whom are now female), as well as guest fighters Ghostface, Conan the Barbarian and T-1000 to the main roster. Towers of Time also make a return after first featuring in Mortal Kombat 11, and a total of 13 new arenas were added (including variants).

• Developer: NetherRealm Studios
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Director: Ed Boon
• Designer: Paulo Garcia
• Artists: Steve Beran, Joe Berger
• Composers: Dan Forden, Wilbert Roget II
• Release date: 19 September 2023

MOVELIST NOTATIONS
FP  Front Punch
BP  Back Punch
FK  Front Kick
BK  Back Kick
BL  Block
FS  Flip Stance
TH  Throw
KM  Kameo
/  Or
SYMBOLS
  Perform during previously listed move
  Hover over/tap to display Super Meter requirements
  Hover over/tap to display Kameo Meter requirements and/or effects
  Hover over/tap to display in-game notes and/or requirements
  Denotes a Seasonal Finisher; bundle must first be purchased from the in-game Premium Store
GENERAL TIPS
Kombo Breakers require three bars of Super Meter and your Kameo must be available.
Fatal Blows can only be performed if you have 30% health or less and your Kameo is available.
Most Enhanced Special Moves require one bar of Super Meter, unless otherwise specified.
It is recommended with some Finishing Moves that you hold BL to stop your kombatant from jumping. Where listed, it must be released before tapping the final input, or alternatively after the final  command.
Animalities were added via a free update alongside the Khaos Reigns expansion.
FINISHING MOVE DISTANCES
Close  Right next to opponent.
Mid  About half a screen away from opponent.
Far  About a full screen away from opponent.
Anywhere  Distance from opponent is irrelevant.

Main Roster

Kameos

Base Game

Having liberated the Hourglass and become Keeper of Time, my next task was to restart history. Not beholden to past events, I was free to craft a new era.

It was with humility and restraint that I approached this blank canvas. After careful preparation, I began work. Painting over the darkness. After eons passed, I sketched out the realms. After eons more, I brushed them in with life.

In my new era, all beings will have the opportunity to find peace. Whether or not they do, will be their responsibility. For my power only permits me to begin this endeavour. It is the duty of mortals to finish it.

Fire God Liu Kang

Khaos Reigns

Ahh…Fool, you have learned nothing. Khaos is unknowable. Unpredictable.

You are in no way prepared to stop the pain you will endure.

Titan Havik

Story Mode Playthrough (Base Game)

Story Mode Playthrough (Khaos Reigns)

All platforms

• Fight Floyd
  Added in the January 2025 update patch, Floyd is a hidden kombatant that can be fought if certain challenges are completed. Floyd will sometimes jump down before a match starts and give you clues on how to find him.
  
  There are a total of 37 possible challenges, with each player assigned a random 10 to complete. If you are successful in completing a challenge, a small pink Floyd notification will appear on your player’s side of the screen, bundled with a distinctive guitar riff. Once you have completed your 10 challenges, the screen will smash and you will be given three opportunities to defeat Floyd. If you fail, you will be assigned 10 new challenges and must start from scratch.
  Challenges are completed most easily in Versus mode with a second controller, unless an individual mode is specified. Those that don’t mention completing a match in some fashion will yield yield a notification almost straight away, so if you don’t receive one after completing a simple challenge move on.
  • Floyd Checklist (PDF, 2 MB)
  • #1 – Total Disrespect: Taunt 4 times in a match.
  • #2 – Jumping Gets You Nowhere: Win a match without jumping.
  • #3 – Klean Sweep: Win a match, having performed exactly 13 sweeps.
  • #4 – Get Over Here Already: Select Scorpion. Win a match, ending with either a Fatality or an Animality.
  • #5 – Flipping Out: Win a match, having flipped stance exactly 16 times.
  • #6 – Up & Away: Win a match, having performed exactly 5 uppercuts.
  • #7 – No Elder God: Land the First Hit in a match against Raiden.
  • #8 – I Make The Rules: Select Liu Kang. Win a match, defeating your opponent with a Double Flawless.
  • #9 – No Luna: Win a match against Reptile, defeating your opponent with a Double Flawless.
  • #10 – Fire & Ice: Select Scorpion as your main fighter and Sub-Zero as your Kameo. Perform a kombo that deals at least 400 damage, making sure to utilise both kombatants.
  • #11 – Ice & Fire: Select Sub-Zero as your main fighter and Scorpion as your Kameo. Perform at least a 5-Hit kombo, making sure to utilise both kombatants.
  • #12 – Perfect Kouple: Select Johnny Cage as your main fighter and Sonya as your Kameo. Win a match, defeating your opponent with a Double Flawless.
  • #13 – Get The Horns: Select General Shao as your main fighter and Motaro as your Kameo. Perform a Fatal Blow on your opponent, activating Motaro’s Charge! variant by pressing KM during Start-Up.
  • #14 – Hip Hop 4 Ever: Win a match, having performed exactly 22 jumps.
  • #15 – Yeet!!!: Win a match, having performed exactly 7 throws (not Forward Throw).
  • #16 – This Is Where You Fall Down: Lose a match to Johnny Cage with less than 9 seconds remaining.
  • #17 – Timed Out: Lose a match by running out of time.
  • #18 – You Suck: Select General Shao. Lose a match to another General Shao on the Final Round when your opponent has less than 1% health remaining.
  • #19 – I’m Down Too: Win a match by only performing your kombatant’s uppercut ( BP). Hold BP on the final uppercut to end with a Brutality.
  • #20 – Fists Of Fury: Win a match by using ground-based punches only.
  • #21 – Kicking It: Win a match by using kicks only.
  • #22 – Sans Jade: Win a match by using front kicks only.
  • #23 – Losing Is Winning: Lose a match without doing anything.
  • #24 – Keep Kalm & Finish: Win a match by doing nothing at all in Round 1, then defeat your opponent in Round 2 and Final Round.
  • #25 – Demonic Duo: Select Ashrah as your main fighter and Sareena as your Kameo. Exhaust your Super Meter, then use Sareena’s Jataaka’s Blessing to regain your entire meter.
  • #26 – Frosty!!!: Select Sub-Zero as your main fighter and Sub-Zero as your Kameo. Perform Kameo Sub-Zero’s Deep Freeze, then have your opponent (who must also be Sub-Zero) attack and freeze themselves. Perform the same move twice more, being sure to Cancel one ( KM) and throw the other using Iceball Special ( KM).
  • #27 – Toasty!!!: Select Scorpion as your main fighter and Scorpion as your Kameo. Stand close to your opponent and use Kameo Scorpion’s Aura of Flame three times by holding KM to ignite yourself and your opponent.
  • #28 – Ka Ballin’: Select Mileena. Land her Roll 7 times.
  • #29 – Hat Trick: Select Kung Lao both as your main fighter and as your Kameo. Land every hat-based move from both fighters. For your main fighter, these include Buzzsaw, (Air) Buzzsaw, Hat Toss, Hat Toss (Direct Up) and Hat Toss (Direct Down). For your Kameo, these include Buzz Saw, Orbiting Hat and Orbiting Hat (Wobbly Orbit).
  • #30 – Fatal Finish: Perform a Fatality with 5 different kombatants.
  • #31 – You Finish Yet???: Perform a total of 5 Fatalities with one kombatant.
  • #32 – Inner Beast: Perform a total of 2 Animalities with one kombatant.
  • #33 – Shaolin Monks: Select Liu Kang as your main fighter and Kung Lao as your Kameo. Complete a Klassic Tower, then begin a local Versus match to obtain the notification.
  • #34 – Door Buster: Replay Chapter 5, Part 4 of Story Mode (Trapped), and successfully complete Baraka’s Test Your Might sequence. Once Baraka bursts through the door, return to the main menu then begin a local Versus match to obtain the notification.
  • #35 – Climb The Pyramid: Replay Chapter 15 of Story Mode and reach the top of the Pyramid. Following the kredits, return to the main menu then begin a local Versus match to obtain the notification.
  • #36 – Challenge Accepted: Earn 20 points from Towers of Time challenges.
  • #37 – Quest Keeper: Complete two Daily Challenges from within your Kombat Profile.

• Play as Havik
  To unlock Havik, simply complete Story mode.

• Play as Shang Tsung
  Shang Tsung was offered exclusively as a pre-order bonus. If you did not pre-order the game, you will need to purchase him from your platform’s relevant online store.

• Unlock Kameos
  Upon launching the game for the first time you will notice that a total of five Kameo slots are unavailable. In order to unlock them, you must level up your profile by earning XP, which can be done across almost any game mode.
  • Scorpion: Level your profile up to 5.
  • Sub-Zero: Level your profile up to 10.
  • Kung Lao: Level your profile up to 15.
  • Shujinko: Level your profile up to 20.
  • Motaro: Level your profile up to 25.

• Extra Arenas and Variations
  Additional arenas and variations can be unlocked by either levelling up your profile or completing particular tasks.
  • Cage Mansion (Night): Level your profile up to 7.
  • Wu Shi Academy (Evening): Level your profile up to 13.
  • Corrupted Forest (Night): Level your profile up to 17.
  • Tarkatan Colony (Night): Level your profile up to 27.
  • The Fire Temple (Early Dawn): Level your profile up to 33.
  • The Tea House (Night): Level your profile up to 37.
  • Ying Fortress (Snow): Level your profile up to 43.
  • The Flesh Pits (Experiment Off): Level your profile up to 47.
  • Living Forest (Storm): Level your profile up to 53.
  • Shang Tsung’s Laboratory (Dawn): Level your profile up to 57.
  • The Gateway (Dusk): Level your profile up to 63.
  • Sun Do (Night): Level your profile up to 67.
  • The Hourglass (Damaged): Level your profile up to 73.
  • Temple of Katara Vala (Work Set): Level your profile up to 77.
  • The Great Hall (Day): Level your profile up to 83.
  • Hanging Gardens (Night): Level your profile up to 87.
  • Treasure Chamber (Smelter Off): Level your profile up to 93.
  • Tomb of the Dragon Army (Active): Level your profile up to 97.
  • The Tea House (Rain): Complete Season 5 of Invasions.
  • The Pyramid (Bottom, Middle, Top): Complete Story mode.
  • Corrupted Forest (Fog): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • The Fire Temple (Damaged): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • The Gateway (Khaos): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • The Great Hall (Damaged): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • Havik’s Citadel (Bedlam, Krimson): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • Khaoseum (Main Event, Night): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • The Maze (Day, Night): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • Night Market (Day, Night): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • Wu Shi Academy (Sunset): Purchase the Khaos Reigns expansion.
  • The Field (Sunset): Defeat Floyd (see Fight Floyd above for more information).

• Additional Announcer Voices
  Once unlocked, you can alter the announcer’s voice by going to Settings > Video & Audio.
  • Geras: Level your profile up to 50.
  • Johnny Cage: Complete the final mission in Cage’s Mansion in Invasions mode, titled “Ugly Me”.
  • Liu Kang: Complete Chapter 7 of Story mode.
  • Mileena: Purchase it from the game’s Premium Store for 1000 Dragon Krystals. As its contents rotates, you will need to check in regularly.
  • Noob Saibot: Defeat Titan Havik in the Khaos Reigns story expansion.
  • Omni-Man: Purchase it from the game’s Premium Store for 1000 Dragon Krystals. As its contents rotates, you will need to check in regularly.
  • Shang Tsung: Purchase it from the game’s Premium Store for 1000 Dragon Krystals. As its contents rotates, you will need to check in regularly.
  • Sindel: Purchase it from the game’s Premium Store for 1000 Dragon Krystals. As its contents rotates, you will need to check in regularly.
  • Sub-Zero: Reach level 20 in Mortal Kombat: Onslaught.