Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection: All original games ranked

Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection is the latest compilation from Klassic Mortal Combat games. With 11 titles from the series’ past, players can also try out fatalities through a helpful tutorial, easily unlock tricks like fighters and secret modes, and much more.

However, for those new to the series, it might be difficult to distinguish some of them, especially since Mortal Kombat 3 appears essentially three times in this collection. With plenty to play for once the Heritage Collection arrives October 30 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, we rank each game featured, from worst to best.

The escapee recaps

• Developed by Midway, then NetherRealm, Mortal Combat debuted in 1992 on arcades, becoming a smash hit, before arriving on many home consoles of the time.
• Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection releases October 30 and includes 11 games from the series’ past, plus interviews, move help, and more.
• Around 100 million copies of the series have been sold since its debut in 1992.
• The last title in the series, Mortal Kombat 1was released in 2023 to average reception, with many noting how damaging its absurd plot has become.
• Most recent Mortal Combat movie, Mortal Kombat 2arrives May 8, 2026.

All ranked games

10. Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

As the series’ first spin-off, 1997’s Mythologies of Mortal Kombat: Sub-Zero should have been a demonstration of quality MK could work outside of the fighting genre. Instead, the game buried this opportunity before it actually started. The platformer required players to take control of Sub-Zero through a variety of levels, but you’d likely abandon the game within the first hour.

A multitude of faults are to blame here. First, the controls make even transforming Sub-Zero a frustrating chore. Jumping between platforms can be very unfair, leading some to fall and die. Hitboxes when trying to defeat enemies would also change on the fly.

Overall, it would be a disappointing start, but one wonders how the Heritage Collection the version will try to do Mythologies of Mortal Kombat: Sub-Zero less frustrating to play. The acting, however, is a B-movie joy to behold.

9. Mortal Kombat: Special Forces

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces was such a bad game that the original developer, Midway, suspended the entire series until they were absolutely ready to release the fifth mainline title. Released in 2000 for PlayStation, you take control of Jax, the steel-armed fighter, where you run and shoot across five levels in dark and grimy environments.

The controls are slightly better compared to Mythologies: Sub-Zero, that’s why it’s higher than the game on this list, but don’t let that fool you. Long loading times, very sparse and boring areas, and terrible combat mechanics made this a game to avoid upon its initial release.

8. Mortal Kombat Advance

In the early 2000s, the Game Boy Advance handheld was powerful enough to incorporate ports of the Sega Genesis and SNES consoles, but by 2001 Mortal Kombat Advance was a downgrade in many areas. Being a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3you can still play as all 23 characters, but they all control like they’re sleepwalking through molasses.

Steep and slow, it’s more frustrating to pull off special moves here. The opponent’s AI is also very frustrating, as it is far too slow when reacting to movements. Additionally, the music sounds terrible, with the same track usually playing with poor quality beeps and stops. In the end, the GBA was not console enough to handle the UMK3.

7. Mortal Kombat 3

Can you imagine a brand new Mortal Combat a game that doesn’t feature Scorpion and Kitana? In 1995, Mortal Kombat 3 made it a reality, receiving a generally disappointing reception. The title was steeped in a grittier art style than before, with levels set in locations like a bank, a skyscraper rooftop, and more.

The graphics were sharper here too, with more detailed animations, allowing for more deaths and new types, like combo-bashing brutalities, and Friendship, where a few button presses will offer a friendly gift to the opponent in a strange way.

The lack of classic Mortal Combat characters, frustrating combos, and significant lag when using Shang Tsung to transform into another character resulted in a game that marked for many the moment the series began to lose its way. However, it captured the mood of the invasion of Earth well.

6. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

In 2002, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance It was a return to form for the series, at least the PS2 version was, but the GBA version did the best it could with its limited technology.

With 21 characters and two secret fighters, the GBA port did an admirable job of delivering an old-school style. MK experience but with new characters and scenes. Today, this version feels like a demake of Deadly Alliance, which is now part of its charm.

5. Mortal Kombat 4

By the late 1990s, almost every franchise was moving to 3D, thanks to the huge successes of Super Mario 64, tomb Raiderand others earlier in the decade. Mortal Kombat 4 was another example of moving from 2D to 3D, transporting the gore, fatalities, and special moves onto a three-dimensional plane, and it largely succeeded.

With 15 characters, including seven new ones, there was a lot more variety, as well as the ability to use weapons or items scattered throughout certain levels. However, upon its release in 1997, other titles like Tekken2, Dead or alivehad already surpassed MK4, which makes it a decent fighting game, but it doesn’t add anything to the 3D genre.

4. Mortal Kombat Trilogy

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate equivalent of “They’re all here!” » First created as an update to Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3it instead received a full release in 1996. It features almost every character from the first three titles, as well as a new one called Chameleon.

As a bonus, Digital Eclipse fixed a long-standing issue with Shang Tsung here. In the PlayStation version, transforming into another character would cause everything to freeze, so the game would load the form. Not anymore Heritage Collectionbecause there is no loading time. Eventually, Trilogy It’s a great moment, honoring the first three tracks wonderfully.

3. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Midway has seen the error of its ways with Mortal Kombat 3hastily releasing Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 just seven months later. Four characters returned, including Scorpion, Reptile, Kitana and Jade, as well as three secret fighters, unlockable only by the Kombat Kode, found before a two-player match. But there were still other improvements to be found.

The opponent AI received some love, while adding a new extra-hard “Master” difficulty, new backgrounds for existing levels, and an eight-player Tournament mode. All this has been done Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 a nice improvement, with a lot to like, although arguably everything should have been in the original game. UMK3 was the real one MK3.

2. Mortal Combat

Mortal Combatreleased in 1992, arguably started a part of the 90s that revolved around gore. One year later Street Fighter IIUpon release, players could punch, kick, and perform a “Fatality” to finish off their opponent in a variety of gruesome ways. With seven characters to choose from, each with their own abilities and finishers, this only added to the replayability of the game.

What did Mortal Combat special wasn’t just the gore. These are the graphics, characters, music, controls inspired by Street Fighter IIand the whispers of secrets that put the series on the map. Being released on every system imaginable at the time, it was hard to avoid Mortal Combatbut this is proof of his success and success.

1. Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat IIreleased just a year after its predecessor, is a perfect example of how to make a sequel. With 12 playable characters, including five new ones, you can also try to reveal the three hidden fighters. There’s a lot here, like new moves, fatalities, and new ways to finish off your opponent, like Brutalities and strange Babalities.

Everything seemed more refined, and when it came to Mortal Kombat IIIn the USS home ports, none of them felt compromised. Even the Game Boy version was awesome to play, which is probably why it’s included in the Heritage Collection. Combined with the two difficult but great bosses to fight, Mortal Kombat II is the definition of why the series is still relevant, all these years later.

Mortal Kombat 2 This is where the series really started to gain traction and become a household name.

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