When Acclaim released the home versions of Midway's digitized-fighter hit on Mortal Monday in September 1993, the Super Nintendo cartridge had the better graphics and sound, but Nintendo had required the blood to be turned into grey sweat and the fatalities to be replaced with tamer finishers. The Genesis version kept its gore behind a code and outsold it, and the difference fed into the debates that led to the ESRB rating system. Sculptured Software handled the SNES conversion.
The roster is the original seven: Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Kano, Raiden, Sub-Zero and Scorpion, with the four-armed Goro and the shapeshifting sorcerer Shang Tsung as bosses. The fighting is simpler than Street Fighter II, with a dedicated block button, a strong uppercut and a small set of special moves for each fighter. Mortal Kombat II on the same system restored the blood the following year.
Tips for Mortal Kombat
Crouch and press high punch for an uppercut, which does heavy damage and punishes jump-ins.
Scorpion's spear is back, back and low punch, and Sub-Zero's freeze is down, toward and low punch.
Finishing moves only work at a specific distance after you win the deciding round, so experiment with how close to stand.
How to Play Mortal Kombat
Click Play Now to launch Mortal Kombat directly in your browser — no downloads or plugins needed. The four face keys Z, X, A and S give high and low punches and kicks, and a shoulder key, Q or W, blocks. Enter pauses. You can also connect a USB or Bluetooth gamepad for a more authentic feel.
Save states let you save your progress at any point. Create a free account to sync saves across devices. Press F11 for fullscreen mode.
Click the "Play Now" button to start playing Mortal Kombat directly in your browser. No downloads or installations are needed — the game runs instantly using our built-in emulator.
Is Mortal Kombat free to play?
Absolutely! Mortal Kombat is 100% free on RetroVault.GG. No subscriptions, no hidden fees — just open the page and play.
What console is Mortal Kombat for?
Mortal Kombat is a SNES title. Our browser-based emulator lets you experience it exactly as it was on the original hardware — no console required.
What genre is Mortal Kombat?
Mortal Kombat is a fighting game. It was made for the SNES.
Can I play Mortal Kombat on my phone?
Mortal Kombat is fully playable on mobile devices. Open this page in your phone's browser and tap Play Now — touch controls appear automatically.