Instead, it’s all about punishing mistakes and taking advantage of brief windows to deliver bursts of damage. Spacing plays a huge role in Mortal Kombat 11, which doesn’t rely as heavily on combo attacks as its predecessors. Plus the two released Kombat packs added even more story elements and guest characters to tear apart. Longtime fighters such as Sub-Zero and Kitana are joined by newcomers with creative and deceptive abilities, and the stages’ interactive elements force you to always know exactly where you’re standing.

The most recent release, Mortal Kombat 11, is also the strongest entry in the entire franchise, packed to the gills with content including the famous Klassic Towers, Towers of Time, story mode, online multiplayer, and the exploration-based Krypt.

Non-fighting game entries in the franchise, such as Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, aren’t eligible (and they’re largely terrible, anyway). With Mortal Kombat 11 now available and more DLC presumedly on the way, we decided to rank the Mortal Kombat mainline series from best to worst. From its early rise as a 2D fighter to its questionable turn to 3D - and its triumphant return to form - Mortal Kombat certainly has an interesting history. You could make an argument for Street Fighter, but in our view, Mortal Kombat is the most recognizable and iconic fighting game franchise of all time. The over-the-top fighting series is known for its copious amounts of blood and gore, cheekily dark atmosphere, and of course, the signature fatalities which seem to get more inventively disgusting with each new entry. Mortal Kombat has provided shocking delights since 1992.

Game mortal combat