12. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (GCN)

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance demonstrated an impressive evolution of the franchise, with visuals that are undoubtedly a huge step up from 1997's Mortal Kombat 4. The gameplay is arguably more in-depth than ever before, with each character boasting three distinct fighting styles and a new 'Konquest' mode offering up even more bang for your buck. With a bunch of new characters to compliment some returning favourites, this is a more-than-solid entry to the franchise.

11. Mortal Kombat (Arcade)

10. Mortal Kombat 4 (N64)

Since Mortal Kombat 4 marked the franchise's first foray into the realm of 3D, it understandably hasn't aged particularly in the years since. Despite this, it was a solid adaptation of the original arcade game and stood out on a system that was admittedly rather lacking in the fighting genre. With decent fatalities and a good line-up of characters, you could do a lot worse than Mortal Kombat 4.

9. Mortal Kombat: Deception (GCN)

Mortal Kombat: Deception took the foundations of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and amped up the action even more. Combos were revamped to be more realistic and satisfying, while minigames were introduced to mix up the overall pacing of the story. Weapons were brought back into the fold, while some stages allowed you to launch your opponent from one arena to the next, adding a new layer to fights that was more than welcome.

8. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Switch 2)

With a total of 23 playable games alongside a comprehensive interactive documentary providing detail behind the series' development, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is yet another triumph for Digital Eclipse from the historical compilation perspective. It's full of nostalgia for fans who ripped spines out of their opponents back in the '90s, and the perfect way for complete newcomers to see what all the fuss is about.

If, however, you're keen to play these games online, then you're best off waiting. Essential features are absent at launch, and even if you do manage to find a game through Quick Play, chances are it'll be plagued with input delay and audio issues.

7. Mortal Kombat Trilogy (N64)

How do you update Mortal Kombat 3 for a second time? Well, you add in the locations and fighters from the first two games and call it a day. That's a rather crude way of putting it, because Mortal Kombat Trilogy is actually rather good, though it's true that the N64 version did come with a few caveats like missing characters and inferior audio quality.

Even so, what you've got here is a solid celebration of the early 2D era of Mortal Kombat, and a good way to transition over to the 3D realm.

6. Mortal Kombat 1 (Switch)

Mortal Kombat 1 on Nintendo Switch manages to deliver this superb game's Story and Towers modes in a state that's playable, but only if you've got plenty of patience. There are frame rate issues, big resolution dips, input and timing problems related to performance drops, missing content, game-breaking bugs in Invasion mode, long loading times, and unresponsive menus. If you are a huge Mortal Kombat fan whose only option is Switch, you may be able to press through all of this. However, if you have any other option, we suggest you stay away from this one.

5. Ultimate Mortal Kombat (DS)

Released years after the original launch of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, the DS port was nevertheless a remarkably faithful adaptation that you could, of course, play on the go. Granted, it probably came a bit too late for many, with entries like Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Deception already making waves, but it's a pretty decent callback to the earlier days of the franchise. If you missed out on the game the first time around, this really isn't a bad way to experience it.

4. Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch)

Mortal Kombat 11 is the best Mortal Kombat since MK2, a bold and bombastic entry that boasts a fighting model that finally matches the slapstick theatrics of gory Fatalities. It's further proof that MK, much like Street Fighter, has just as much relevance in the 21st century as it did in the '90s thanks to the way it's evolved while retaining its core identity. On Switch, it's a performance-first experience that nails 60fps, and boasts every mode and mechanic from other versions, only with a noticeable downgrade in the aesthetics department. The heavy-handed application of microtransactions aside, MK11 could be a contender for the best fighter on Nintendo Switch, and certainly better than the dire Switch port of its successor.

3. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES)

Is Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 technically better than the OG Mortal Kombat 3? In some ways, yes, but the SNES version also suffers from a few downgrades thanks to the hardware limitations at the time. Sheeva is gone entirely, the in-game narrator doesn't say the characters' names and certain fatalities have also taken a bit of a hit. In addition, the game launching around the same time as the Mortal Kombat Trilogy on other systems offered yet another sting for SNES owners. Still, it's a great game in its own right.

2. Mortal Kombat II (SNES)

For many, Mortal Kombat II remains the absolute pinnacle of the franchise, despite the numerous additions and improvements made by subsequent entries. There was a purity to the game that is just as appealing now as it was back in 1993, but there's also no denying that it's jam-packed with iconic characters, excellent locations, and ludicrous fatalities. Thankfully, Nintendo saw sense in allowing the release of Mortal Kombat II on the SNES in all its bloody glory, and it's all the better for it.