About the game
The fighting game built from filmed actors instead of drawn sprites, which is why it looked like nothing else in 1993 — and why it caused the fight over game ratings in the United States.
Seven fighters, a tournament, and finishing moves people learned by heart from magazines.
Controls
- Arrows — move
- A S D — punches
- Z X C — kicks
- F1 — setup
The version in short
- Year: 1993
- Genre: Fighting
- Size: 41.6 MB, loaded once
- Controls: keyboard, or on-screen buttons on a phone
How this runs
The game runs through a DOS emulator inside your browser: the emulator, the files and your saves all stay on your device and nothing reaches our server. The emulator, the licensing and what to do about a black screen are explained on the retro games section page.
FAQ
Is this the actual 1993 release?
Yes, these are the original Mortal Kombat files, not a remake or a port. The emulator runs them the way they ran on a machine of that time.
How big is it and what loads?
The game archive is 41.6 MB plus about two megabytes of emulator. It loads once — after that the browser keeps the files cached and the next launch is instant. On mobile data, do the first launch on Wi-Fi.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. On-screen buttons appear under the screen: a d-pad and actions (A, S, D, Z, X, C, Esc). Presses go straight into the emulator, exactly like a real keyboard.
Are my saves kept?
They are, but only in this browser on this device — they are written inside the emulator. A different browser or a cleared cache means starting over.
