We’re now just a few days away from Mortal Kombat 1, and it’s looking like Street Fighter 6 is going to get a run for its money as the best fighting game of the year. NetherRealm Studios latest is a reboot of the Mortal Kombat story, refines the fighting mechanics while adding some fun new twists, and is arguably the best-looking entry in this hallowed genre to date.
But, with the launch fast approaching, there’s one feature with a huge question mark still over it. This game’s immediate predecessor Mortal Kombat 11 allowed for cross-platform multiplayer, dubbed Krossplay. This allowed players on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, or Xbox One consoles to fight against one another (and also Xbox consoles and the Windows Store PC versions).
This is a much-demanded feature for fans, especially as many games prefer to segregate players on different console ecosystems (i.e. so PlayStation players can only play against other PlayStation players). That being said, Street Fighter 6 has cross-play, so will Mortal Kombat 1?
Konfusion reigns
There’s no official answer one way or the other, though right now it’s not looking great. Hopes had been raised by the Steam store page for the game listing cross-play as a feature, only for that tag to be quietly removed over the last week In addition, the recent beta did not support any cross-play.
Based on this – and the radio silence from NetherRealm Studios – we’re fairly confident Mortal Kombat 1 will launch without any cross-play features. So, if you’re a PlayStation owner with a burning urge to tear your Xbox buddies apart using giant flaming dragons, you may be out of luck. For now anyway.
Koming soon?
But don’t give up hope. Mortal Kombat 11 didn’t launch with cross-play either, but in a patch eight months after launch, the feature was added to PlayStation and Xbox consoles. While we can’t say for certain, we suspect the same pattern will apply to Mortal Kombat 1, so Sony and Microsoft fans should one day be able to square off.
Sadly, there probably will be some restrictions. Nintendo Switch players will almost certainly be left out of the party due to Nintendo’s strict online policies and somewhat cut-down port. The PC Steam version also has a high bar to clear, as it may open the door to PC players cheating against those on console, though if Street Fighter 6 can manage it we hope that Mortal Kombat 1 will, too.
Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC on Sep. 14