Mortal Kombat 12 – Details, release date, rumors, and more cover image

Mortal Kombat 12 – Details, release date, rumors, and more

Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular fighting game franchises in the world. So when does the next installment come out?

Mortal Kombat 11 released five years ago in 2019, and many fans are wondering when the next installment to the iconic fighting game is coming. We’ve gathered all the rumors, info, and details we can to try and figure out when Mortal Kombat 12 will hit our shelves.

Mortal Kombat 12 release date

On Nov. 13, Ed Boon, creative officer for NetherRealm took to Twitter and tease fans with info about upcoming games. In one tweet, he directly confirmed the existence of Injustice 3 and Mortal Kombat 12.

Unfortunately, there’s no current hard date for Mortal Kombat 12. Mortal Kombat 11 came out in 2019, and installments in the MK series have had a four-year spacing between them with X coming out in 2015, and Mortal Kombat, the ninth installment and reboot coming out in 2011.

However, in a Feb. 2023 earnings call it was revealed that Mortal Kombat 12 will be heading for a 2023 release.

Then, in May 2023, there was potentially a teaser of the next Mortal Kombat game was unveiled at the end of a 30th anniversary video.

All of this points for a 2023 Mortal Kombat 12 release.

When does the next Mortal Kombat game come out?

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is scheduled to release in 2023/ Announced in tandem with Mortal Kombat’s 30th anniversary. Described as an action RPG for the mobile, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is said to be a spiritual successor to 2015’s Mortal Kombat Mobile. 

In an interview describing the game, NetherRealm creative officer Ed Boon stated that “We are pushing the boundaries of Mortal Kombat to allow players to experience the franchise in new ways, while still staying true to its core visceral nature.”

"We are pushing the boundaries of Mortal Kombat to allow players to experience the franchise in new ways"

NetherRealm creative officer Ed Boon on Mortal Kombat: Onslaught

“With Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, we reimagined Mortal Kombat into a strategic team-based collection RPG with fast-paced, group melee combat that both new and existing fans can enjoy.”

Mortal Kombat 12 rumors

(Image via NetherRealm)
(Image via NetherRealm)

With MK11 now five years old and the last add-on bundle DLC having released in 2020, many are speculating that the next Mortal Kombat fighting game could be just around the corner. 

However, while Mortal Kombat was once NetherRealm and WB Games’ most popular fighting game by a large margin, the Injustice series has giving it tough competition in the recent years. Injustice 2 is one of the most popular fighting games on the market five years after its release. 

Some rumors suggest that it will be Injustice 3 that’s the next fighting game released by NetherRealm, rather than MK12. However, this is just conjecture and speculation at the moment