Like X-ray moves, Fatal Blows deal a large amount of damage, but unlike them, they only become available when a player's health drops below 30%, and can only be performed once per match.

Two years later, a Special Forces strike team led by Sonya Blade, Cassie Cage, and Jacqui Briggs attack the Netherrealm, with Raiden providing assistance.

A battle erupts in Kotal's Koliseum until D'Vorah transports Baraka, Kollector, Skarlet, Shao Kahn, Black, and Kano to her hive, recruiting them into Kronika's fold.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao investigate the Wu Shi Academy and encounter Kronika's right-hand man, Geras.

They cannot intervene as the time storm is draining their power, but Shinnok's twin sister Cetrion gives him a clue on how to defeat Kronika.

Cassie leads a strike team to save her parents, where Sonya kills the younger Kano to erase his present self from existence.

With their aid, Kitana successfully defeats and blinds Shao Kahn,[15] uniting the Outworld factions and inheriting the throne from Kotal.

Liu Kang intervenes, causing Raiden to realize how they have fought before across multiple timelines and that Kronika had orchestrated them all because she fears their combined strength.

Geras is dropped in the bottomless Sea of Blood; Frost is shut down, disabling the cyber Lin Kuei; and the present Jax defects to the heroes' side.

Kronika then absorbs Cetrion's essence to strengthen herself enough to reverse time back to the primordial state of the universe, erasing all the events in the franchise from existence.

Shang Tsung elaborates that, due to the destruction of the Crown of Souls when Liu Kang defeated Kronika, the Hourglass cannot be used to change history without destroying it.

Despite Raiden's suspicions of Shang Tsung, Liu Kang agrees and sends the trio back, staying behind to protect the Hourglass.

To face Cetrion on his island, Shang Tsung determines their best option is to resurrect Sindel, so they head to the Netherrealm and capture her revenant.

It is revealed that Sindel was never brainwashed and had willingly married Shao Kahn after he conquered her realm by killing her former husband and Kitana's biological father.

While Fujin spearheads the offensive on Kronika's Keep, Raiden discovers Shang Tsung's plot and Sindel's betrayal while fighting revenant Liu Kang when the latter receives injuries from his past self.

[26][27] New playable fighters include Geras, a construct of Kronika who, like her, has powers that allow him to control the flow of time, and produce sand-based attacks;[28] Cetrion, an Elder Goddess who is Shinnok's sister and Kronika's daughter and has control over elemental forces;[29] and Kollector, a six-armed Naknadan who serves as a tribute collector to the Outworld empire.

[45] However, in April 2015, Ed Boon revealed that Spawn had been discussed as a potential guest character early in development, but that he did not know McFarlane had made the offer until after the release of Mortal Kombat X.

[50][51] In a December 2015 interview, Ed Boon revealed that like Spawn, the Terminator had been considered as a guest character for Mortal Kombat X.

[52] The reveal for the Joker's design was met with negative reception, generating a wave of online fans comparing it to a poor cosplay.

[55] Ed Boon initially described the presence of the Joker as "Vicious", in contrast to his previous appearances that were toned down in both Injustice games and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe in order to secure the T rating.

[56] Another teaser was uploaded on New Year's Day 2020, featuring the character's trademark graffiti and smiling on the walls of Arkham Asylum during fireworks, followed by laughter.

[57] Two weeks later, Boon later posted a gameplay image of the Joker covered in blood through his Twitter account, promising a taste of things to come for the character's inclusion.

[23] This DLC was revealed to be titled Aftermath and together with new story mode content, it consists of Fujin, who was last playable in Armageddon; Sheeva, who previously appeared as a non playable character in the game's story mode; and an additional guest character, RoboCop, with actor Peter Weller reprising his role for the first time since RoboCop 2.

Ed Boon revealed that the motivation for her exclusion from the base game was that the team wanted to "create an appreciation" for the character, after getting constant replies from fans on social media demanding her return.

[77][78] IGN praised the more slow-paced combat compared to the previous game in the series, as well as the expanded tutorial, story mode and improved netcode.

Creator Ed Boon, in an interview with Playboy, claimed it was "unrealistic" for female fighters to be scantily clad and thought that the 2011 Mortal Kombat had "gone too far in its sexualization".

[119] In 2019, a Mortal Kombat 11 developer revealed to Kotaku that some of the team members were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of exposure to excess graphic violence.

Source material such as beheading videos and pictures of murder victims as well as slaughtered animals were viewed amongst the staff and some members of the team were said to suffer nightmares as a result.

[120] The studio was also accused of instituting "crunch culture", with employees regularly working 80 to 100 hours a week to meet submission deadlines.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced during a 2022 fourth-quarter earnings call that a twelfth installment in the series is set to be released later in that year, later to be revealed to be Mortal Kombat 1.