Less than five months after its official reveal, the Mortal Kombat 11 release date has arrived, and many fans are certain to be buzzing with excitement. However, before these players get their hands on the Mortal Kombat 11 characters, some may wish to know how the game is being received by those that have already spent some time with it. Fortunately, there are now a number of Mortal Kombat 11 reviews available to fulfill this desire.

At the time of writing, Mortal Kombat 11 has a Metascore of 84 on Metacritic. This certainly falls within the realm of a generally favorable reaction, and it is based on 32 reviews. Indeed, this score is very likely to shift slightly as more reviews come in, but Mortal Kombat 11 does appear to be off to a solid start.

With respect to the particulars of these Mortal Kombat 11 reviews, there are a number of them collected below. While some of them are obviously more glowing than others, the general sentiment currently being expressed is definitely one of positivity for this new title.

mortal kombat 11 review roundup

CGMagazine (Cole Watson)

Score: 9.5/10

Mortal Kombat 11 is an awesome fighting game you’re not going to want to miss out on experiencing, even if you’re a casual fan of the genre.

PlayStation Universe (John-Paul Jones)

Score: 9.5/10

Mortal Kombat 11 is, by far, the best entry in the series to date.

IGN (Mitchell Saltzman)

Score: 9.0/10

That upward trend continues with Mortal Kombat 11, which is not only the best Mortal Kombat has ever been, it’s also arguably Netherrealm’s best game yet. This is one of the most fully featured fighting games you can buy, with both single- and multiplayer modes that will last both casual and hardcore audiences a long, long time.

Critical Hit (Darryn Bonthuys)

Score: 9.0/10

Mortal Kombat 11 doesn’t reinvent its signature mousetrap of carnage, it doubles down on what makes it feel so unique and then polishes it up with a mirror shine that is blinding, to say the least.

Twinfinite (Ed McGlone)

Score: 4.5/5

Small frustrations aside, Mortal Kombat 11 is an extremely fleshed out fighting game that has a solid backbone both for single-player and online play. It leads the genre now in story telling in fighting games, cleverly finding a way to unite 17 years of plot.

Variety (Nicole Carpenter)

Score: Positive

“Mortal Kombat 11” is uncomfortable. Outlandish. Campy. Combined with the game’s complex, precise gameplay, it’s a damn good fighting game.

GamesRadar+ (Aron Garst)

Score: 4/5

Mortal Kombat 11 struck a rare chord in me where, even after playing twenty hours in a few days, I want to go back and play more. I doubt I'll be next in line to compete at EVO, but as a casual player who enjoys putting extra time in - I love what NetherRealm Studios has put together.

mortal kombat 11 review roundup

The Sixth Access (Miguel Moran)

Score: 7/10

This game is the pinnacle of Mortal Kombat action. Fights are fluid, weighty, and gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately, that tightly-designed gameplay is bogged down by a grindy system of loot and consumables that only serves to artificially extend your playtime in the most tedious ways imaginable.

Push Square (Lloyd Coombes)

Score: 7/10

Structural foibles detract from the fact that Mortal Kombat 11 is an excellent fighter with lots to offer. Those yearning for the gore-soaked days of old will find plenty to love, and newcomers will be enthralled by its excellent story and deep fighting system.

Shacknews (Ozzie Mejia)

Score: 7/10

Mortal Kombat 11 isn't the ideal MK package and may not even be the best MK package to come along in this console generation. Still, it's a strong package and one that still proves fun to play alone or with friends. It's not a flawless victory, but it's still a victory, nonetheless.

USGamer (Mike Williams)

Score: 3.5/5

Mortal Kombat 11 is a fantastic game that I had a ton of fun with, until I got to all of the extra stuff there to pad out the time played. Progression is fine, but progression in fighting game should be relatively straightforward.

We Got This Covered (Eric Hall)

Score: 3.5/5

In most ways, Mortal Kombat 11 is the best entry in the franchise to date. The combat engine is a substantial step-up from past entries, the graphics are top-notch, and there’s an almost overwhelming amount of content for fans to experience. However, questionable design decisions hold the fighter back from achieving true greatness.

mortal kombat 11 review roundup

In general, these critics seem quite pleased with the Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay, with many praising how the fighting feels in the game. So too, the amount of content the title has to offer appears to be satisfactory. However, the system for unlocking cosmetics in Mortal Kombat 11 is where some reviews become critical.

The Mortal Kombat 11 progression system is an area that has already been under a bit of fire by those that have received early access to the game. These players have taken issue with what sounds like an artificially prolongated grind, which makes obtaining Mortal Kombat 11 gear slow and tedious. Indeed, this sentiment is certainly reflected by a number of the reviews listed above.

That said, the Mortal Kombat 11 experience for many players will be almost exclusively focused on multiplayer, and they will thus avoid the criticisms that are currently being leveled against the game almost entirely. Additionally, if the combat is as stellar as some of these reviews suggest, players may not mind having to put in a lot of hours in order to obtain everything Mortal Kombat 11 has to offer.

Mortal Kombat 11 is scheduled to release on April 23, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.