Players will have a few chances to play Mortal Kombat 1 early

Mortal Kombat 1 won’t launch until September, but certain players can get their hands on the game early through a number of different methods. This will mostly involve tests for the game’s online, early builds available at events, and more opportunities popping up over the next several months. 

Some content creators and members of the media already got to play a preview build of MK1 during Summer Game Fest, which gave everyone a deeper look at the freshly revealed gameplay and features like the Kameo Fighter system. 

Those previews were behind closed doors and limited to in-person attendees, but NetherRealm Studios is bringing the game to a wider audience soon as the developers look to stress test MK1’s online features ahead of launch. 

The online server stress test will be live for three days from June 23 to 26 for players in North America, Latin America, Brazil, and Europe across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Players can register for a chance to gain access and those who are selected will receive a code to redeem for download on their selected platform on June 21. 

During this test, players will have access to a limited roster of characters and other features, along with online multiplayer for one-on-one matches and some single-player content in the Klassic Towers. 

Related: Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo Fighters take player expression to new levels

No additional tests have been confirmed, but most fighting games run at least two before launch to best prepare their online features. For anyone actively involved in the fighting game community, however, there are likely a few more chances coming before September. 

The Evo team has already confirmed that MK1 will have a public demo available for attendees during the first few days of the event on Aug. 4 and 5. That is currently the only tournament that has locked in that demo, but there are plenty of gaming events that it could still pop up at. 

NRS has one additional way players can actually guarantee a bit of early access too, though this is locked behind pre-order content. 

Anyone who purchases any version of MK1 on PS5 or Xbox will get access to a special beta that will run ahead of the game’s Sept. 19 launch. And, whoever pre-orders the Premium or Kollector’s Edition of the game will also get access to the full game on Sept. 14—a full five days early.