Mortal Kombat 1: All fatalities and how to perform them

Let’s face it: Fatalities are the best part of Mortal Kombat 1. Even if you aren’t a fan of how the franchise plays, the gruesome, cinematic finishing moves were revolutionary in the 1990s. MK1 will continue the rich tradition of bloody and occasionally uncomfortable amounts of violence that the series is known for. Thankfully, the inputs are incredibly easy in this game, as we learned during the beta testing phase.

However, there could be more fatalities than the ones we list here for Mortal Kombat 1. This is a franchise known for hidden characters, secrets, and even unknown moves. There’s a chance that there will be many other finishing moves. We will add them to the list as they are discovered.

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How to perform fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1

The toughest part of performing fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1 is inputting the combos on time. You only get a few seconds, so make them count. It is best to learn the inputs of the character(s) you want to play as. You may also wish to keep in mind your Kameo because they also have a fatality that you can use.

Some of these fatalities require different distances. We will update the input list when we know what they are. Personally, I try to stand about a body’s length or so away. That tends to be just about right for most Mortal Kombat 1 finishing moves.

These moves can only be performed after you’ve won a battle and the Finish Them! notification appears on the screen. From this point, you only have a few seconds to hit the inputs. Be it Liu Kang or Shang Tsung, everyone has at least one fatality.

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All currently known fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1 and their inputs (PS5)

Both Kameo Fighters and the regular cast of characters in Mortal Kombat 1 have access to fatalities. I’ll split them into two lists so it’s easier to see which inputs you need to learn and the distance you need to maintain. All inputs are done with the PlayStation 5 controller.

Regular cast

• Ashrah (Heavenly Light): Down Forward Down Triangle (Mid)
• Asharah (Fatality #2): Down Down Back Circle (Mid)
• Baraka (Split Decision): Back Forward Down Square (Close)
• Baraka (Fatality #2): Forward Back Down Circle (Close)
• General Shao (Spin Cycle): Back Forward Down Square (Mid)
• General Shao (Fatality #2): Down Forward Back Square (Mid)
• Geras (Sand Storm): Forward Down Down Circle (Mid)
• Geras (Fatality #2): Down Forward Back Square (Close)
• Havik (Atomic Heart): Down Forward Down Circle (Close)
• Havik (Fatality #2): Forward Back Down Triangle (Close)
• Johnny Cage (Hollywood Walk of Pain): Forward Back Down Triangle (Close)
• Johnny Cage (Fatality #2): Forward Down Back Circle (Mid to Far)
• Kenshi (Blended): Forward Back Down Triangle (Close)
• Kenshi (Fatality #2): Back Down Back Square (Mid)
• Kitana (Royal Blender): Down Forward Down Circle (Mid)
• Kitana (Fatality #2): Down Down Back Circle (Close)
• Kung Lao (Lao’d And Clear): Back Forward Back Circle (Mid)
• Kung Lao (Fatality #2): Back Down Down Cross (Close)
• Li Mei (Roman Candle): Forward Back Forward Cross (Mid)
• Li Mei (Happy New Year): Back Forward Down Circle (Close)
• Liu Kang (Twin Dragon): Down Forward Back Circle (Close)
• Liu Kang (Fatality #2): Back Forward Back Cross (Close)
• Mileena (Appetizer): Back Forward Back Square (Close)
• MIleena (A Little to the Left): Down Forward Back Cross (Close)
• Nitara (Vaeternus KomBAT): Down Down Back Square
• Nitara (Fatality #2): Back Down Back Circle (Mid to Far)
• Raiden (The Storm’s Arrival): Back Forward Back Triangle (Close)
• Raiden (Fatality #2): Down Forward Back Square (Mid or Far)
• Rain (The Red Sea): Down Down Back Circle (Close)
• Rain (Fatality #2): Down Forward Back Cross (Mid)
• Reiko (The Impaler): Down Down Back Triangle (Mid)
• Reiko (For the General): Back Down Down Circle (Close)
• Reptile (Indigestion): Forward Back Down Circle (Mid)
• Reptile (Fatality #2): Forward Back Down Cross (Close)
• Scorpion (Eye-Palling Victory): Down Forward Back R2 (Mid)
• Scorpion (Second Fatality): Back Forward Back Triangle (Any)
• Shang Tsung (Side Effects): Back Down Down Circle (Close)
• Shang Tsung (Fatality #2): Forward Down Back Triangle (Mid)
• Sindel (Hair Comes Trouble): Down Back Down Square (Mid)
• Sindel (Fatality #2): Back Forward Back Triangle (Mid to Far)
• Smoke (Hazed and Infused): Back Forward Down Square (Any)
• Smoke (Fatality #2): Down Forward Back Triangle (Any)
• Sub-Zero (Hairline Fracture): Forward Down Down Triangle (Close)
• Sub-Zero (Brain Freeze): Forward Back Down Circle (Close)
• Tanya (Helping Hands): Down Back Down Cross (Close)
• Tanya (Fatality #2): Back Forward Down Triangle (Mid)

Much like the regular fighters, Kameos also have an optional fatality you can pull off. Some of them will feel familiar to fans of the classic Mortal Kombat 1 - among other entries in the series. A good example is Sonya Blade's Kiss of Death.

Kameo Fighters

• Cyrax (Annihilation): Forward Back Forward R1 (Mid)
• Darrius (Armed and Dangerous): Down Back Forward R1 (Mid)
• Frost (Breaking Point): Back Down Back R1 (Mid)
• Goro (Prince of Pain): Back Forward Down R1 (Close)
• Jax (Big Boot): Down Forward Down R1 (Far)
• Kano (Heart Ripper): Back Down Forward R1 (Mid)
• Kung Lao (Klean Kut): Forward Back Forward R1 (Mid)
• Motaro (Brain Blast): Forward Down Down R1 (Mid)
• Sareena (Inner Demon): Back Down Back R1 (Mid)
• Scorpion (Toasty!!!): Down Forward Down R1 (Mid)
• Sektor (Kompactor): Back Forward Back R1 (Mid)
• Shunjiko (Five Point Strike): Down Back Down R1 (Mid)
• Sonya (Kiss): Back Forward Down R1 (Mid)
• Stryker (Safety Vest): Forward Down Forward R1 (Mid)
• Sub-Zero (Spine Rip): Forward Down Forward R1 (Mid)

These are all the currently known fatalities for Mortal Kombat 1. The numbers could increase in the future as DLC characters or others are uncovered. As such, we will update the list accordingly.

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Our review of Mortal Kombat 1 is on the way. Meanwhile, you can read our preview coverage here to see how we felt in the early going.