Mortal Kombat Movies in Order

Why this order?

The Mortal Kombat films look like one long saga but are really three unconnected tracks, and that is the whole reason an ordering guide exists. Track one is the 1990s live-action duology: Mortal Kombat (1995) and its sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), which continue the same story (Robin Shou and Talisa Soto return, most other roles recast). Track two is the modern reboot, Mortal Kombat (2021), followed by Mortal Kombat II (2026), a direct sequel in the same continuity that introduces Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. Track three is the animated Mortal Kombat Legends line, four adult direct-to-video films that share their own separate continuity and do not connect to either live-action version.

For almost everyone, release order is the right way through, and it doubles as a rough chronology of how the franchise evolved. You watch the campy 90s pair, jump to the grittier 2021 reboot, and finish with the 2026 sequel, weaving in the Legends animated films as they landed (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). Nothing about release order will spoil or confuse you, because the three tracks never cross over.

Our second list, by continuity, is the better pick if you only care about one thread. Want the classic experience? Watch just the 1995 and 1997 films. Want the current live-action canon before or after seeing Mortal Kombat II in theaters? Watch the 2021 reboot then the 2026 sequel and skip the rest. Prefer the animated route, which many fans consider the most faithful to the games' gore and roster? Play the four Legends films in order: Scorpion's Revenge, Battle of the Realms, Snow Blind, then the Cage Match prequel.

The films all pull from the same source: the Mortal Kombat fighting games, whose Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Raiden, and Shao Kahn appear across every version. If you want that side of the rabbit hole, our Mortal Kombat games guide lays out the mainline titles and their reboot timeline, which is where these movies get their characters and lore in the first place.