How to do Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1

For many, Mortal Kombat Fatalities are the bread and butter of the series. Good news: Mortal Kombat 1 has an entire set of new finishing moves for players to learn to bring each match to a satisfyingly bloody close.

The newest addition to the long-running fighting game continues the tradition of introducing spine-shattering, tendon-tearing Fatalities — ruthless takedowns that players can use to decimate their opponents. With a fresh batch available in Mortal Kombat 1, there's plenty for both newcomers and veterans alike to learn and pull off.

But with each new game, things do change a little. For instance, one string of input commands may change slightly with each new edition of the game. Buttons may differ, as do the prerequisites that need to be met before pulling off these devastating moves.

Here’s how to do Fatalities and unlock new Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1.

How to do Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1

In Mortal Kombat, Fatalities are special moves that you can perform at the completion of a match just ahead of defeating your opponent. Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities are no different. You’ll need to input the correct sequence of buttons ahead of finishing off your opponent to pull off a Fatality. Wait until the other player (or computer AI player) has a completely empty health bar. You should hear the announcer call out “Finish Him!” or “Finish Her!” when this happens.

As soon as you hear these instructions, you can go ahead and perform one of your fighter’s Fatalities. Each one has its own selection of unique Fatalities to perform. You need to input the correct button sequence from both the right distance away from your opponent and in the correct order, or else your moves will not be successful. You may also accidentally finish off your opponent, in which case you’ll lose out on pulling off your Fatality.

There are a number of new Fatalities to pull off and plenty to remember. You likely won’t remember them all when you first start playing. Similarly, if your memories are fuzzy, and you need a bit of help remembering, simply pause the game and view the Move List tab for a reminder. You can only do this during offline fights, so do your best to memorize the ones you prefer to use regularly.

How to Unlock New Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1

There are plenty of new moves you can unlock in this new installment. However, to unlock new Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1, you need to play the new Invasion mode. Each one of your Kombatants has one Fatality unlocked from the beginning of the game. You can see how to perform it by accessing the Move List from the pause menu. But if you want to see every one that your chosen character has to offer, you need to complete the various Invasion challenges first. Once you’ve unlocked a new Fatality, it will be added to your Kombatant’s Move List.

But you can still perform Fatalities even if you don’t have it unlocked in Invasion mode. You’ll have to perform it without any help, though. Just memorize the ones you want to use regularly. There are some that you may not know how to use, however, so that means unlocking them and putting them to use when you’ve played Invasion long enough.