Mortal Kombat 1 beta starts Aug. 18 — here’s how to get in

Mortal Kombat 1 is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on Sept. 19, but some MK fans will be able to play it a month early, thanks to a four-day beta test coming this August.

The Mortal Kombat 1 beta will begin on Friday, Aug. 18, at 11 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. PDT, and run through Monday, Aug. 21, at 11 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. PDT, according to the official website’s FAQ. Publisher Warner Bros. Games says that digital codes will be redeemable beforehand and that players will be able to preload the beta version.

However, the Mortal Kombat 1 beta will be available only to customers who have pre-ordered the game — either the Standard, Premium, or Kollector’s Edition of MK1 — and will be playable only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. There is no Switch or PC beta test, sorry.

MK1’s pre-order beta will support 1v1 online multiplayer, as well as a limited single-player Klassic Towers mode against AI opponents. (NetherRealm and Warner Bros. have not specified which characters will be playable in the beta, but if it’s anything like Mortal Kombat 11’s online beta, expect a subset of the full roster to be accessible.)

If you played the Mortal Kombat 1 online stress test in June, that does not grant you access to the pre-order beta. And progress from the pre-order beta does not carry over to the main game.

At San Diego Comic-Con last week, NetherRealm confirmed a handful of characters for Mortal Kombat 1, including Li Mei, Tanya, Baraka, Khameleon, and Darrius. The latter two combatants are Kameo Fighters, characters that aren’t fully playable but can be tagged in for a variety of assist moves. Li Mei, Tanya, and Baraka join previously confirmed main-roster characters Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Smoke, Rain, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Kitana, and Mileena. Shang Tsung is a pre-order-exclusive launch character.