These days, it seems like more and more developers are queuing up to take advantage of people's eagerness to play their games. Like so many of 2023's other big releases, Mortal Kombat 1 will allow players to play the game early, though in order to benefit from this early access, they'll need to splash a little more cash than they usually would.
The good news is that, unlike certain other games that charge players for early access, those who pay to play Mortal Kombat 1 early will at least get a few other nice bonuses, including six new playable Kombatants, five new Kameo characters, and some in-game currency, among other things. As such, it will likely be seen as a worthwhile investment by hardcore fans of the franchise.
How to Play Mortal Kombat 1 Early
In order to play Mortal Kombat 1 early, players will need to pre-order the premium edition of the game. Doing so will allow them to start playing on September 14 rather than September 19, which works out to be five days of early access. As mentioned above, early access isn't all that players will get if they splash out on the premium edition of MK1, which bodes well given that the difference between it and the standard edition of the game is a whopping $40.
What Comes with the Premium Edition of Mortal Kombat 1?
In addition to five days of early access, the premium edition of Mortal Kombat 1 comes bundled with Kombat Pack 1, which will add Omni-Man, Quan Chi, Peacemaker, Ermac, Homelander, and Takeda to the game as playable fighters. Those who purchase the premium edition will get access to these characters one week before everybody else as well, which will likely be seen as a huge selling point by competitive players.
The Kombat Pack also comes with five new Kameo Fighters (Tremor, Mavado, Johnny Cage, Ferra, Khameleon), a special Jean-Claude Van Damme Skin for Johnny Cage, and 1,250 Dragon Krystals, which serve as the game's in-game currency and can be used to purchase cosmetic items. If players pre-order the premium edition of MK1, they'll get a playable Shang Tsung character too, though this is also true of the standard version of the game.
Is the Premium Edition of Mortal Kombat 1 worth it?
Given that the first Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11 launched at $39.99, most will likely see the premium edition of Mortal Kombat 1 as decent value for money, as not only are players getting six new fighters for their extra $40 but also early access to both the base version of the game and the DLC fighters themselves. Then there are the Kameo Fighters, skins, and in-game currency, which only serve to sweeten the deal. Sure, players could just wait for the Kombat Pack to go on sale, but for those who want to play Mortal Kombat 1 early, the premium edition is arguably worth the extra cost.
Mortal Kombat 1 will launch on September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.