Mortal Kombat 1 Crosses 6.2 Million Sales, Hotfix Brings Major Fighter Adjustments

MK1 (Credit: NetherRealm)

Mortal Kombat 1 has now sold over 6.2 million copies since its release in September 2023.

The latest update came directly from Game Director Ed Boon on X (formerly Twitter), who also reaffirmed the team’s commitment to making it the studio’s “most balanced” Mortal Kombat to date.

The sales journey has been steady. The game debuted on September 19, 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. By August 2024, it had crossed 4 million sales, reaching the 5 million mark in January 2025. Now, in August 2025, the total stands at 6.2 million units.

While impressive, the pace is slower than Mortal Kombat 11, which sold 15 million units by October 2022. With about 18 months left to match that figure, MK1 would need a massive push — something that deep discounts or special editions could help with, but it’s still a long shot.

Compared to other recent fighting games, MK1’s numbers show mixed results. Street Fighter 6 took about 24 months to reach 5 million sales, aided by a multi-platform rollout that included the Switch 2 in June 2025. Tekken 8, meanwhile, sold 3 million units in just over a year, showing strong momentum for Bandai Namco’s latest entry.

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. confirmed that Mortal Kombat 1’s post-launch content cycle had officially ended, meaning no new story chapters or downloadable characters are planned. However, the team is still delivering balance patches and bug fixes to improve the player experience.

On Friday, a major hotfix went live, tweaking dozens of characters to fine-tune gameplay. Fighters like Ashrah saw increased damage on certain moves, Havik had attack properties swapped for better mix-ups, and Kenshi received faster recovery frames.

Popular picks like Liu Kang, Rain, and Reptile also got adjustments aimed at improving competitive balance. Even guest characters such as Omni-Man, Homelander, and the T-1000 were fine-tuned, ensuring that no one dominates unfairly.

For competitive players, these updates are a big deal — they can change matchups, strategies, and tournament outcomes. For casual fans, it’s a sign that NetherRealm isn’t letting the game go stale, even without fresh DLC.

While MK1 may not be breaking sales records like its predecessor, it’s still holding a strong position in the fighting game scene.