mortal kombat 11

Here’s how to play 'Mortal Kombat 11' ahead of its release

Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest entry in the long-running fighting game series, and there’s just about a month left until we can get our hands on it.

But if you can’t wait to pull off some majorly gory fatalities ahead of April 23, its official release date, we’ve got some good news for you. You can actually give it a try way before then. No, the game hasn’t leaked, and it’s not releasing earlier – but there is a closed beta you can take part in, and it’s kicking off next week on Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM PDT for North American players.

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The closed beta for Mortal Kombat 11 will end on March 31 at 11:59 PM PDT, so you’ve got quite the generous trial period to see if it’s for you. If you want in, though, there’s a catch. You’ll need to make sure you pre-order the game on Xbox One or PlayStation 4 if you want a closed beta invite. Unfortunately, that means you may need to put some cash down on the game ahead of its release if you want to nab a code at participating retailers like GameStop.

But once you’re in, you can look forward to a wealth of content to explore. The closed beta will let you try out the new Custom Character Variation System, which will let you change up your favorite Mortal Kombat character as you see fit with different gear, skins, abilities, poses, intro cinematics and more. If you want to give Mileena a new Brutality attack, you’re more than welcome to, for example.

As far as game modes, you can test out online multiplayer and the single-player mission set Towers of Time, which pits you against various characters throughout Mortal Kombat history as you slay them one by one.

With fan-favorite characters like Johnny Cage and the newly-announced Jacqui Briggs making their way back into the game, there are plenty of reasons to jump into Mortal Kombat as it stands. Some of the returning characters include Scorpion, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Skarlet, Baraka, Geras, Kano, D’Vorah, Kabal, Jade, Johnny Cage, Cassie Cage, Erron Black, Jacqui Briggs and Kotal Kahn, with more on the way.

Mortal Kombat 11 is debuting on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on April 23.

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