Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
Continuing a tradition of simultaneous home version releases from the first two games in the series, it was announced that the Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear versions would all be released on "Mortal Friday", October 13, 1995; however, the Game Gear version was never released in North America at all.
Mortal Kombat 3 was nominated for the Video Software Dealers Association's "Video Game of the Year" for 1995, losing to Donkey Kong Country 2.
Next Generation reviewed the arcade version of the game, and stated that "in an industry which depends on innovation to keep it fresh and interesting, MK III just doesn't deliver.
A Retro Gamer article on the history of the series stated in 2007: "Although many hardcore fans will decree Midway's third Mortal Kombat game to be the best in the series, just as many felt it was beginning of the end for the still massively popular franchise ...
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) gave the PlayStation version their "Game of the Month" award.
However, IGN gave it a negative assessment based on the shortcomings of Mortal Kombat 3 itself, recommending Street Fighter 2D fighting games over it unless one is a "die-hard MK fan".
In their review, GamePro similarly said that Mortal Kombat 3 is "just not original enough (like Tekken) or deep enough (like SF [Street Fighter]) to warrant space on the casual Genesis gamer's shelf.
Maximum praised the PlayStation version's wealth of customization options and "eerie combat music tracks", but remarked that the game was outdated with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 already out in arcades and slated for release on the Saturn.
Reviewing the SNES version, the four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly concurred it to be by far the best "16-bit version" of the game.
Next Generation at the time called it "one of the best fighting games ever released for the PC" and "a title you must own" for the fans of the genre, awarding it four out of five stars.
Rating the game three out of four stars, PC Magazine said "Mortal Kombat 3 is a startlingly accurate" DOS port.
Williams Entertainment, which published the Super NES and Genesis versions, reported combined sales of 250,000 copies in the first weekend they were available, placing them among the best-selling games of 1995.
It went on to be the best-selling home video game of 1995 in the United States.
The new combo system was also often criticized, as were, to a lesser degree, the run mechanics and some finishing moves.
EGM and IGN both criticized the heavy lag during Shang Tsung's morphing while assessing the conversion overall as a near-perfect replication of the graphics, content, and controls of the arcade original.
They also criticized the Genesis version as being a weak approximation of the arcade version, particularly the character sprites and sound effects.
Maximum praised the PlayStation version's wealth of customization options and "eerie combat music tracks", but remarked that the game was outdated with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 already out in arcades and slated for release on the Saturn.
They especially praised the challenging enemy AI, accurate graphics, and high number of special options.
GamePro panned the Game Boy version in a brief review, venturing that "even portable power players will find the soft controls and eye-straining graphics unbearable.
As part of a deal with Midway, Sony Computer Entertainment gained exclusive worldwide rights for the 32-bit version of the game up through the end of the first quarter of 1996 (hence why the Sega Saturn, 3DO, and Atari Jaguar versions were all slated for release in the second quarter of 1996).
Continuing a tradition of simultaneous home version releases from the first two games in the series, it was announced that the Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear versions would all be released on "Mortal Friday", October 13, 1995; however, the Game Gear version was never released in North America at all.
A scaled-down Game Gear version of Mortal Kombat 3 was released only in Europe.
There is also a port for the Master System, which is nearly identical to the Game Gear version with the addition of blood and a wider view of the stage and fighters, although it was only released in Brazil by Tec Toy, distributor of Sega's products in that country.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Mortal Kombat game, Arcade1Up released in 2022 an arcade machine with Mortal Kombat 3 along with Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Toobin', Rampage, Joust, Tapper, Wizard of Wor, Gauntlet, Defender, Bubbles, Paperboy, and Klax.
Williams Entertainment, which published the Super NES and Genesis versions, reported combined sales of 250,000 copies in the first weekend they were available, placing them among the best-selling games of 1995.
Plot elements from the game were used in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, the sequel to the first Mortal Kombat film adaptation.
Continuing a tradition of simultaneous home version releases from the first two games in the series, it was announced that the Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear versions would all be released on "Mortal Friday", October 13, 1995; however, the Game Gear version was never released in North America at all.
Mortal Kombat 3 was originally slated to be released for the Atari Jaguar in the second quarter of 1996, according to a joint press release issued by Atari and Williams Entertainment on March 13, 1995, but was never released.
A port for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was also announced for an early 1996 release, touted on magazine covers, and reportedly complete, but was also never released.
A port for the Sega Saturn was also announced for early 1996, but was canceled in favor of a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
Accompanied by a massive promotional campaign, Mortal Kombat 3 was originally released for North American arcades on April 15, 1995.
Mortal Kombat 3 was originally slated to be released for the Atari Jaguar in the second quarter of 1996, according to a joint press release issued by Atari and Williams Entertainment on March 13, 1995, but was never released.
According to a Sega spokesperson, Sony paid Midway $12 million for these timed exclusive rights.
Williams Entertainment, which published the Super NES and Genesis versions, reported combined sales of 250,000 copies in the first weekend they were available, placing them among the best-selling games of 1995.
Accompanied by a massive promotional campaign, Mortal Kombat 3 was originally released for North American arcades on April 15, 1995.
Mortal Kombat 3 was originally slated to be released for the Atari Jaguar in the second quarter of 1996, according to a joint press release issued by Atari and Williams Entertainment on March 13, 1995, but was never released.
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