Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game in which two players fight against each other using a variety of attacks, special moves, and gruesome Fatalities. The energy meter, first introduced in the previous Mortal Kombat game, allows players to perform techniques such as "X-Ray" special moves. Similarly to NetherRealm Studios' previous title, Injustice: Gods Among Us, fighters are able to interact with the environment, bouncing off areas to reposition themselves or using parts of the environment as weapons. In addition, each fighter has three different variations, each featuring a different set of moves they can use during the fight: for example, the character Scorpion features a Ninjutsu variation in which he wields dual swords, a Hellfire variation which relies more on fiery special moves, and an Inferno variation which allows him to summon hellspawn minions to aid him in the fight. The sprint gauge, which was last seen in Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, returns in this game. MKX features two new types of finishing moves: Quitality, which will instantly kill a player's character if they quit during a multiplayer match; and Faction Kills, finishing moves tied to each of the game's five factions. Brutality finishing moves make a comeback from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the form of enhanced versions of certain moves that are triggered when they are used to give the opponent the last attack in a round.
The game's play modes include Story, 1 vs. 1 Ranked, King of the Hill, Survivor, and Test Your Luck. A new addition called Living Towers is an evolved form of Mortal Kombat's Challenge Tower where the play conditions will be changing every hour. Another new mode is Faction Wars, where the players will have to choose one from the five factions (Black Dragon, the Brotherhood of Shadow, the Lin Kuei, Special Forces, and White Lotus) to align with and join a persistent online cross-platform competition with the others, winning points for their faction to contribute in the conflict between them, ranking up personally, and earning special rewards such as faction-specific finishing moves if the player's faction win at the end of any given week.
The game's play modes include Story, 1 vs. 1 Ranked, King of the Hill, Survivor, and Test Your Luck. A new addition called Living Towers is an evolved form of Mortal Kombat's Challenge Tower where the play conditions will be changing every hour. Another new mode is Faction Wars, where the players will have to choose one from the five factions (Black Dragon, the Brotherhood of Shadow, the Lin Kuei, Special Forces, and White Lotus) to align with and join a persistent online cross-platform competition with the others, winning points for their faction to contribute in the conflict between them, ranking up personally, and earning special rewards such as faction-specific finishing moves if the player's faction win at the end of any given week.