Mortal Kombat 1 has received the Best Multiplayer Game award at this year's Golden Joystick Awards 2023 powered by Intel.
This is the second time the long-running fighting series has been rebooted, and there are plenty of new features to keep things interesting, including the fresh Invasion mode with RPG elements that plays out like a board game full of the series' single-player "greatest hits" alongside the more traditional Towers and Story Mode. However, we're here because Mortal Kombat 1 has impressed the most in the multiplayer category at this year's Golden Joystick Awards.
There's an expanded roster of more than 20 characters to choose from, including several that haven't appeared in the series for well over a decade, but it's the introduction of the Kameo system that reinvents the series for a new generation of fighters. You can now select a Kameo sidekick to be in your corner, then call upon them to briefly jump in during matches and perform Summons or Ambushes on your opponents that take advantage of their distinct movesets. Add in all of the eye-watering Fatalities and Brutalities that have made the series iconic, and you can see why Mortal Kombat 1 secured victory over fellow brawler Street Fighter 6, action RPG heavyweight Diablo 4, and the others.
The full list of Golden Joystick Awards 2023 nominees is below:
- Exoprimal
- Diablo IV
- Street Fighter 6
- Remnant II
- Mortal Kombat 1 (Winner)
- We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip
It's no surprise to us that players have been impressed, as in our 5/5 Mortal Kombat 1 review Andi Hamilton described it as "a superbly presented fighting game with something to offer players of all experience and familiarity with NetherRealm's sprawling MK universe. The Kameo fighter system injects new strategic depth into combat, the rebooted timeline feeds a ridiculous story, and the suite of game modes are both varied and well made."
For further reading, you can also find out why GamesRadar+'s Joe Donnelly hasn't felt this way about a fighting game since I knocked myself out on a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet at a bowling alley 30 years ago.
Discover the best games of 2023 at the best prices by checking out the Golden Joystick Awards Steam sale page
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