# Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
**Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3** (UMK3) is a 1995 fighting game developed and published by Midway for arcades, released as a standalone update of 1995's earlier *Mortal Kombat 3* with an altered gameplay system, additional characters, and new features[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY). It restored fan-favorite fighters who had been absent from *Mortal Kombat 3*, including [Scorpion](https://www.edgepedia.org/scorpion-mortal-kombat), Kitana, [Jade](https://www.edgepedia.org/jade-mortal-kombat), [Reptile](https://www.edgepedia.org/reptile-mortal-kombat), Mileena, Ermac, Classic Sub-Zero, Rain, and Human Smoke, and it is widely regarded as a high point of the 2D *Mortal Kombat* era[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY) • [3](https://retrocean.com/snes/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3-usa/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Arcade release | October 6, 1995 (USA), on Midway Wolf Unit hardware: TMS34010 main CPU at 6.25 MHz, ADSP2105 sound CPU, 2 players, 8-way joystick, 6 buttons[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail) |
| Characters added | Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Scorpion, Reptile, Ermac, Classic Sub-Zero, Rain, and Human Smoke; Robot Smoke became a normal selectable character[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail) |
| New modes | 4-player 2-on-2 kombat and 8-player tournament mode, plus a second Master ladder and endurance rounds in all ladders[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail) |
| Stage changes | Scorpion's Lair (Hell), Jade's Desert, Kahn's Kave, River Kombat, and Scislac Busorez (Blue Portal) added; the Bank and Smoke's Portal stages removed[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail) |
| Main home ports | Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, Xbox Live Arcade (2006), Game Boy Advance as *Mortal Kombat Advance* (2001), Nintendo DS as *Ultimate Mortal Kombat* (2007), and iOS (2010)[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY) • [4](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2006/10/21/arcade-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/) |
| Most faithful port | The Sega Saturn port came closest to the arcade version; no home port was completely identical[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY) |
| WaveNet edition | A rare 1996-1997 online arcade revision over T1 lines, long considered lost media, preserved and re-released in *Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection* (2025)[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/) |
| Reception | GameSpot scored the Xbox 360 version 8.2/10; the Xbox 360 Metascore is 70 with a user score of 8.0[6](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/reviews/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/) |
## Background and changes from Mortal Kombat 3
*Mortal Kombat 3* reached arcades in April 1995 and met a cooler reception than its predecessors, in part because it removed iconic fighters such as Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Raiden in favor of new characters like Sindel, Stryker, Kabal, and Sheeva[8](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/mortal-kombat-3-fue-la-oveja-negra-de-la-saga-y-la-ausencia-de-scorpion-fue-uno-de-sus-grandes-problemas-f202601-n/). Midway responded with *Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3* about seven months later, a revision that corrected most of those complaints and was much better received than the base game[8](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/mortal-kombat-3-fue-la-oveja-negra-de-la-saga-y-la-ausencia-de-scorpion-fue-uno-de-sus-grandes-problemas-f202601-n/).
**Roster and stages.** The arcade revision added nine characters to the cast and made Robot Smoke a normal character[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail). Five new stages joined the game: Scorpion's Lair (Hell), Jade's Desert, Kahn's Kave, River Kombat (Waterfront), and Scislac Busorez (Blue Portal), while the Bank and Smoke's Portal stages from the original *Mortal Kombat 3* were removed[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail). An uppercut in Scorpion's Lair could knock an opponent up into Kahn's Kave, a double-stage transition[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail).
**Gameplay and modes.** Computer intelligence was increased, jump-in combo starters were added, and [Shang Tsung](https://www.edgepedia.org/shang-tsung)'s morph announced the character he transformed into[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail). The update introduced a 4-player 2-on-2 mode and an 8-player tournament mode, added a second Master ladder, and placed endurance rounds in all ladders, with the second Master ladder requiring the player to defeat three opponents on one lifebar[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail). Later arcade revisions fixed CPU patterns and bugs and added more Kombat Kodes[1](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail).
## Home ports
Several home versions followed the arcade original, none completely identical to it[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY). The 16-bit Super NES and Genesis ports had to make substantial concessions to fit the game on cartridge, cutting content compared with the arcade counterpart[9](https://3rdvoicegaming.com/2015/05/16/mortal-kombat-retrospektive-4-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3-1995/). Animalities were dropped from both 16-bit ports, apparently because restoring every arcade character's Animality transformation exceeded cartridge memory[10](https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Ultimate_Mortal_Kombat_3). The Genesis and SNES versions also unlocked [Ermac](https://www.edgepedia.org/ermac), Mileena, and Classic Sub-Zero without requiring the arcade's Ultimate Kombat Kodes[11](https://www.mortalkombatonline.com/t/classic/differences-between-console-and-arcade-versions-list-them-here/OAxVfAjg0ky).
The two 16-bit ports traded different strengths. The Genesis version is generally seen as closer to the arcade game in play, with more colorful but lower-resolution graphics, while the SNES version offered stronger visuals and audio[12](https://powilumoratome.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/3/134368047/nuxos_meworuzixo.pdf). The [Sega Saturn](https://www.edgepedia.org/sega-saturn) port came closest to the arcade original[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY). Later releases included the [Nintendo 64](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-64) version, the [Game Boy Advance](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-advance) game *Mortal Kombat Advance* (2001), the Nintendo DS game *Ultimate Mortal Kombat* (2007), and an iOS version rebuilt on a 3D graphics engine and released by Electronic Arts in 2010[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY).
**Xbox Live Arcade.** In October 2006 the game arrived on Xbox Live Arcade as a download with a demo, with the full version priced at 800 Microsoft Points[4](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2006/10/21/arcade-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/). This version offered 22 playable fighters plus secret methods to unlock additional ones, classic fatalities, brutalities, friendships, and babalities, a 2-on-2 kombat mode, a Challenger Versus Mode for up to four players in a winner-stays-on tournament, leaderboards, and 12 achievements[4](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2006/10/21/arcade-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/).
## WaveNet edition
The rarest version of the game is the WaveNet edition, an online-enabled arcade revision that received a location test around 1996 or 1997[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/). Machines connected over dedicated T1 lines to Midway's offices in Chicago, letting a player in one arcade compete against a player in another city; the version was tested only in a few arcades in Chicago and San Francisco, and most players never learned it existed[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/) • [13](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/tras-casi-30-anos-desaparecido-el-santo-grial-de-mortal-kombat-regresa-asi-podras-jugarlo-en-2025-n/). Midway subsidized the cost of the T1 line during the tests to make the arrangement more attractive to arcade owners[14](https://www.mksecrets.net/otherfiles/umk3/UltimateMortalKombat3-ComboGuide.pdf).
WaveNet UMK3 was more than an online version. It was a full revision with balance changes, limits designed to prevent cheats such as infinite combos, additional Easter eggs, and a fully playable Noob Saibot, the only arcade version in which that character was playable[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/) • [13](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/tras-casi-30-anos-desaparecido-el-santo-grial-de-mortal-kombat-regresa-asi-podras-jugarlo-en-2025-n/). Remote updating of the game was considered but abandoned because of the high infrastructure cost[13](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/tras-casi-30-anos-desaparecido-el-santo-grial-de-mortal-kombat-regresa-asi-podras-jugarlo-en-2025-n/). The version was never widely distributed, the arcade board was never preserved even by pirates, and it became known among fans as the holy grail of *Mortal Kombat* lost media[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/). In 2025, developer Digital Eclipse located a working WaveNet cabinet, made it playable outside the original network, and included it in *Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection*, where it can be played online through the collection's standard multiplayer infrastructure[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/) • [15](https://www.shacknews.com/article/146257/no-more-secrets-the-making-of-mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection?page=4).
## Competitive play
UMK3 sustained a competitive scene for decades, and its character hierarchy has been documented by high-level players[16](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters). At the top, Kabal and Human Smoke are acknowledged as the best characters: both have launcher combo strings with large damage potential, and Kabal's air fireball can be input so quickly that it shuts down a tremendous number of characters[16](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters). Ermac falls just below them, followed by [Kano](https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-mortal-kombat) and Jax[16](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters).
The bottom of the list shifted sharply from vanilla *Mortal Kombat 3*, where Cyrax, unmasked Sub-Zero, and Jax had been inordinately strong; in UMK3 Cyrax fell to near the bottom alongside his fellow cyborg Sektor, and Sheeva, the four-armed Shokan, is widely considered the game's worst character, hampered by large collision boxes and slower recovery times[16](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters). Play at high level also depends on quirks in the game's code, such as a bug that prevents Sektor from firing a straight missile while a homing missile is in play, but only when player two controls him[16](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters).
## Reception and legacy
The arcade game was mostly well received and has been considered a high point for the *Mortal Kombat* series, although the iOS remake and some other home versions were received poorly in comparison[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY). GameSpot's review of the Xbox Live Arcade release scored it 8.2, and the [Xbox 360](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-360) version holds a Metascore of 70 based on 18 critic reviews with a user score of 8.0[6](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/reviews/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/). Critical regard for the game has remained high enough that many consider it the peak of the 2D *Mortal Kombat* period, and it has returned again and again, in *Mortal Kombat Trilogy* (1996), the 2011 *Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection*, the premium *Mortal Kombat: Armageddon* package, and the 2025 *Legacy Kollection*[3](https://retrocean.com/snes/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3-usa/) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY).
## References
1. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) - Arcade Video Game by Midway Mfg. Co., Arcade History](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?id=3018&page=detail)
2. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - Stryker Gameplay (Arcade, 1995), Paperboy360, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeBti9kKiY)
3. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 [USA] (SNES), Retrocean](https://retrocean.com/snes/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3-usa/)
4. [Arcade: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Xbox Wire (October 21, 2006)](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2006/10/21/arcade-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/)
5. [After 28 years as a legend among Mortal Kombat fans, "the holy grail of MK lost media" has been preserved and made playable for Legacy Kollection, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mortal-kombat/after-28-years-as-a-legend-among-mortal-kombat-fans-the-holy-grail-of-mk-lost-media-has-been-preserved-and-made-playable-for-legacy-kollection/)
6. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/reviews/)
7. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ultimate-mortal-kombat-3/)
8. [Mortal Kombat 3 fue la oveja negra de la saga, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/mortal-kombat-3-fue-la-oveja-negra-de-la-saga-y-la-ausencia-de-scorpion-fue-uno-de-sus-grandes-problemas-f202601-n/)
9. [Mortal Kombat Retrospektive #4: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), 3rd Voice Gaming](https://3rdvoicegaming.com/2015/05/16/mortal-kombat-retrospektive-4-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3-1995/)
10. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat Wiki (Fandom)](https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Ultimate_Mortal_Kombat_3)
11. [Differences between console and arcade versions, Mortal Kombat Online](https://www.mortalkombatonline.com/t/classic/differences-between-console-and-arcade-versions-list-them-here/OAxVfAjg0ky)
12. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Sega Saturn review](https://powilumoratome.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/3/134368047/nuxos_meworuzixo.pdf)
13. [Tras casi 30 años desaparecido, el Santo Grial de Mortal Kombat regresa, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/tras-casi-30-anos-desaparecido-el-santo-grial-de-mortal-kombat-regresa-asi-podras-jugarlo-en-2025-n/)
14. [Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Combo Guide, MKSecrets](https://www.mksecrets.net/otherfiles/umk3/UltimateMortalKombat3-ComboGuide.pdf)
15. [No More Secrets: The Making of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, Shacknews](https://www.shacknews.com/article/146257/no-more-secrets-the-making-of-mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection?page=4)
16. [How Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3's Tier List Determined the Best Fighters, Shacknews (David L. Craddock, March 29, 2022)](https://www.shacknews.com/article/128985/how-ultimate-mortal-kombat-3s-tier-list-determined-the-best-fighters)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Fighting game franchises › Mortal Kombat franchise*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license