Mortal Kombat 11 Closed Beta Is Live: Schedule, Dates, Characters, And How To Get In

Those eager to get their hands on Mortal Kombat 11 are in luck, provided they have a PS4 or Xbox One. Ahead of the full game's release next month, the closed beta is now live and runs until the end of the month. Being a closed beta, you won't be able to simply download it and start playing. Here's all the information you need to know about getting in--you'll have to pre-order--who's playable, and when it ends. If you just want to see what it's like, check our our livestream above, featuring gameplay from the beta on PS4.

The beta is officially underway on both PS4 and Xbox One. It runs through Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM PT (2:59 AM ET / 6:59 AM GMT / 5:59 PM AET on April 1). To gain access, you'll need to pre-order a copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One--the full game will also come to PC and Nintendo Switch, but only those two aforementioned consoles get the beta. There's no word on a pre-release test of any sort on the other two; the recent online stress test was also PS4- and Xbox One-only.

Mortal Kombat 11's roster continues to grow, with Sony's recent State of Play confirming Liu Kang, Jax, and Kung Lao. However, none of those is present in the beta; instead, the five playable characters in it are Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion.

The beta includes online multiplayer matches and the single-player Towers of Time mode, along with an exclusive preview of the Custom Character Variation System. That system will let you choose from various cosmetic options for your character, including their skins, gear, special abilities, taunts, brutalities, and intro and victory cinematics. You'll need an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus membership to play online, but you can play with the Towers of Time or Character Variation offline.

Pre-ordering not only gets you the beta access, but also Shao Kahn as a playable character. That bonus will be across all platforms, including PC and Nintendo Switch. The game releases for all four platforms on April 23.

The aforementioned reveal of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Jax came as part of Sony's State of Play event, which revealed an excellent new MK11 trailer that plays up the time-travel aspect of its story. Among other things, we get to see an older Johnny Cage take on his younger counterpart.