Performance Overview
Performance in Mortal Kombat 11 is as smooth as they come. The main gameplay – versus fighting – runs at a clean 60 frames per second out of the box. There are some dips, but these are easily alleviated by following my settings below.
Cutscenes run at 30 frames per second for the most part, despite turning on the setting option to render them at 60. That’s not a major issue, and it didn’t ruin my experience. Movies are rendered at 25 frames, so cutscenes running at 30 is more than acceptable. What matters in Mortal Kombat 11 is the one on one combat is rendered in a way that’s fluid.
Visually, Mortal Kombat 11 looks great on the Deck. All of the bloody viscera and sinew come through clearly on the Steam Deck’s 800p screen. The background areas do a great job of avoiding jagged edges as well. One of the biggest complaints on the Steam Deck is that it struggles with anti-aliasing, but the mix of FXAA and TAA does a splendid job of keeping edges under control.
I wasn’t able to get the Krypt – Mortal Kombat 11’s open-world area – running close to 60, even with the 60 frames per second option enabled. That said, 30 to 40 is still much nicer than running the Krypt locked at 30, so I’ll take that as a win.
Recommended Settings
My settings below will get Mortal Kombat 11 running at a smooth 60 frames per second on Steam Deck.
However I should note, the 60 frames target is designed for the main single-player and online modes, while the Krypt will run at 30 to 40 frames. In short, one-on-one fights are smooth, the Krypt is less smooth but more than playable.
What impressed me most is despite how crisp Mortal Kombat 11 looks on the Steam Deck, it’s not a massive battery guzzler. At 14.9 watts, Mortal Kombat 11 isn’t using up battery at a rate that I’d consider excessive.
Although it’s worth keeping in mind, this is one hot game. At 70 degrees, expect the back of the case to feel like a radiator.
| Mortal Kombat 11 (In-game Settings) | |
| Video Mode | Borderless |
| Resolution | 1280×800 (16:10) |
| Vsync | On |
| Dynamic Resolution | Off |
| Frameskip | On |
| Graphic Settings Preset | Custom |
| Texture Quality | Medium |
| AA Mode | FXAA+TAA |
| Aniso Filtering | 16x |
| Bloom | On |
| Motion Blur | Off |
| Lighting | High |
| Ambient Occlusion | On |
| Particle Density | High |
| Particles Mode | GPU |
| Shadow Quality | Medium |
| SS Reflections | On |
| Steam Deck Settings (Quick Access Menu) | |
| TDP: 10 | Estimated Battery Life: 2 Hours 30 Minutes |
| Docked Mode Resolution: 1280×720 | FSR: On (Docked Mode) |
| GPU Usage: 90% | Temperature: 70 degrees |
| Battery Drain: 14.9w | Version Tested: Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate |
| Extra Info | |
| Fills the Entire Steam Deck Screen | No |
| Valve Grading | Unsupported |
| Performance Rating: 4/5 | |
Bugs and Issues
I have suffered a couple of crashes during my playtime, and most of them happened on the DirectX 12 version. But in terms of the game and its online mode working on Steam Deck, it does and does well.
Verdict
Mortal Kombat 11 remains one of the most enjoyable entries in the Mortal Kombat series. The story is as daft as ever but if you care about the characters, you’ll care about the story. It’s that simple.
If you’re playing the game on Steam Deck, you won’t be disappointed. The visuals bang and it’s the type of game that makes the Steam Deck feel more powerful than it actually is. Sure, Mortal Kombat 11 may be a few years old now, but it still feels as fresh and exciting as it did on launch.
If you’ve yet to pick up Mortal Kombat, I strongly recommend you check it out on Steam Deck.
Game purchased from a retail website. | All screenshots captured on Steam Deck.| To learn more about our review policy click here. | Alternatively, click here to find out why you can trust me.
