Hey everyone, and welcome back to Coffee or Game! The deal on the menu today is a bloody good one: Mortal Kombat 11, the full-fat, spine-ripping fighter, is on sale for just $9.99 on the Nintendo eShop . That’s less than a fancy latte, and far more likely to get your heart pumping.

For a game that launched at $59.99, a price drop to $9.99 is a massive discount . But is this Switch port, famously less powerful than its PS4 and Xbox cousins, a sweet deal or a fatality for your wallet? Let’s crack its skull open and find out.

What You Get for Your Ten Bucks (Spoiler: It’s a Lot)

First, let’s be clear: this is not a watered-down “Switch version.” You are getting the complete, core Mortal Kombat 11 experience. That includes:

• A Cinematic Story Mode: A wild, time-bending tale featuring the new villain Kronika that will take you around 10 hours to complete, packed with the series’ signature over-the-top action and cheesy one-liners .
• All Core Fighting Modes: Klassic Towers, local versus, and online multiplayer are all present and accounted for .
• The Full Roster: Every fighter from the base game is here, from Scorpion and Sub-Zero to newer characters like Geras .
• Towers of Time & The Krypt: These are the game’s deep, grind-heavy progression systems for unlocking tons of cosmetics, gear, and fatalities .

For less than the price of a movie ticket, that’s an enormous amount of content, especially if you’re a fighting game fan.

The Good: Where the Switch Version Shines (and Bleeds)

1. Performance Over Polish

The developers made a crucial, fighter-first decision: target a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second (FPS). They hit it . In a fighting game, smooth, responsive gameplay is infinitely more important than shiny puddles or perfect hair textures. The excellent, methodical combat of MK11—where every button press feels deliberate—translates flawlessly to the Switch .

2. Genuine “Play Anywhere” Fighting… Sometimes

When you’re docked or playing locally, it’s a blast. The ability to take a full-fledged, modern Mortal Kombat on the go is still a novelty that hasn’t worn off. Grinding through a few Tower matches on a commute is perfectly viable.

The Bad: The Sacrifices and Stumbles

1. The Visual Downgrade is Real

You can’t sugarcoat it. To hit that 60FPS, significant visual cuts were made. Expect lower-resolution character models that look fuzzy, muddy and low-res stage backgrounds, and lighting effects that are toned down or missing . The Krypt mode, an explorable third-person area, looks particularly rough, with “PlayStation One-era fog” according to one review . The transition from high-quality story cutscenes to in-game fights can also be jarring .

2. A Truly “Fatal” Blow: The Always-Online Curse

This is the port’s biggest weakness and a baffling design choice for a handheld console. Crucial modes like the Towers of Time and the entire Krypt are completely inaccessible without a stable internet connection. This absolutely cripples the “on-the-go” appeal. Want to grind for new gear on a plane or train? Forget it. This requirement feels like a punitive oversight for Switch players .

3. A Grind That Can Feel Brutal

The in-game economy for unlocking items has been criticized across all versions, but it feels particularly out of whack on Switch, with chests in the Krypt costing an “absurdly large amount” . Unlocking your favorite character’s second fatality could take a very, very long time without pouring in real money for Time Crystals (the premium currency).

Coffee or Game? The Final Verdict

So, is your $9.99 better spent here or on a cup of coffee?

For $9.99, Mortal Kombat 11 on Switch is an easy recommendation with major, specific caveats.

Think of it like this:

If you plan to play primarily docked at home or in places with reliable WiFi, this is a steal. You get one of the best modern fighting games, with all its gory glory, for a pittance. The visual trade-off is worth the pristine gameplay.

However, if you were dreaming of a self-contained, portable Mortal Kombat experience to sink hundreds of hours into on long trips, the always-online shackles make this a much harder sell. Your coffee money might be better saved for a different game.

P.S. The DLC Situation: The sale also includes massive discounts on DLC, like the Ultimate Add-On Bundle (normally $49.99, now $9.99) which adds the Aftermath story expansion and all Kombat Pack characters like The Joker, Rambo, and RoboCop . If you fall in love with the base game, you can expand it enormously for another “coffee.”

Bottom Line: For the price of a cup of coffee, you’re buying a premium fighting game engine and a ton of content, wrapped in a less-pretty package with some frustrating strings attached. Just know what you’re getting into before you commit.

Have you picked up MK11 on Switch? Did the visuals or online requirement surprise you? Let’s khat in the comments below