He’s been the Big Bad for decades now, but the Mortal Kombat 11 Shao Kahn unlock method might irritate some. That’s because you can’t play as Shao Kahn through traditional methods. Instead, you need to go through another method and, even then, you will have probably already missed the boat when it comes to playing as Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11 without pre-ordering. Even so, just in case you want some confirmation, here’s our Mortal Kombat 11 Shao Kahn unlock guide.
How to unlock Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11
As of writing, the only way to unlock Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11 is to have pre-ordered the game either physically or digitally.
If you’ve pre-ordered digitally (or on PC in general), Shao Kahn should download alongside your main game install. If it hasn’t, head to My Games and Apps on Xbox One or your Library on PS4 to check if there’s an add-on download waiting for you. From there, you can simply head to the character selection screen to start ripping spines and taking names with the fighter.
For those of you who have a boxed, physical copy, you’re going to want to make sure you have a separate code in the retail box. Simply grab that code and input it into your respective console’s storefront.
Can I play as Shao Kahn without pre-ordering?
Unfortunately not. You can play through the game’s Story Mode, work your way through countless levels of the Krypt, and take out as many fighters with Fatalities (and Fatal Blows) as you wish, but there’s no way to unlock Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11 without pre-ordering. We’ll have to hold out hope for an imminent (paid) DLC release of Shao Kahn. I’d wage a Koin or two that he’ll join the roster by early June 2019.
Having said that, there is a sneaky way for him to make his presence felt. Simply go through and complete every tutorial in the game and you’ll be able to unlock the baddie as an announcer. FINISH HIM!
