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Killer Instinct

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

The legendary fighting franchise is back with over-the-top action, a wild cast of combatants, rocking reactive music, and C-C-C-COMBO BREAKERS!!! Choose your ultimate combatants each with fluid animations, unique combat tactics, and enthralling special attacks.

Fighting

Player score
8.7/10
5,682 reviews
Released
1994
Developer
Rare Ltd.
Platforms
5 systems
Critics
Not scored
Steam Deck
verified
Download
48 GB
We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is Killer Instinct?

The legendary fighting franchise is back with over-the-top action, a wild cast of combatants, rocking reactive music, and C-C-C-COMBO BREAKERS!!! Choose your ultimate combatants each with fluid animations, unique combat tactics, and enthralling special attacks.

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released28 October 1994
DeveloperRare Ltd.
PublisherMidway Games, Nintendo
PlatformsSuper Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Arcade, Steam Deck
GenresFighting
Languages8 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q973459, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was Killer Instinct received?

Players87%positive of 5,682 · Very Positive
Achievements463on Steam

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

Accessibility

1 declared features

Seeing

None declared

Hearing

None declared

Input

  • Full controller support

Difficulty

None declared

Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

What does it support?

Technical support
CapabilitySupport
Controllerfull support
Cloud savesYes
Cross-platform playNo
Mod supportNo official workshop
Online playYes
In-game purchasesYes
Steam Deckverified
Download size48 GB
Add-on content1 DLC listed
Age gateNone

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

Free

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 299 most recent negative Steam reviews of Killer Instinct on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

  1. Crashes and freezes14 of 299 (5%)

    Game Does Not Work Anymore, it just Crashes, and the developers don't even Bother to Fix it, Obsolete

    Steam review, 15 June 2022 · 1 hours played · 7 readers marked it helpful

    Crashes every time I start a match regardless of MP, Training or Story without fail.

    Steam review, 17 June 2018 · 10 hours played · 5 readers marked it helpful
  2. Monetisation inside the game14 of 299 (5%)

    The game used to cost like $10, and didn't block 99% of the roster behind a paywall.

    Steam review, 10 June 2024 · 4 hours played · 77 readers marked it helpful

    The game's free, but 99% of roster is locked behind a paywall?

    Steam review, 3 December 2023 · 1 hours played · 17 readers marked it helpful

A further 7 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like Killer Instinct

24 games overlap with Killer Instinct on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11.

All 24 games like Killer Instinct

Common questions about Killer Instinct

What platforms is Killer Instinct on?

Killer Instinct is available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Arcade, Steam Deck. It first released in 1994.

Is Killer Instinct free?

Yes. Killer Instinct is free to download on Steam. It carries in-game purchases.

Do players recommend Killer Instinct?

87% of 5,682 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

Does Killer Instinct work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates Killer Instinct as verified on the Steam Deck, from its own testing. That means it works out of the box with no configuration.

How big is the Killer Instinct download?

48 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.

Who made Killer Instinct?

Killer Instinct was developed by Rare Ltd. and published by Midway Games, Nintendo.