Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series. Just as the previous games, Mortal Kombat 3 has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game eschews the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of Earthrealm.

This third installment in the series retains the blood and gory attacks that defined the series. It also adds new finishing maneuvers, including animalities, in which a character transforms into an animal to finish off enemies. Also new to the series were Kombos, predefined sequences of buttons/joystick moves used to perform a series of consecutive attacks. A "Run" button was also added, allowing players to briefly dash toward the opponent. Mortal Kombat 3 also debuted "Kombat Kodes" a lock system using various symbols that can be entered before two-player matches to achieve certain effects. The codes were revealed through gaming magazines, promotional material and other Mortal Kombat media. The longest code, dubbed the "Ultimate Kombat Kode" was entered on the game over screen and was used to unlock a robotic version of Smoke.

Some characters from the previous games returned and new characters were introduced into the series. The game notably omitted popular characters from previous games, some of whom were re-added in an update, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The home console exclusive Mortal Kombat Trilogy added even more characters, as well as other new features.

Mortal Kombat 3 builds further on the gameplay of the previous game. A "Run" button, accompanied by a "Run" meter, was introduced. This was primarily to address concern from fans who thought that the previous games gave too much of an advantage to the defending player. The Run meter is drained by running (the character cannot run backwards, only forwards) and by performing combos.

"Chain combos", also known as pre-programmed combos (labeled "dial-a-combos") were also introduced. Chain combos are preprogrammed button presses that cannot be interrupted once one hit connects. Some chain combos end with an uppercut or other move that knocks the opponent into the air, so that more punishment can be dealt via a traditional juggle combo. To please players of various skill levels, a "Choose Your Destiny" screen appears in the single player mode. This new feature allowed player-selectable difficulty.

For the first time, certain levels were interactive by allowing characters to be uppercutted through the ceiling where both characters would continue the battle in a different stage. This could alter the game's level cycle. Both normal uppercuts and uppercuts that are part of a ground combo would result in a level change. Kung Lao's "Whirl Wind Spin" move would also have the same effect. However, if the final hit of a round happens to be an uppercut (i.e., the character is defeated by an uppercut), there is no level change.

All of the different style of finishing moves featured in Mortal Kombat II (Fatalities, including their non-lethal Babality and Friendship version) return in MK3 but this time the announcer saying "Friendship! Friendship?!" was changed to "Friendship! Friendship?! Again?!". Additionally, the long rumored Animality, where the character transforms into an animal in order to kill their opponent, is featured for the first time. Another new addition is the Mercy, where the character can give their opponent a small sliver of life if they have won two rounds and are at the "Finish Him/Her" screen. It is necessary that a Mercy is performed for an Animality to occur. Finally, three new stage Fatalities can be performed in the Subway, the Bell Tower and the Pit 3.

Another concept introduced in this game are the "Kombat Kodes". These were 6-symbol codes entered at the VS screen in a two player game, to modify gameplay, fight hidden characters or display certain text messages. Also introduced in this game was the "Ultimate Kombat Kode", using a 10 character code using symbols, that could be entered after the continue screen disappears in single player mode. If the correct code was entered, an animation would be shown flashing the kombat zones in quick succession and Smoke would become a permanent playable character. The arcade owner, however, could reset this code by accessing the game's diagnostic menu by toggling a DIP switch within the MK3 cabinet. Smoke can be unlocked by either the player or the arcade operator.

The game's overall style was envisioned differently than in the previous Mortal Kombat games. Opposed to the heavily Oriental themes of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, MK3's theme is much more Western contemporary. The game's stages are set in modern locations, three of the characters are cyborgs, and traditional character designs (such as Sub-Zero's or Kano's) have been dropped or modified in favor of modern replacements. The overall game has a much darker tone than its predecessors, and uses a noticeable darker and less vibrant color palette. Characters were heavily digitized, as opposed to the hybrid digitized/hand-drawn style of MKII. Many of the game's backgrounds were, for the first time, created using pre-rendered 3D graphics. This change is also reflected in the sound track, in which all Oriental motifs have been dropped in favor of modern instrumentation.