The Pit made its initial appearance in the first Mortal Kombat game. It is the most treacherous fighting arenas on Shang Tsung's island. Initially, it did not have spikes below, but Shang Tsung grew irritated by the number of defeated warriors surviving the fall. When a kombatant was defeated, he or she could be knocked off the bridge, impaled on the spikes below. Shang Tsung also stationed Reptile at the bottom to ensure there would be no survivors.

Occasionally, dark silhouettes of a witch, rocket, and even Santa Claus can be seen floating across the sky.

You can fight Mortal Kombat's first hidden character, Reptile, on this stage. If you see a silhouette fly across the sky, do not use block for the entire match, get a double-flawless, and perform your character's fatality. You will then fight Reptile at the Pit Bottom.

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, instead of fighting on the bridge, kombatants do battle on a large square platform next to the bridge. Defeated warriors can still be knocked down onto the spikes below.