Every Mario Kart Game, Ranked

If you cognize thing astir gaming, you astir apt cognize the sanction ‘Mario Kart.’ Since 1992, the bid has been a pillar of Nintendo’s output and a quintessential illustration of the company’s “easy to prime up, hard to master” philosophy. The bid has present go truthful fashionable that it’s arguably eclipsed the Mario platformers arsenic the main arena from which radical cognize the red-capped Italian plumber.

The bid began backmost connected the SNES with Super Mario Kart, which introduced a look that fans fawn implicit to this day. But portion the halfway of that archetypal crippled has remained intact implicit the years, galore of the components person been wholly reinvented with the series’ latest title, Mario Kart World for the Switch 2. With that caller crippled present retired successful the wild, it's a large clip to look backmost connected each crippled successful the bid to spot however they iterate connected the formula, however they bespeak the authorities of Nintendo astatine the clip of their release, and whether oregon not they clasp up to this day. Here’s each Mario Kart game, ranked.

11. Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Despite being 1 of the handheld’s best-selling games, Super Circuit goes down arsenic 1 of the slightest replayable Game Boy Advance titles. Considering the bid had gone 3D 5 years earlier with Mario Kart 64, Super Circuit feels similar a important measurement backward. The quality models and backgrounds person a spot much extent than what’s showcased successful the archetypal SNES Mario Kart game, but the courses themselves are tarnished by flat, disfigured textures that autumn abbreviated of the handsome results the GBA proved itself susceptible of elsewhere.

What Super Circuit did person going for it astatine the clip was being the archetypal handheld crippled successful the series. Its bare-bones attack to quality enactment and crippled modes reflects its jump-in/jump-out philosophy, which trades expansiveness for approachability – thing that came successful clutch erstwhile an hr needed to beryllium killed connected a car ride. Super Circuit had its spot backmost successful 2001 and was ne'er expected to beryllium successful important contention with the console versions, but that means there’s nary existent crushed to instrumentality to it today.

10. Mario Kart Tour

It’s casual to discredit Mario Kart Tour for being a mobile game, but this micro mentation of the classical look has genuine merits. Chief amongst them is the ocular flare the crippled boasts, with immoderate simply gorgeous people designs. Being truthful adjacent to the surface allows you to afloat admit the details connected each unlockable kart, character, and contention track, which makes adjacent the dilatory 50cc races that spot much engaging.

Additionally, the instrumentality of character-specific items is precise invited and thing fans had been wanting to spot successful the console games since the days of the GameCube. What Tour misses retired connected is the feel of the console Mario Kart games. Sliding your digit crossed the surface is obscurity adjacent arsenic satisfying arsenic pressing carnal buttons, adjacent if Mario Kart is conscionable pressing A, R and L astir of the time.

9. Super Mario Kart

It's hard not to admit what a winning look 1992’s Super Mario Kart introduced. Over 33 years later, the halfway of the crippled remains intact. Grand Prix and Battle Mode aren’t successful each consequent Kart introduction for the involvement of contented – they conscionable ne'er stopped being entertaining. The information that this crippled not lone launched the franchise but besides an full genre of games is thing to beryllium sniffed at.

However, astir of the praise you tin heap connected Super Mario Kart is due to the fact that of its bequest alternatively than its quality to clasp up successful the modern age. Looking back, it's hard to get implicit the simplistic graphics and deficiency of mechanical depth, adjacent if you tin admit however cutting borderline it was astatine the time. Still, it provided a level for 1 of the biggest brands successful gaming, and who knows what Nintendo would look similar contiguous without it.

8. Mario Kart 64

The 2nd crippled successful the Mario Kart franchise feels instantly much dynamic than its predecessor. The 3D graphics let for much absorbing people design, shifting camera angles, and an enhanced consciousness of speed, particularly acknowledgment to the boost you tin get from drifting. The other item successful the quality animation besides goes a agelong mode to immersing you successful these races, which consciousness much similar expansive and aggravated sporting events than elemental video crippled laps.

In the modern day, Mario Kart 64 suffers from issues akin to what Super Circuit and Super Mario Kart do; this aforesaid happening has simply been done amended by consequent games, and determination aren’t capable unsocial qualities astir this 1 to routinely spell backmost to it (which is possibly the cardinal contented with a bid that remains truthful faithful to its halfway – the caller 1 with its insignificant improvements is truthful often the best). Still, MK 64’s modulation to 3D and its capableness for 4-player co-op means it’s cemented successful the hearts of galore fans, and often nostalgia is worthy much than method progress.

7. Mario Kart 7

Coming successful astatine fig 7 is — you guessed it — Mario Kart 7. While it whitethorn not clasp up arsenic a standout today, it did present elements that are present hard to ideate the bid without. Hang gliders consciousness truthful halfway to the travel of MK8, arsenic does the quality to thrust underwater and customise your kart, but those features each arrived connected the 3DS archetypal with Mario Kart 7. The underwater sequences, successful particular, are a ocular dainty that truly hammer location the generational spread betwixt the DS and 3DS. Meanwhile, kart customisation adds a level of strategy to a bid that revels successful chaos, possibly successful effect to the outrageous unpredictability of Mario Kart Wii.

However, going backmost to the crippled successful a post-MK8 Deluxe satellite makes each these elements little impressive. When a handheld crippled with amended graphics, galore of the aforesaid gameplay mechanics, and 64 much courses is readily available, the reasons to play Mario Kart 7 successful 2025 are few. It’s a captious portion of immoderate 3DS library, though, adjacent if it does suffer points for not having Waluigi successful the game. What was Nintendo thinking??

6. Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii cemented this franchise arsenic a household name. The Wii, of course, vastly expanded the gaming colonisation and Mario Kart had 1 of the lowest barriers to entry, coming with the Wii Wheel to further accommodate the caller motion-controlled gameplay. Though not the preferred mode of driving successful consequent entries for a batch of players, there’s a crushed wherefore tilt controls are inactive an enactment successful Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and MK World – truthful galore players had their archetypal Nintendo karting acquisition this way.

Mario Kart Wii has ever stood retired for being much escaped and chaotic than different games successful the series, gaining a estimation for rampant bluish shells taking retired players seconds distant from finishing first. But MK Wii has different unsocial flavours; it includes the series’ archetypal genuinely robust online play system, improving connected MK DS’s slim archetypal iteration, and adds bikes to the database of vehicles. The second has little factual interaction than the erstwhile but does adhd to the iconic presumption of the game. It’s intolerable to ideate Princess Peach utilizing thing other now.

5. Mario Kart 8

Nintendo’s doctrine during the Wii U epoch was wrought with overwhelming tones of vanilla, and the company’s astir palmy franchise was a unfortunate of it. Mario Kart transitioned to HD well, with MK8’s graphics being perfectly gorgeous, and the series’ halfway gameplay held intact, making for a crippled that you could ne'er telephone bad.

But the archetypal mentation of Mario Kart 8 is, situation we accidental it, dull. It is excessively safe. The champion Mario Karts enactment a unsocial rotation connected the formula, but MK8’s instauration of anti-gravity is hardly noticeable. Instead, the large hitters are the bent gliding and underwater sections, which means it each feels a spot excessively overmuch similar Mario Kart 7, but successful HD.

Additionally, Battle Mode is stripped down to astir nothing, which robs gamers of a beloved mode to play. All this meant that MK8 didn’t truly person its ain individuality until the improved Deluxe mentation deed the Switch 3 years aboriginal successful 2017. But that Deluxe bundle would beryllium thing without a genuinely coagulated foundation, and that's what you get successful Mario Kart 8.

4. Mario Kart DS

The Mario Kart look has existed for 33 years, truthful immoderate crippled that alters it successful immoderate important mode is going to basal out. Mario Kart DS whitethorn connection the classical Kart gameplay successful Grand Prix Mode, but it experiments wildly successful the unsocial and superb Mission Mode. These objective-based activities scope from elemental clip trials to genuine brag battles, and each asks you to maestro a full caller acceptable of skills beyond conscionable flying done courses and knowing shortcuts. As a result, Mario Kart DS is much enduring than galore of its peers arsenic a purely single-player experience.

Mission Mode is conscionable 1 of the things that helped Mario Kart DS execute its iconic status, though. Its integration with DS Download Play introduced a societal constituent unseen connected a handheld prior, allowing aggregate DS consoles to articulation a contention utilizing conscionable 1 transcript of the game. And successful summation to introducing archetypal courses similar Waluigi Pinball and Peach Gardens, MK DS is the archetypal successful the bid to diagnostic retro tracks, an thought present astatine the halfway of what radical look guardant to with immoderate caller Mario Kart. It was a triumph backmost successful 2005 and Mission Mode makes it a unsocial and highly replayable introduction successful the bid to this day.

3. Mario Kart World

Despite being the newest introduction connected this list—like, it’s a week old—Mario Kart World successfully covers a batch of caller terrain for a franchise that’s implicit 30 years old. First off, it is undeniably the best-looking crippled successful the bid and an contiguous contender for the astir graphically awesome crippled Nintendo has ever developed. Playing connected handheld and taking successful each item of MK World’s vast, interconnected courses is simply a dream. It’s a magical acquisition erstwhile you’re driving on and tin spot the outline of a acquainted way retired successful the distance.

But it's what World introduces mechanically that sees it emergence truthful precocious connected our list. The quality to thrust connected walls and grind connected rails consciousness similar what MK8’s anti-gravity should person been: caller skills that instrumentality a batch of signifier to beryllium afloat mastered. It’s thing that you cannot accidental for caller mechanics introduced successful astir immoderate erstwhile entry. These skills adhd large texture to the caller modes, specified arsenic Free Roam and Knockout Tour, which are large additions that volition hopefully stay important cornerstones of aboriginal games. The last-one-standing Knockout Tour ramps up the chaos that we’ve ever loved from Mario Kart games, portion Free Roam’s unfastened satellite adds a wholly caller exploration flavour to the series. There’s besides immoderate of MK DS’ Mission Mode to beryllium recovered successful the snackable (and often fiendishly difficult) P-Switch challenges. Throw successful each the acquainted modes we cognize and love, arsenic good arsenic an instant classical of a soundtrack, and you person 1 of the eventual Mario Kart experiences.

2. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is packed afloat of property successful a mode the bulk of the games successful the bid are not. Having not one, but 2 exclamation marks successful the rubric makes that clear. The rule diagnostic of having 2 racers per kart is simply a changeable of genius, and it's benignant of unbelievable that it’s not been a mode successful each Mario Kart since. The treble operator system, and the unsocial items each operator is assigned, allows for truthful galore caller styles of play and strategy that beryllium acold much absorbing than customising the conveyance you’re utilizing – for example, Mario’s peculiar items supply a velocity boost that helps equilibrium retired the heavier characters who person much destructive items unsocial to them. The imagery of it each is besides truthful goofy and fun… possibly a small too much amusive for Nintendo to person afloat committed to it successful the games since.

Even with antithetic characters, Mario Kart gameplay tin yet consciousness a small excessively akin aft respective hours of play, and truthful having Bowser’s elephantine shells rampage crossed the tracks decidedly helps with that. Mario Kart needs much hazard takers and regularisation benders similar Double Dash!! – let's anticipation the formula-breaking Mario Kart World is simply a motion of things to come.

1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe showcases Nintendo’s quality to instrumentality a decent crippled and crook it into a taste juggernaut. Fixing the archetypal version’s anaemic Battle Mode and allowing players to clasp an other point were casual wins, but cipher could person expected conscionable however overmuch the game’s scope would increase. When launched alongside the Switch successful 2017, determination were amusive additions to the quality roster similar King Boo, Bowser Jr. and the Inklings from Splatoon, but it was the Booster Course DLC that would truly cement MK8 Deluxe’s superiority amongst different games successful the series.

Now boasting 42 characters and an eye-watering 96 courses, MK8 Deluxe has go a instrumentality favourite done sheer variety. If determination was a people you loved from Mario Kart past, chances are it's been fixed a caller lease connected beingness successful HD. Not each people is simply a winner, and the mechanics don’t reinvent the instrumentality successful immoderate important mode (again, this is fundamentally a bigger and amended MK7), but 68 cardinal copies sold much than shows the instrumentality appreciation for this superb iteration.

Ryan Gaur is simply a freelance writer who has worked with the likes of RollingStone, Empire, Polygon, IndieWire, Skwigly, CartoonBrew, OkayPlayer, Animation Mag and more.