Top 10 Best Mario Kart Courses of All Time

Almost everyone has heard of the chaotic racing game series known as Mario Kart. With 8 main titles, there are more than 200 courses to choose from. You can play on Mario Circuit 1, the course that started it all, or Daisy Cruiser, where the ship turns side-to-side while items and furniture follow.

This list includes some of the best courses in Mario Kart history, ranging from Super Mario Kart on the SNES to Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. Feel free to vote! If you add a course, please include the name and system (SNES, N64, GBA, GCN, DS, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, Switch, iOS/Android).
The Top Ten
Waluigi Pinball DS

By far the best Mario Kart track in the franchise. This is a course that never gets boring. The exclusive item sound effects, the fantastic music, and being based around Waluigi - I could go on all day.

This and other courses like Airship Fortress, Tick-Tock Clock, etc., are definitely worth getting Mario Kart DS.

Waluigi Pinball is a masterpiece and will always be. Unlike everyone else, I actually like Waluigi. He finally gets the spotlight he deserves.

Everyone says that he has no personality and doesn't belong because he doesn't have a game of his own. But it's Nintendo's fault that he doesn't.

Coconut Mall Wii

It's the iconic Coconut Mall! It looks great on all editions, is a nice Delfino-based track, and the music is the best in the entire series.

You just got Coconut Malled!

Now, this is my type of frantic - the type that doesn't get popularity off of being an oval with seven laps and how items work.

Piantas, water fountains, escalators, Mii cars, and little shops make this track such fun! Honestly, I think it deserves more than just a rank of 15 on someone's list every time.

I think Sunshine Airport was slightly inspired by it due to the concept (of course, it is also based on Mario Sunshine) and sadly ranks lower than it. Calm down, I have nothing against Sunshine Airport. In fact, it's my second favorite track of all time. And take a wild guess about my first.

Maple Treeway WII

Make sure you beat the Mushroom and Flower Cups to unlock this one! Driving across a tree branch, over the leaves, and inside the tree trunk is just insane. But watch out for the Wigglers because if you hit them, your race will be ruined.

Try to take the shortcut to the right at the start (left in Mirror Mode), and you'll do well. It always gets me in first place.

I like the shortcut at the beginning, and overall it's a great track! I love the Wigglers. They add a good twist to the trees!

But MK8D ruined it a little bit. They made the branches you drive on flat and removed the wavy bridge at the end! Come on! That was a big thing that made Maple Treeway Maple Treeway! Plus, I like the fact that the leaf piles can either give you a mushroom or a banana.

DK Mountain GCN

Got to go with the fantastic DK Mountain. It brings me back to one Christmas when I got my GameCube with Double Dash as the game to come with it.

I remember I spent my evening going through the Star Cup and first laid my eyes on this track. First off the bat, you get slung into a cannon, and after that, you are running down a mountain/volcano with funny swings (I absolutely loved them when I learned them).

Perhaps one of the greatest tracks in Mario Kart ever.

This is hands down the best track in Mario Kart history. The presentation and design of the track are excellent, with you getting fired out of a cannon to a volcano, going down the twists and turns of the mountain and jungle below.

The rope bridge at the end is cool too. I spent hours playing this track, enjoying its perfection.

Rainbow Road 3DS

This is a great course in every way! I'd still give the best Rainbow Road track award to the Wii version, but the music here is still awesome.

Going through the Moon, Saturn, and having loads of entertaining sections really makes this one memorable.

Absolute best track in the series. Not only is it sectioned, but it features racing on Saturn, the moon, and a spinning tube. It also features star rings and vertical driving at the end. This track takes advantage of Mario Kart 7's gliding, and I love that.

Not to mention the music. Best Mario Kart track and music of all time.

Yoshi Valley N64

A pretty fun course. Branching paths are really cool, and even the N64 couldn't tell who was in first! It was super crazy! But there aren't really any mini-battles on the road because of so many paths.

I don't wish every track were like this, but I'm glad there is one!

I get dizzy because the track has so many paths! It sometimes appears to me like a maze. I can't get out of a maze quickly either.

But the track is cool, it fits Yoshi well, and the Mario Kart 8 version was also superb.

The course is great. It's crazy! It's funny! It's amazing!

Anyway, this course has heaps of paths, and believe it or not, the computer can't tell who's in first! Just watch out for the giant spinning egg!

Koopa Cape Wii

This and Maple Treeway should be in Mario Kart Tour, specifically their Wii versions, since the 3DS versions aren't as fun to play on.

I want them in because, currently, in Mario Kart Tour, there are no Mario Kart Wii tracks.

Hands down, the most beautiful track in Mario Kart Wii and the second-best in the game (Wario's Gold Mine is slightly better).

But overall, this track is more gorgeous!

Music is pure nostalgia for anyone who grew up with Mario Kart Wii. The course is creative. I wish it was brought back for 8 instead of 7 though.

Airship Fortress DS

It is a very great track, which goes through an airship and then blasts you out like a cannonball.

One of my favorites from the DS.

Super Mario Bros. 3. I always loved the airship levels and I just loved the idea of having a track completely based on these levels.

As soon as you start the track, you're already in the action with Bullet Bills charging at you right off the bat, weaving past Rocky Wrenches, dodging fire torches, and a breathtaking cannon ride. Not to mention a tower which is a brilliant area for powersliding.

Best track in DS, best track in MK7, and best track ever.

Bowser's Castle N64

This course is like an adventure. I just love it. The music fits perfectly and the yard is beautiful.

Rainbow Road GCN

I loved it.

1. It was Mario Kart Double Dash!
2. You go through rainbow pipes, which was my favorite part of the track.
3. This track is just awesome. I mean, it has rainbow curly roads, which is perfect for something like Rainbow Road!

I love Mario Kart, and Rainbow Road is one of my favorite courses! I love rainbows and racing, so it's the perfect match!

This course is, well, phenomenal! You go into rainbow pipes, and the course is the perfect Rainbow Road length (3:30:000).

Not much to say, but phenomenal! One of the best courses in Mario Kart!

The Newcomers

? Ninja Hideaway Mobile

This honestly is one of the coolest tracks I have ever seen in Mario Kart!

? Yoshi’s Island NS
The Contenders
Mount Wario 8 Wii

By far the best MK8 track. Mount Wario manages to make a fun snow level with a cool mechanic - the start and finish lines are in different places.

This makes for a ridiculously fun track to race on, and it is my second favorite track of all time.

This course has so much going on in it: cruising on the mountain, driving through a dam, "skiing," and more! This is my second favorite course in Mario Kart 8.

Amazing course. I had to search for it as I was too lazy to check to see where it was, which is disappointing. Best track in my opinion in Mario Kart.

Wario Colosseum GCN

The course with twists and turns is the ultimate Mario Kart course. Everything is great about it, and the tricks are endless.

The course is so tantalizingly long there's only 2 laps!

They absolutely NEED to put this as a retro track in the next Mario Kart game. The same goes for Bowser's Castle from that game.

Never played it, but it sounds great. I am desperate to get Double Dash.

Mushroom Gorge Wii

I don't see why people don't like this course sometimes! It's a gorge, and the only way to cross is by bouncing across.

However, the course is challenging and shouldn't be in the Mushroom Cup. Huh, that's ironic: Mushroom Gorge in the Mushroom Cup.

This course is great. It's fun, it's challenging, it's glitchy, and it has lots of cool shortcuts.

Also, I love how there are many different routes you can take. Not as many as Yoshi Valley, but still a lot. This track will always be my favorite!

Bouncing on giant mushrooms to get across is really fun and makes it somewhat crazy to ride on the track. Not only that, but it's simple, which is what I like about it.

Tick-Tock Clock DS

I really like Tick-Tock Clock. Its music is great! Not gonna lie, it's better than Waluigi Pinball's theme.

I've just somehow managed to love Tick-Tock Clock's theme and feeling. I like the DS one better.

The remake actually is better. The background looks like we are in a clockwork, but the problem is that the arrows aren't hazards anymore.

The remake in Mario Kart 8 is my favorite Mario Kart track of all time.

Rainbow Road WII

This is probably the best track in the history of Mario Kart, as long as you are skillful enough not to fall off the track.

The track has a great ultra shortcut, which would not be used in races most of the time because of how hard it is. It makes speedrunning it very interesting now. It returned in 8 Deluxe DLC and was executed really well, too.

The course that makes people turn off their game consoles. Believe it or not, I always use it for challenging Wi-Fi racers. Going through Launch Stars and seeing Star Bits, this course is based on Super Mario Galaxy. And that's one of the best games I've ever played.

This course couldn't be programmed better.

Music Park 3DS

My favorite map of all time. The colors and lights are very aesthetically pleasing, and the track is neither too long nor too short in my opinion. There's no annoying place to accidentally fall off and no annoying enemies to move in your way other than the black music note guys.

A great map, really.

Musical journey! Music Park is one of my favorite 3DS tracks. You must go through a world of instruments and avoid piranha plants and bouncing notes.

I love it mainly for the music. Awesome track!

Of course, a music park has to be awesome. The instruments galore, the cute music notes, and although it got a remake, it didn't really need it! It's good enough already!

Rainbow Road SNES

I know it isn't the most creative compared to the other Rainbow Roads, like the N64 version, but I always love playing this course. I like the music and the setting.

This is one of the easiest Rainbow Roads but is also the coolest. The feel of the course is great.

Sometimes simple is better! This course expresses that statement. It's just a Rainbow Road with no rails, a few ramps, and Thwomps.

This course may be short, but it's better than Dolphin Shoals, and that course is amazing!

Rainbow Road N64

The music is as gorgeous as the course itself. It's probably the easiest Rainbow Road course since it has guard rails, but it's fun.

Something makes me come back to it.

This track was very beautiful for its time, and you even get to see all of the characters' faces all over the sky.

Although it's pretty tough, thanks, Nintendo, for bringing such joy.

It is so saddening, but I love when all the characters come, and it's like, Oh, I want to do it so badly! But I've only done it for time trials because it is like impossible to beat Yoshi's Valley.

Toad's Factory Wii

This was the best track in history never to get remade, but now it is being remade in World, so that is great.

The factory theme is very well done, and it is just awesome. Enough said.

Awesome course!

Toad's Factory is definitely a track worth playing.

From the stompers to the items, it's perfect in any way and every way.

Why hasn't Nintendo brought back this course as a retro yet?

Toad's Harbor Wii U

It was my favorite track in 8 for a while, but after the DLC, it still is a great track.

It feels great and incorporates the street elements. It feels like the Mushroom Kingdom's take on Delfino Square.

Probably my favorite race from Mario Kart 8. It gives me vibes from Delfino Square and Coconut Mall. The mall is because of all the different paths you can take.

Neo Bowser City 3DS

This track felt like you were a true street racer. The rain effects were amazing, and there were some sharp turns, so this course was pretty hard.

But it is a very fun track indeed.

This course has the most banking in ALL Mario Kart courses. Watch out for cars and oil spots. This is a dangerous course for any skill level!

Such an underrated track. Awesome, and one of my favorite tracks on the 3DS.

Baby Park GCN

Hey, yes you! Have you ever wanted to play a battle track (a cramped one at that) in race mode? Well, you're in luck. This track got its popularity from items.

For a short amount of time, I despised this track and had it as my least favorite track (145th). I thought 'This should've been called Baby Krap,' but I realized this track wasn't all bad. It is fairly unique, to be honest. This track is a 4/10 for me (in the 'Okay-Tier').

This course is short and simple, but the overall chaotic feeling with bananas, shells, bombs, etc., everywhere causes this course to be very chaotic.

But of course, in the MK8 remake, I didn't like the statue of Baby Pink Gold Peach.

Big Blue Wii U

Waluigi Pinball is cool, but I can't love it because it's in 7 without Waluigi.

Airship Fortress is awesome, but in 7, there's this one section of the track that makes this really annoying sound when you drift on it, so my vote goes to Big Blue.

This and Dry Bowser are why DLC pack 2 is the best.

This track completely nails it out of the park! Big Blue defines everything a perfect Mario Kart track should have: awesome music, fantastic design, beautiful visuals, and a ton of variety all over the place.

It's my personal favorite Mario Kart track of all time.

Kalimari Desert N64

This course is so nostalgic for me. I can remember when I was five on a road trip, my family rented Mario Kart 64 and Paper Mario. Surprisingly, all I could remember about renting Mario Kart was how I played on the course Kalimari Desert.

I waited so long to play it again, but when they finally unveiled it in Mario Kart 7, I was so happy.

Very underrated track! I love the trains and music.

Also, it's possible on the original N64 to go into the tunnel on the left with a star, turn around, use the star, and that counts as a lap. It's a great track, and I'm glad to see it in Tour.

Luigi Mansion DS

Luigi Mansion is a course you can never get sick of! Watch out for the walking trees and the spooky ghosts.

This course also has a lot of drifting, and in the 3DS version, shortcuts. This is a killer course where anything can happen at the end.

Welcome to the Mansion! This course has a lot of banking on turns, mud, and a bunch of ghosts and walking trees. Great in the DS and 3DS Mario Karts.

I know that this course is based on the game Luigi's Mansion, but it also reminds me of Castlevania.

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