Top 10 Best Mario Kart Games of All Time
The name Mario Kart instantly conjures up images of frantic races, hilarious item-slinging mayhem, and friendships pushed to the absolute limit by a perfectly timed blue shell. With its mix of colorful characters, wacky courses, and addictive gameplay, Mario Kart has been a mainstay of the gaming world for decades.
From its humble beginnings on the Super NES to the latest entry on the wildly popular Switch, the Mario Kart series has continuously evolved, taking players on exhilarating rides through the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Each new game brings its own unique courses, power-ups, and racing styles to explore.
But with so many amazing Mario Kart games out there, a question always lingers: which ones reign supreme? Which titles offer that perfect blend of challenge, fun, and nostalgia?
What are the entries that left you with lasting memories of white-knuckled races and pure, chaotic joy? Which ones had you hooked from the starting line and kept you coming back for more?
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Mario Kart Wii
Released for the Wii in 2008, Mario Kart Wii introduced motion steering support and online multiplayer for up to twelve players. It expanded vehicle options by adding bikes alongside traditional karts.
This is the best Mario Kart ever, and I'm going to tell you why. It has the most fun tracks and a great character roster! The graphics are also very colorful, and it seems like you're more in the Mario world than in some of the newer games.
Unlocking characters and karts is fun! You get really excited and surprised when you get the character you want, and soon you will get addicted to this amazingly fun and awesome game!
The battle courses are very fun. My favorite is Funky Stadium. There is just so much to like about this game! The blue shells are a big help to those who are in 12th or second place. And if you're in first place, then just wait for someone to get close to you, and they will get hit too.
This game should be #1 on this list, and if you don't have it, then you should get it and have fun with your friends.
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Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Launched on the GameCube in 2003, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! featured two characters per kart with shared driving and item roles. The game introduced character-specific special items that affected race strategies.
Mario Kart Double Dash:
Good:
New karts: Finally, some new karts! I was so bored playing with only one kart.
Roster: The roster is one of the best in the Mario Kart series.
Toadette's first appearance: Toadette is a lovely character!
New greatest additions like Daisy, Baby Mario, King Boo...: I really love these characters!
Koopa return: I missed him a lot!
New amazing courses: Rainbow Road, Daisy Cruiser, Yoshi Circuit, and more!
Two characters in one kart: What an awesome idea!
No jump: The jump was unnecessary in this game.
Better mini-turbo: The old one was terrible!
Objects: The heart, the Yoshi egg, the fireballs...
Bad:
Waluigi: Waluigi time! Waluigi time! Shut up, please!
Blue shell: ...
Final rank: 10/10. This game is amazing!
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Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 debuted on the Wii U in 2014 with anti-gravity racing mechanics that altered track design. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, bundled all DLC and added revised battle modes.
This game has so many fantastic aspects! Although graphics don't make or break a game, this game is beautiful and everything looks so polished and fantastic.
The courses are all really original and fun to play through. The retro tracks look so good in their new form, and they were mostly a big improvement to the original courses.
The zero-gravity feature is pretty fun to play around with, and the flying and swimming also return from Mario Kart 7. The new items are cool, especially the horn. The kart customization is cool. There are tons of great characters to play as, including the Koopalings. The DLC tracks and characters are really cool.
Overall, this game makes so many improvements to the series, and it's my favorite Mario Kart game after playing all of them! The others are pretty good too, though.
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Mario Kart DS
Released in 2005 for the Nintendo DS, Mario Kart DS was the first entry to support online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It introduced retro tracks drawn from earlier Mario Kart games.
Mario Kart: Double Dash may have had the best gameplay, Mario Kart Wii may have had the best multiplayer, and Mario Kart 64 may have blown the others out of the water. But Mario Kart DS will always be my favorite. With colorful graphics, brilliant music, fun tracks, a good challenge, and enjoyable gameplay, it's hard not to like this game if you are a Mario Kart fan.
Although I think Mario Kart 64 is the best, Mario Kart DS is my favorite. Plus, it's Mario Kart wherever you go! Who wouldn't want that? Oh, and apart from its multiplayer and Mario Kart feel, Mario Kart Wii is the worst in the series.
I firmly believe that the love for Double Dash is based purely on nostalgia, rather than taking the time to look at what each game added to the series.
Mario Kart DS added Wi-Fi, doubled the number of courses to 32, and gave you a rating after each cup, which gave it much more replay value. I think people are forgetting just how big of a deal these features are, as they are now in every game. But they weren't in Double Dash, a game that added absolutely nothing new.
Also, MKDS had Mission Mode, Shine Runners, and the best Balloon Battle ever. If we judge each game by how good it was for its time and how much it added to the series, this is no contest.
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Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart 7 launched on the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 and added gliding and underwater driving sections. The game also introduced kart customization through interchangeable parts.
This is the best for me. It has some of the greatest soundtracks in Mario Kart, and it has a cool roster even though Waluigi is absent. But at least they added Shy Guy, Honey Queen, and Wiggler, which in my opinion were excellent choices.
The Flower Cup and Lightning Cup are some of my favorite Mario Kart cups as well.
This game has, by far, the best character roster. My favorite part is that there is no Waluigi - yay! My only complaint is the kart system, and the fact that there is no Dry Bowser. I mean, why would ANYONE want only 3 karts and 3 wheels to start off with, and only one glider? This is an outrage!
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Mario Kart 64
Released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996, Mario Kart 64 expanded the series into full 3D polygonal tracks. It supported four-player split-screen multiplayer using a single cartridge.
This game is super fun, but it's not my favorite. I do prefer Mario Karts 7 and 8, but not because I don't appreciate older games. I just happen to like all the current games bring to the table.
Everyone has their own opinions, and I respect that. Although this game isn't perfect in my eyes, it's still fun. The best part about it is the sheer number of classic courses it has. These have become super fun and iconic and are even better when they are brought back in future games as retro tracks.
But please respect my opinion. I appreciate all the Mario Kart games!
This is one of my favorite Mario Karts because one or two of the tracks are just insanely broken (Choco Mountain and Frappe Snowland). Choco Mountain is more broken than Frappe Snowland because it has a trick that only 13 people have pulled off, which is the Weathertenko.
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Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mario Kart: Super Circuit was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and marked the series' return to 2D-style tracks. It included all tracks from Super Mario Kart as unlockable content.
Mario Kart Super Circuit is my favorite because it's like the SNES original. That means it's about the driving and not the items. Yes, the items are what give Mario Kart charm, but the fact that you need to be better in this game to actually be good than you do in other Mario Karts is what pulls me in.
An easy way to say it, as I read in a review once, was "Mario Kart Super Circuit doesn't have a blue shell." That means no cheap losses, etc. I think most don't like this game because it's mainly 2D and much harder than the others (not counting the SNES original). Another great thing about this Mario Kart is the fact it's got the SNES original in it as well. Two games in one!
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Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Kart launched in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and established the kart racing format for the series. The game used Mode 7 graphics to simulate three-dimensional movement.
It's okay, I guess, but it's definitely been surpassed by every other Mario Kart. Depth perception is at its worst here due to the 2D graphics, and power-ups don't function as well as in the other games.
This game has its charm, but it's objectively the worst Mario Kart.
All Mario Kart games (minus the Mario Kart Arcade GP series) that came after Mario Kart: Super Circuit are now a diss to the Mario Kart games that are all older than Mario Kart: Double Dash.
I still consider this the most fun Mario Kart game, but it may be because it's the one I'm best at.
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Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX was released in arcades in 2013 by Bandai Namco in partnership with Nintendo. It added HD visuals, larger rosters, and online connectivity between arcade cabinets.
I have watched the videos of this game, and it looks AWESOME!!!
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Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Released to arcades in 2007, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 expanded the original with new characters, tracks, and items. The game featured Namco characters alongside Mario series racers.
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Mario Kart World
Released for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025, Mario Kart World introduced an open-world structure where players traverse interconnected environments to reach distinct courses. It features twenty-four player races and a new Knockout Tour mode that functions as an elimination-style rally across the game's map.
Needed to submit this game to the list, even though I don't have it. The gameplay looks very fun but also chaotic.
This game definitely looks like it would work as a party game as well as a competitive game, and the new features are cool. The 24-player mode is nice, but it's not nice that it's the only number of karts in a race.
The shortcuts and freedom are broken in a good way, and you can literally explore the whole map. They got almost every fan favorite in Mario Kart that's not in 8 Deluxe, including Toad's Factory and Airship Fortress, and they brought back Mario Circuit 3 again. It's officially the track that's been remade the most in Mario Kart history.
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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Released in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit used a physical RC kart with an onboard camera. Players created real-world tracks that appeared digitally on the Switch screen.
This should be at least top ten.
And also about Mametchi, why the heck is she rated 10/10? He isn't completely pointless, but why does that person give her 10/10? That is just stupid. I still think Mametchi is okay, but if Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi get 4-5/10, Mametchi deserves 4/10 too. Whoever has Mametchi as a favorite character has severe mental issues.
I like Mario Kart Home Circuit. The only bad thing is that you can't go on ramps.
This Mario Kart game is incredibly cool! I love how you are able to make any kind of wacky tracks that you want (as long as your house isn't too small). It's even more fun when you are racing against someone else who has this game on their Switch. It's just a very fun and unique game.
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Mario Kart Arcade GP
Mario Kart Arcade GP debuted in arcades in 2005 as the first non-console entry in the series. It introduced arcade-specific mechanics such as card-based progression systems.
It is so underrated because it is a Mario/Classic Pac-Man crossover. Yes, you still get Princess Peach's overdosed femininity (re: her voice and her princess dress). But that does not make the game. Yes, it's not the most innovative Mario Kart game, but it takes us all on a ride!
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Mario Kart Arcade GP VR
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR was released in 2017 as a virtual reality arcade experience. Players used a VR headset and physical steering wheel to race in first-person perspective.
I didn't know that there was a Mario Kart VR!
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Mario Kart Tour
Mario Kart Tour launched in 2019 as a mobile game for iOS and Android devices. It featured touch-based controls and rotating city-themed tracks released in seasonal tours.
People are just mad that this game is on mobile. It has some of the best graphics, unlimited courses, and new characters. It's great. The only thing that kinda sucks is that WHERE'S LUIGI?
Ninja Hideaway and Vancouver Velocity are amazing.
Challenges plus the Tours are awesome. The worst thing is its iteration of Koopa Cape.