First released asSuper Mario Kartin 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES),Mario Kartis a racing spin-off of the Nintendo stapleSuper Mariogames. Since then, Nintendo has released a whopping 14Mario Kartgames, spanning across six consoles. Most recently, the series sawMario Kart 8,whichfeatured some of its own best tracks.
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Much likeSuper Mario Karton the SNES,Mario Kart 8has become the Nintendo Switch’s best-selling game, having sold 53.7 million copies, even overtaking incredibly popular games such asSuper Smash BrosandSplatoon. Across all 14 games, Nintendo has brought fans a total of 193 racetracks across theMario Kartfranchise, meaning there is some debate among fans on which course is the best and why.
10Bowser’s Castle (Mario Kart 8)
First appearing in the iconic first-everMario Kartgame,Super Mario Kart, Bowser’s Castle is a staple track forMario Kartgames. Since the Bowser’s Castle course has made appearances in bothMario Kart Super Circuitand as a revised version inMario Kart 8.
This track has players embarking on a great track inone of the best racing games, through the dangerous Bowser’s castle, where they must race by jumping over lava and dodging falling rocks. This track is full of life and keeps players on the edge of their seats, making it a definite fan favorite. The track also acts as a piece of nostalgia for the location of Bowser’s Castle which has been featured in almost every singleMariogame that has been released.
9Moo Moo Meadows (Mario Kart Wii)
Moo Moo Meadows is another old but gold track that first made its debut in 1996 withinMario Kart 64as Moo Moo Farm.The track was absent from the series for a while, not re-appearing until 2008 onMario Kart Wii,and again being absent from following games until the latestMario Kart 8.
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Despite the tracks' inconsistency across games, Moo Moo Meadows is a course beloved by players for its nostalgic scenes that will remind players of theiconic and replayable Nintendo 64on which it debuted, and the course itself shares cute and comforting scenery covered with adorable cows. Hence, the course’s name.
8Koopa Troopa Beach (Super Mario Kart)
Koopa Troopa Beach is arguably one of the best-known and most recognizable racetracks from the franchise having appeared inSuper Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour,andMario Kart 8.This track is one of the most commonly appearing tracks within the series and for this reason, has become a staple for the game series
The course features beach scenes, sunny skies, and cheerful tropical water, also featuring many fish and objects from thestressful underwater levels featured in mostMariogames. There are a few reasons Koopa Troopa Beachis one of the best, for its scenery, cheerful tone as well as recognition among players from a huge variety ofMario Kartgames.
7Tick-Tock Clock (Mario Kart DS)
Only featured in 2 of theMario Kartgames. Tick-Tock Clockis not the oldest or most famous course withinMario Kart, however, since its inclusion in the 2014Mario Kart 8,it has gained popularity among fans of the series. As the title suggests, Tick-Tock Clockis a course filled with moving cocks and panels which can boost players or hold them back.
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All the movement within this course adds an element of challenge and difficulty, motivating players to defeat their opponents against all odds. Rightfully, this track has begun to become recognized as one of the games most enjoyable and simply fun to play, despite it only ever being in one otherMario Kartgame,Mario Kart DS, a title known for itscontroversial drifting technique.
6Baby Park (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
The Baby Parkis truly one of a kind and brings gamers something completely different from every otherMario Karttrack. Baby Parkis a small oval-shaped track with between 5 and 7 laps depending on the games, something that is a huge shift from the usual 3 laps players have to do on all other tracks. The increase in laps is due to the short, simple nature of the course, and the course is so simple as players must rely simply on items to beat other players.
This format change is an exciting shift in the standardMario Karttrack layout and the reliance on items forces players to make gamers embrace what it is that makesMario Kartstand out from any other racing game there. The exciting items as well as their randomness and how unpredictable they can make the game. Baby Parkis truly any player’s race to win, making it one of the tracks that haveaged the best in theMariofranchise.
5Animal Crossing (Mario Kart 8)
Mario Kart8,unlike any otherMario Kartgame, is the first to feature tracks within other Nintendo games unrelated toMario, as well as characters from other games, each with their own matching bike, car, parachute, and wheels.Animal Crossingis one of two games inMario Kart 8to have its track. Along with this, players can also race as Isabelle, a male villager, and a female villager.
The Animal Crossingcourse takes place in the town from the 2012 Nintendo DS game,Animal Crossing: New Leaf.This track is different from the rest as it changes with each play. With seasonal changes, sometimes players will race through a snowy winter wonderland, and others they will be racing through a stunning, cherry blossom-filled dreamland. This adds a fun sense of variety to the course, and the tracks' scenery is gorgeous, keeping in theme withthe bestAnimal Crossinggames.
4Hyrule Circuit (Mario Kart 8)
In addition to Animal Crossing, Hyrule Circuit is a course that takes place outsideMario’sMushroom Kingdom and instead in another game. This track takes place withinThe Legend of Zelda’sHyrule, specifically within the Castletown and Hyrule Castle areas of the map. The track features iconic items within theZeldagames such as Rupees, Keese, and even Link’s master sword.
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All of these details make for the perfect map forZeldafans. Not only that, the track also features several shortcuts, interesting jumps and turns as well as some more challenging areas of the map. This track has a lot going on making it a really enjoyable play for gamers who loveThe Legend of Zeldaand even those who have never heard of theZeldafranchise.
3Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii)
Another of the most famous Mario Kart tracks, along with Koopa Troopa Beach is the iconic Coconut Mall. Interestingly, this track has mostly become known for its upbeat and instantly recognizable theme tune. A catchy jingle that has become one of Nintendo’s most famous songs. The song also recently went viral, being used in videos with the phrase ‘you just got coconut malled.’ Inspired by the early 2000’s trend of ‘Rickrolling’.
Despite the online practical jokes relating to Coconut Mall and not taking the soundtrack into account, the course is one of the most popular tracks for players to race, purely for just how fun it is! Fans were disappointed when it never made a return in the many games that follow Mario Kart Wii. Thankfully Nintendo heard fans and added the iconic tropical mall to theMario KartBooster Pass which was released in 2020 for the Switch, bringing players eight iconic tracks from older Mario Kart games.
2Mount Wario (Mario Kart 8)
Another course similar to Baby Parkwhich shakes up the usual racetrack format, is Mount Wario. This course is inspired by a ski hill, having players race down various ski jumps, wave in between slalom poles, and steer on slippery icy surfaces. Similar to a few other Mario Kart tracks such as Rainbow Road, this course features three sections as opposed to three laps, meaning players get to experience something new with each section of the course.
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The variety and change from the usual shown within the course make it like a breath of fresh air within the sometimes repetitiveMario Kartseries. For this reason, it is unsurprising that within the release of 2014’sMario Kart 8,Mount Wario quickly became a favorite among fans. Hopefully, this fun and challenging shift in format is something Nintendo will consider when creating courses for future games.
There is a reason Rainbow Road is the best-knownMario Karttrack of all time. This colorful, galaxy-inspired course has been featured in every singleMario Kartgame.Mario Kart 8even included two versions of Rainbow Road, with one including the original layout from the first Rainbow Road fromSuper Mario Kartand the other being an entirely new Rainbow Road. The stressful Rainbow Road willmess with even Mario’s spectacular hair.
In addition to its colorful and exciting design, Rainbow Road is known for its lack of edges meaning players can shove opponents off the edge, skip sections of the course with the careful aim and even jump gaps in the track. Rainbow Road is truly thrilling for its competitive variety of possibilities, the same way it always has been. Hence, the popularity and love that has been shown for this iconic track. Rainbow Road truly is the staple track forMario Kartand for that reason will always be one of the game’s best courses.
