A kart racing game, also known as cart racing game or go-kart racing game, is a

subgenre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

s. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, and

vehicular combat Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled b ...

. Though the genre has its roots in the 1980s, '' Super Mario Kart'' (1992) popularized the genre, with the ''Mario Kart'' series still being considered the foremost kart racing franchise.

Mechanics and traits

Kart racing games are known to have simplified driving mechanics while adding obstacles, unusual racetrack designs and various action elements. Kart racers are also known to cast fictional characters, particularly from

media franchises A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

, as the drivers of vehicles with unusual designs, often reflecting the distinct trait or personality of the character driving it. Kart racing games are a more arcade-like experience than other racing games and usually offer over-the-top gameplay in which

player characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

can shoot projectiles against one another, collect power-ups to gain advantage, or perform special techniques to gain a speed boost. Typically, in such games, vehicles move more like

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...

s and scooters, lacking anything along the lines of a

gear stick A gear stick (rarely spelled ''gearstick''), gear lever (both UK English), gearshift or shifter (both U.S. English), more formally known as a transmission lever, is a metal lever attached to the transmission of an automobile. The term ''gear st ...

and

clutch pedal Car controls are the components in automobiles and other powered road vehicles, such as trucks and buses, used for driving and parking. While controls like steering wheels and pedals have existed since the invention of cars, other controls have ...

. Kart racing games are distinct from and not to be confused with kart simulators, which is a subgenre of racing simulator games that simulates actual

kart racing Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...

without over-the-top gameplay elements.

History

Power Drift is a kart racing game released in arcades by Sega in 1988. More technologically advanced than Sega's earlier 2.5D racing games, like '' Hang-On'' (1985) and ''Out Run'' (1986), in ''Power Drift'' the entire world and track consist of sprites. ...

'' featured go-kart racing in 1988, but '' Super Mario Kart'' (1992) is cited to have popularized the kart racing genre, being the first kart racing game to implement combat elements within races. The game was also slower than other racing games of the time due to hardware limitations, prompting its developers to use a go-kart theme. Since then, many kart racing games have been released, featuring characters ranging from

Nicktoons Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Viacom, now known as Paramount Global) in their ...

to '' South Park''. The ''

Crash Bandicoot ''Crash Bandicoot'' is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series c ...

'' franchise has a spin-off series of five kart racing video games. The ''Mario Kart'' series is often considered as the pioneer of kart racing series, and is the most successful in the genre, topping other popular games such as ''

Diddy Kong Racing ''Diddy Kong Racing'' is a 1997 racing video game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The game is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizar ...

''. Though the genre seems to have been the most popular among developers during the 1990s, ''

Mario Kart DS ''Mario Kart DS'' is a 2005 kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD Group No. 1 and published by Nintendo. It was released for the Nintendo DS handheld game console in November 2005 in North America, Europe, and Australia, and on De ...

'' (2005), and ''

Mario Kart Wii is a kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sixth installment in the ''Mario Kart'' series, and was released in April 2008. Like its previous installments, ''Mario Kart Wii'' incorporates playable characters ...

'' (2008) became two of the best-selling kart racing games. In the late 2010s, ''

Mario Kart 8 is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It features the ''Mario Kart'' series' game mechanics, in which players drive go-karts using ''Mario'' franchise characters in various race formats. Items placed a ...

'' became the best-selling racing video game of all time. The kart racing mobile game ''GKART''/''QQ Speed'' (2010), which was heavily inspired by ''Mario Kart'', became one of the highest-grossing mobile games.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kart racing game Video game genres Video game terminology https://www.inputmag.com/gaming/mario-kart-8-is-the-best-selling-racing-game-ever