is a series of

racing games 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 ...

developed and published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

. Players compete in

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 ...

races while using various power-up

item Item may refer to: Organizations * ''Instituto del Tercer Mundo'' (ITeM), the Third World Institute * ITEM club, an economic forecasting group based in the United Kingdom Newspapers * ''The Item'', an American independent, morning newspaper ...

s. It features characters and courses from the ''Mario'' series as well as other gaming franchises such as ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...

'', ''

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. The series was conceptualized and created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. In ''Animal Crossing'', the player character is a human who lives in a village inhabi ...

'', ''

F-Zero is a series of futuristic racing video games originally created by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, Nintendo EAD with multiple games developed by outside companies. The F-Zero (video game), first game was released for the Super Fa ...

'' and ''

Splatoon is a third-person shooter video game franchise created by Hisashi Nogami, and developed and owned by Nintendo. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine animals, the series centers around fictional cephalopods known ...

.'' The series was launched in 1992 with '' Super Mario Kart'' on the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

, to critical and commercial success. The ''Mario Kart'' series totals fourteen games, with six on home consoles, three on handheld consoles, four arcade games co-developed with

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

, and one for mobile phones. The latest game in the main series, '' Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'', was released on the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

in October 2020. Over 164.43 million copies in the series have been sold worldwide.

History

The first game in the ''Mario Kart'' series is '' Super Mario Kart'' for the

in 1992. Its development was overseen by

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...

, the Japanese designer of many successful Nintendo games including ''

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...

'' Darran Jones of

NowGamer Imagine Publishing was a UK-based magazine publisher, which published a number of video games, computing, creative and lifestyle magazines. It was founded on 14 May 2005 with private funds by Damian Butt, Steven Boyd and Mark Kendrick, all wer ...

suggests that the success of ''Super Mario Kart'' resulted from the ''Super Mario'' characters, and being a new type of racing game.

Gameplay

In the ''Mario Kart'' series, players compete in go-kart races, controlling one of a selection of characters, mainly from the ''Mario'' franchise. Up to twelve characters can compete in each race (the number depends between games). Gameplay is enhanced by

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...

items obtained by driving into item boxes laid out on the course. These power-ups include

Mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the na ...

to give players a speed boost, Shells to be thrown at opponents,

Banana peel A banana peel, called banana skin in British English, is the outer covering of the banana fruit. Banana peels are used as food for animals, an ingredient in cooking, in water purification, for manufacturing of several biochemical products as w ...

s, and Fake Item Boxes as hazards. The game chooses an item based on the player's current position in the race. For example, players lagging far behind may receive more powerful items, such as Bullet Bills which give the player a bigger speed boost depending on the place of the player, while the leader may only receive small defensive items, such as Shells or Bananas. Called rubber banding, this gameplay mechanism allows other racers a realistic chance to catch up to the leading racer. They can perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts,

slipstreaming Drafting or slipstreaming is an aerodynamic technique where two vehicles or other moving objects are caused to align in a close group, reducing the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead object's slipstream. Especially when high spee ...

, drifting, and mini-turbos. Each new game has introduced new gameplay elements, such as new circuits, items, modes, and playable characters. * ''

Mario Kart 64 is a kart racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was also released for the iQue Player in China in 2003. The game is the second main entry in the ''Mario Kart'' series and is the successor to ''Super Mari ...

'' introduces 3D graphics, 4-player racing, slipstreaming, items dangling (the ability to hold bananas and shells to defend against projectiles) and introduced two new characters,

Wario is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' series, designed as an Arch rival, arch-rival to Mario. He first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy game ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' as the main antagonist and final Bos ...

and

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

. it introduced seven new items: the Fake Item Box, Triple Red Shells, Triple Green Shells, Triple Mushrooms, the Banana Bunch, the Golden Mushroom, and the Spiny Shell. In addition to the three Grand Prix engine classes, Mirror Mode is introduced, in which tracks are flipped laterally. * '' Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' introduces ''Super Mario Kart'' unlockable tracks, as both games use the same

mode 7 Mode 7 is a graphics mode on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console that allows a background layer to be rotated and scaled on a scanline-by-scanline basis to create many different effects. The most famous of these effects i ...

principle. * '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' features

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

LAN play and two-player karts. It introduces double item boxes. it also further adds eleven new playable characters: Daisy,

Birdo Birdo, known in Japanese as , is a fictional character in the ''Mario'' franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in '' Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic'', which was localized for English-language audiences as ''Super Mario Bros. 2''. Since th ...

, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Paratroopa,

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

Bowser Jr. in Japan) is a fictional character who appears in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise as an antagonist. He is the son of the series' main antagonist, Bowser. Since his debut in ''Super Mario Sunshine'' in 2002, Bowser Jr. has been a recurring chara ...

Waluigi is a fictional character in the ''Mario'' franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main ''Mario'' series, often for the sake of causing mischief and problems. He was created by Camelot em ...

Toadette The Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the Video game developer, developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such a ...

Petey Piranha The ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. ...

, and

King Boo Boos, known in Japan as are fictional ghosts from the ''Mario'' and ''Yoshi'' series of video games. They first appeared as a common enemy in 1988's '' Super Mario Bros. 3'', in which they were called Boo Diddleys (a reference to the American b ...

. It introduces character-specific special items, and introduces unlockable characters and karts. Mirror mode is now played on 150cc. It also introduces new alternate battle modes: "Shine Thief", and "Bob-omb Blast". * ''

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 Dece ...

'' features dual-screen play. It introduces Online play via

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC) was an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service included the company's Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop game download ...

, a mission mode, and retro tracks. New playable characters include Dry Bones,

Shy Guy "Shy Guy" is a song by Jamaican recording artist and songwriter Diana King for the movie soundtrack album '' Bad Boys''. It also appeared on King's debut studio album, ''Tougher Than Love'' (1995). The song was written by King, Kingsley Gardner ...

(exclusive to

DS Download Play The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in ta ...

) and

R.O.B. R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) is a toy robot accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was launched in July 1985 as the in Japan, and October 1985 as R.O.B. in North America. Its short lifespan yielded only two games in the ...

. This game adds two new items, the Blooper and the Bullet Bill. * ''

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 ...

'' introduces motion controls, the ability to perform mid-air tricks, 12-player racing, and

bikes A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

. It introduces six new playable characters: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Rosalina,

Funky Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, t ...

Dry Bowser The ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. ...

, and two

Mii A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...

outfits. It introduces three items: the Mega Mushroom, Thunder Cloud, and POW Block, the last of which are exclusive to this game. This game is the final appearance of the Fake Item Box. It also introduces a new battle mode titled "Coin Runners". * ''

Mario Kart 7 ''Mario Kart 7'' is a kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD in cooperation with Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. As with the previous games in the ''Mario Kart'' series, players participate ...

'' features the introduction of stereoscopic 3D graphics. It introduces

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

and

submersible A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...

karts, an alternate first-person perspective, and kart customization. It introduces four new characters, Metal Mario,

Lakitu Lakitu ( or ), known in Japan as is a fictional flying Koopa in the ''Mario'' franchise. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, he first appeared in the Nintendo Entertainment System video game ''Super Mario Bros.'', where he dropped enemies called ...

, Wiggler, and Honey Queen. It re-introduces collectible Coins for a small speed boost. * ''

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 ...

'' introduces a 200cc mode,

anti-gravity Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is a hypothetical phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or t ...

racing, ATVs, uploading highlights to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, up to four local players in

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

races,

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

HD graphics Intel Graphics Technology (GT) is the collective name for a series of integrated graphics processors (IGPs) produced by Intel that are manufactured on the same package or die as the central processing unit (CPU). It was first introduced in 2010 ...

, and the

Koopalings The (also known as in Japan and Europe or in Japan) are a fictional group of seven childlike characters in the Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' video game franchise by Nintendo. Their individual names are Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. K ...

, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link from ''

'', and Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from ''

'' as playable characters. * ''

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 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 ...

'' adds the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who pra ...

from ''

'' as playable characters, sees the return of double item boxes, and adds alternate skins for Metal Mario and Link that respectively depict their gold and ''

Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles. The game is an installment of ''The Legend of Zelda'' series and is set at the end of its timeline. The player controls an am ...

'' appearances, and adds "Renegade Roundup", a new battle mode similar to cops and robbers. * ''

Mario Kart Tour is a 2019 kart racing mobile game, the fourteenth in the franchise in the ''Mario Kart'' series, developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo for iOS and Android devices. The game was announced in January 2018 and was released on Sept ...

'' is the ''Mario Kart'' debut on a non-Nintendo device, and introduces a points-based system for certain racing actions. It introduces Peachette, Pauline,

Hammer Bro The Hammer Bro (plural: ''Hammer Bros.'' or ) is a recurring enemy in the ''Mario'' video game series. Created by Japanese video game designer Kazuaki Morita, it is a Koopa that walks upright and attacks by throwing hammer projectiles at the p ...

(and their boomerang, fire, and ice versions),

Monty Mole ''Wanted: Monty Mole'' is a platform video game published in July 1984 for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 home computers. It is the first game released by Gremlin Graphics and the first game in the ''Monty Mole'' series. Monty Mole is a fic ...

Captain Toad Toad, known in Japan as is a fictional character who primarily appears in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise. A humanoid with a mushroom-like head, Toad was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and is portrayed as a citizen of ...

, Dixie Kong,

Kamek The ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. ...

, Nabbit,

King Bob-omb The Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise is a video game series by Nintendo. While Nintendo is usually the Video game developer, developer and publisher of games in the franchise, various series are developed by third-party companies, such a ...

, Meowser, and many more alternate outfits for characters. The alternate outfits are rare items. It introduces Frenzy Mode, and before its removal in 2022,

gacha Gacha may refer to: * Gashapon, a kind of toy that originated in Japan which is sold inside a plastic capsule. Commonly sold in vending machines ** Gacha game, video games that are monetized via a concept that is similar to gashapon. Comparable to ...

and

loot box In video games, a loot box (also called a loot crate or prize crate) is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomised selection of further virtual items, or loot, ranging from simple customization options for a player ...

mechanics, and continuously-renewing character outfits and karts. Character-specific items and increased item probabilities have been re-added. It reintroduces the Mega Mushroom. * '' Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'' uses a combination of

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

(AR), remote-controlled karts, and cameras, to create tracks using markers in the physical world, on which onscreen opponents are raced.

Characters

''Mario Kart'' mainly features characters from the ''Mario'' franchise, such as

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

, Daisy,

Bowser , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Despite the ...

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...

and

Yoshi Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...

. The ''

Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's '' Mario Kart'' series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic ca ...

'' series features

Bandai Namco also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...

characters from the '' Pac-Man'', ''

Tamagotchi The is a handheld digital pet that was created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was released by Bandai on November 23, 1996 in Japan and in the USA on May 1, 1997, quickly becoming one of the biggest toy fads o ...

'', and ''

Taiko no Tatsujin , lead=yes, group=lower-alpha (Japanese: 太鼓の達人, Taiko no Tatsujin, lit. "Master of the drums") is a series of games created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games ...

'' series. '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' introduced a number of characters to the series that are partners to the more common characters, such as

and

. Some of these would appear in future instalments. ''

'' added

s, which are created in Mii making tools. The DLC for ''

'' added Link from ''

'', and Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from ''

''. ''

'' added Gold Mario, which is the unlockable palatte swap for Metal Mario, and the

from ''

''. ''

'' features 192 characters, the most of any ''Mario'' game.

Courses

Many recurring course themes are based on the ''Mario'' franchise, such as Bowser's Castle. Unique courses inspired by the

Mushroom Kingdom The is a fictional principality in Nintendo's ''Mario'' series. It is the setting of most main-series ''Mario'' games with an inconsistent presentation. There is no established canon regarding the topography of the ''Mario'' universe, and many ...

include Rainbow Road, above a city or in space. Each game after ''Super Mario Kart'' includes at least 16 original courses and up to 6 original battle arenas. Each game's tracks are divided into four "cups" (except ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', which has five), or groups in which the player has to have the highest overall ranking to win. They are the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, and the Special Cup. Most courses can be done in three laps, except in the original game where all circuits required five laps to finish, the unlockable tracks in ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', where all of them are five laps, seven in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash'' when racing on Baby Park, and two in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash'' when racing on Wario Colosseum, five laps in ''Mario Kart DS'' when racing on GCN Baby Park, one lap split into three sections in ''Mario Kart 7'' when racing on Maka Wuhu (Wuhu Mountain Loop in PAL regions), Wuhu Loop (Wuhu Island Loop in PAL regions), and Rainbow Road, one lap split into three sections in ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' when racing on Mount Wario, N64 Rainbow Road, Big Blue, and 3DS Rainbow Road, seven laps in ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' when racing on GCN Baby Park, and in ''Mario Kart Tour'', where all tracks are two laps (five when racing on GCN Baby Park, and one lap split into three sections when racing on 3DS Rainbow Road). The first game to feature courses from previous games was ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', which contained all of the tracks from the original SNES game. Starting with ''Mario Kart DS'', each entry in the series has featured sixteen "nitro" (brand new courses introduced for said game) and sixteen "retro" tracks (reappearing courses from previous ''Mario Kart'' games) (not including DLC tracks and games from ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''), spread across four cups each with four races. The four Retro Grand Prix cups are the Shell Cup, the Banana Cup, the Leaf Cup, and the Lightning Cup. In ''Mario Kart 8'', sixteen additional courses are available across two

downloadable In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...

packages, eight for each package downloaded, including seven retro courses, four original courses, and five courses based on other Nintendo franchises, including ''

Excitebike is a motocross racing video game developed and published by Nintendo. In Japan, it was released for the Famicom in 1984 and then ported to arcades as ''Vs. Excitebike'' for the Nintendo Vs. System later that year. In North America, it was init ...

'', ''

'', and ''

'' divided into four additional cups; the Egg Cup, the

Triforce The is a fictional artifact and icon of Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' series of video games. It first appeared in the original 1986 action-adventure game ''The Legend of Zelda'' and is a focus of subsequent games in the series, including ...

Cup, the Crossing Cup, and the Bell Cup. ''Mario Kart Tour'' introduced courses themed from places around the world including

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, and variant courses raced in reverse, with additional ramps and elevation, and a combination of the two. Forty-eight additional courses, most from every game in the series, plus a few new original tracks, are set to arrive to ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' in the Booster Course Pass in six waves, divided into twelve additional cups: Golden Dash, Lucky Cat, Turnip, Propeller, Rock, Moon, Fruit, Boomerang, Feather, Cherry, Acorn, and Spiny.

Modes

Each game has a variety of modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series: *

– Players compete in various "cups" of four courses each (five in ''Super Mario Kart'') with difficulty levels based on the size of the engine, larger engines meaning faster speeds. Before ''Mario Kart 8'' there were four difficulties: 50 cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode (courses that see their tracks flipped horizontally; played on 100cc in ''Mario Kart 64'', but 150cc in all other games with Mirror Mode). ''Mario Kart 8'' added a fifth difficulty level: 200cc. Players earn points according to their finishing position in each race and the placement order gets carried over to the next race as the new starting grid. At the end of the cup, the top three players with the most points overall will receive a trophy in bronze, silver, and gold. *

Time Trials In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

– The player races alone in order to finish any course in the fastest time possible. The best time is then saved as a

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

, which the player can race against in later trials. ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' introduced Staff Ghosts, which are ghosts set by members of the Nintendo development team. * Match Race – Multiple human players race on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency. * Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items (shells, etc.) to battle each other in a closed arena. In the most used battle type, balloon battle, each player starts with three balloons and loses one per hit; the last player with at least one balloon wins. Various battle types have been added to the series, and single-player battles with CPU controlled players. *Online Multiplayer – Players compete in races and battles through online services, such as

Nintendo Network The Nintendo Network is Nintendo's online service which provides online functionality for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems and their compatible games. Announced on January 26, 2012 at an investors' conference, it is Nintendo's second online ser ...

, and

Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch video game console. Nintendo Switch Online features include online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat via a smartphone app, access to a library of Ninten ...

. Players can share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

s. In races and battles, players are matched by VR (VS Rating) and BR (Battle Rating) respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999 (9,999 in ''Mario Kart Wii''). Players gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.

Games

Console

Arcade

* ''

'' (2005, developed by

) * ''

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's ''Mario Kart'' series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card ...

'' (2007, developed by

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...

) * ''

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's ''Mario Kart'' series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card ...

'' (2013, developed by Namco Bandai Games) * ''

Mario Kart Arcade GP VR is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's ''Mario Kart'' series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card ...

'' (2017, developed by

Bandai Namco Studios is a Japanese video game developer headquartered in Kōtō, Tokyo. Its offices in Malaysia and Singapore, Bandai Namco Studio Malaysia and Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, are based out of Selangor, Malaysia and Infinite Studios, Singapore respec ...

)

Mobile

* ''

'' (2019)

Upcoming games

In January 2022, Dr. Serkan Toto, an industry analyst for ''

GamesIndustry.biz Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

'' indicated that a new entry in the ''Mario Kart'' series (referred to by some as ''Mario Kart 9'') was "in active development" at Nintendo. The game would feature "a new twist", and could be announced as soon as 2022. After the report, fans theorized that the "twist" present in the next entry in the series would be crossover-centric, or take inspiration from

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing.

Canceled games

* ''VB Mario Kart'' was scheduled for the

Virtual Boy The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic "3D" graphics. The player uses the console like ...

in 1995. It was revealed in a 2000 issue of German gaming magazine ''The Big N'', but was canceled early in development prior to its official announcement due to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure. * ''Mario Kart XXL'' is a

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

tech demo developed by Denaris Entertainment Software for Nintendo in 2004. It was originally created as a non-Mario demo known as R3D-Demo before being repurposed.

Merchandise

The ''Mario Kart'' series has had a range of merchandise. This includes a slot car racer series based on ''Mario Kart DS'', which comes with Mario and Donkey Kong figures and Wario and Luigi are separate. A line of radio-controlled karts are controlled by

-shaped controllers, and feature Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi. There are additional, larger karts which are radio-controlled by a

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

-shape controller. Many racer figurines have been made. Sound Drops were inspired by ''Mario Kart Wii'' with eight sounds including the Spiny Shell and the race start countdown. A

land-line telephone A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses wire, metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a cellular network, mobile cellula ...

features Mario holding a lightning bolt while seated in his kart.

K'Nex K'Nex is a construction toy system founded by Joel Glickman. It was first introduced in America in 1992. K'Nex is designed and produced by K'Nex Industries Inc. of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. K'Nex was purchased by Florida-based company Basic Fun ...

released ''Mario Kart Wii'', ''Mario Kart 7'', and ''Mario Kart 8'' sets. LINE has released an animated sticker set with 24 stickers based on ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''. Nintendo's own customer rewards program

Club Nintendo Club Nintendo was a customer loyalty program provided by Nintendo. The loyalty program was free to join and provided rewards in exchange for consumer feedback and loyalty to purchasing official Nintendo products. Members of Club Nintendo earned ...

released a ''Mario Kart 8'' soundtrack, a ''Mario Kart Wii''-themed

stopwatch A stopwatch is a timepiece designed to measure the amount of time that elapses between its activation and deactivation. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stop clock. ...

, and three gold trophies modeled after those in ''Mario Kart 7''. Before Club Nintendo, a ''Mario Kart 64'' soundtrack was offered by mail. In 2014,

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

released ''Mario Kart 8'' toys with

Happy Meal A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley face ...

s. In 2018,

Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

Gamer features a ''Mario Kart'' themed board game with courses from ''Mario Kart 8'' serving as properties, ten playable characters as tokens (pingas) and a special die with power-ups. In 2019, Hot Wheels released ''Mario Kart'' sets of cars and tracks. In commemoration of Mario Day celebrations for March 10, 2021, Hot Wheels also released a ''Mario Kart'' track set based on Rainbow Road on June 24, 2021. In 2020, for the ''Super Mario Bros.'' 35th Anniversary,

Cold Stone Creamery Cold Stone Creamery is an American international ice cream parlor chain. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company is owned and operated by Kahala Brands. The company's main product is premium ice cream made with approximately 12–14% bu ...

released Mario themed desserts including a Rainbow Road themed

ice cream cake An ice cream cake is a cake with ice cream as the filling for a swiss roll or a layer cake. A simpler no-bake version can be made by layering different flavors of ice cream in a loaf pan. Ice cream cake is a popular party food, often eaten a ...

, from September 30 to December 15.

Reception

The ''Mario Kart'' series is critically acclaimed. ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...

'' named it one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes and the entertainment value. ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' listed six records set by the ''Mario Kart'' series, including "First Console Kart Racing Game", "Best Selling Racing Game", and "Longest Running Kart Racing Franchise". ''Guinness World Records'' ranked ''Super Mario Kart'' number 1 of the top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy. ''Super Mario Kart'' was inducted into the

World Video Game Hall of Fame The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame that opened on June 4, 2015. It is located in The National Museum of Play's ''eGameRevolution'' exhibit; the hall's administration is overseen by The Strong and the Internatio ...

in 2019.

Sales

Like the ''

Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...

'' series, the ''Mario Kart'' series is a commercial success with 169.59 million copies sold in total. It is currently the most successful racing game franchise of all time. '' Super Mario Kart'' is the fourth best-selling

game with 8.76 million copies sold. ''

'' is the second best-selling game for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

(behind ''

Super Mario 64 is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. It is the first ''Super Mario'' game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional ''Su ...

''), at 9.87 million copies. '' Mario Kart: Double Dash'' is the second best-selling

game (next to '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'') with 6.96 million copies sold. ''

'' is the second best-selling in the series and is the second best-selling

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

game (next to ''

Wii Sports ''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The 1.0 (pre-release) version of the game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and the ...

'') at 37.38 million copies. ''

'' is the best-selling Wii U game at 8.46 million total copies sold. It was the fastest-selling

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

game with 1.2 million copies shipped in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

combined on its first few days since launch, until ''

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS ...

''. The enhanced port for the

, ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', is the fastest-selling game in the series with 459,000 units sold in the United States in one day of its launch. It is the highest-selling

game with a total of 48.41 million copies worldwide, outperforming the Wii U version. Both versions have a combined total of 56.87 million copies sold, making it the best-selling game in the series. The handheld games are commercial successes. '' Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' is the fourth best-selling

game at 5.9 million copies. The second portable game, ''

'', is the third best-selling

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

game and the best-selling portable game in the series with a total of 23.6 million copies. ''

'' is the best-selling

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

game as of September 2020 at 18.92 million copies.

Legacy

''Mario Kart'' elements are a staple of the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, such as the Figure-8 Circuit based on ''Mario Kart DS'', a Rainbow Road stage based on ''Mario Kart 7'', a Mario Circuit stage based on ''Mario Kart 8'', Spirits, trophies, stickers, and songs. ''Mario Kart'' courses are in ''

F-Zero X is a futuristic racing video game for the Nintendo 64 console. Developed by Nintendo's EAD division, it was released in Japan, North America, and Europe in 1998. In 2000, the ''Expansion Kit'' was released in Japan, including a track and vehic ...

'', ''

Fortune Street is a party video game series originally created by '' Dragon Quest'' designer Yuji Horii. It is currently owned by Square Enix and Kadokawa. The first game was released in Japan on Nintendo's Famicom console in 1991. Since then, new installmen ...

'', the '' Mario & Sonic'' series, '' Paper Mario: Color Splash'', '' Paper Mario: The Origami King'', and the ''

WarioWare is a video game series, a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise. It comprises various video games created by Nintendo, starring the character Wario. The series began with ''Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3'', th ...

'' series. Items are in ''

Nintendogs is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and other regions. ...

'' and ''

''. Some of ''Mario Kart''s elements will be featured in ''

The Super Mario Bros. Movie ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' is an upcoming computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy film based on the Nintendo video game franchise ''Mario''. The film is produced by Illumination with financing from Universal Pictures and Nintendo, ...

'', including a Rainbow Road.

Rental go-kart dispute

In September 2016, Nintendo filed an objection against the Japanese company MariCar, which rents

s modified for use on public roads in Tokyo along with costumes resembling Nintendo characters. MariCar's English website warned customers not to throw "banana peels" or "red turtle shells". The service is popular with tourists. Nintendo argued that the MariCar name was "intended to be mistaken for or confused with" ''Mario Kart'', citing games commonly known by abbreviations in Japan, such as ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' (for ''Pocket Monsters'') and Sumabura ('' Super Smash Bros.''). In January 2017, the

Japan Patent Office The is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Japan Patent Office is located in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo and is one of the world's largest pa ...

dismissed the objection, ruling that MariCar was not widely recognized as an abbreviation of ''Mario Kart''. In February 2017, Nintendo sued MariCar over

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

for renting unauthorized costumes of Nintendo characters and using their images to promote its business. In September 2018, MariCar was ordered to stop using the characters and pay Nintendo ¥10 million in damages.

Theme park attraction

Universal Parks & Resorts Universal Parks & Resorts, also known as Universal Studios Theme Parks or solely Universal Theme Parks, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme par ...

and Nintendo have a ''Mario Kart'' themed ride in

Super Nintendo World is a themed area at Universal Studios Japan, and under construction at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore and the upcoming Universal's Epic Universe at Universal Orlando, Universal Orlando Resort. A result of a partnership ...

at the

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Parks & Resorts, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a whol ...

theme park called '' Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge''. This is also to be installed as ''Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge'' at the Universal parks in

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, alongside

Universal's Epic Universe Universal's Epic Universe is an upcoming theme park being constructed as part of the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. Its construction was announced in August 2019 but was delayed in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Formula E Attack Mode

Starting with its 2018–19 season,

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

open wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

racing series Formula E added a so-called "Attack Mode", which allows a driver to gain a temporary speed boost if he or she takes an alternate lane (highlighted on television via

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

). The concept has been described by members of the press and by series CEO

Alejandro Agag Alejandro Tarik Agag Longo (born 18 September 1970, in Madrid) is a Spanish businessman and former politician. He is based in London as the Chairman of Addax Capital LLP. Early life and education Born to an Algerian-Belgium, Belgian father You ...

as inspired by ''Mario Kart''.

Notes

References

{{Portal bar, 1990s, Video games Nintendo franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1992