Mario Kart : La course déjantée made in Nintendo

Mario Kart: The crazy race made by Nintendo

1777 words | Reading time : 8 minute(s)

SeriesMario KartNintendo

Only one series has managed to set entire families arguing since 1992. Born with Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo on August 27, 1992, the saga blends racing, wacky items and the Mario cast. This guide runs through the main entries, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe phenomenon, the iconic items, the playable characters and the most legendary tracks.

Mario Kart is one of the most popular franchises from Nintendo. Blending racing, wacky items and iconic characters from the world of Super Mario, it has won over every generation since its launch in 1992. Fun, accessible and strategic, Mario Kart is today a cornerstone of multiplayer, whether with friends, online or as a family. And with Mario Kart World, released in 2025, the saga has taken a major turning point.

Contents

Origins of the series

The series begins with Super Mario Kart, released in 1992 on Super Nintendo. Its concept is simple but revolutionary: pit characters from the Mario universe against each other on tracks packed with traps, using items to attack or defend. The multiplayer mode and the famous bananas, red shells and blue shells instantly became icons.

The game makes the most of a technical feat of the console: the Mode 7, which simulates a 3D perspective by rotating and zooming the backgrounds. This innovation delivers a sense of depth unheard of at the time and shapes the game's unique visual identity.

Originally, Nintendo wanted to create a multiplayer racing game separate from F-Zero, which was too fast to take two players in split screen. The success was such that Mario Kart became a genre of its own, copied but never matched.

The North American box art for Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo
It all starts in 1992 with a Mode 7 racing game on Super Nintendo.

The main games in the series

Every major entry brought its own batch of technical and gameplay novelties. Here is the timeline of the main titles:

  • Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
  • Mario Kart 64 (N64, 1996) – introduction of polygonal 3D, larger tracks, 4 simultaneous players
  • Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA, 2001) – back to the SNES style with retro tracks and portability
  • Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube, 2003) – two characters per kart, team strategy, improved graphics
  • Mario Kart DS (DS, 2005) – first entry playable online, solo missions, new items
  • Mario Kart Wii (Wii, 2008) – Wiimote, bikes and gyroscope controls, a huge commercial hit (37 million units)
  • Mario Kart 7 (3DS, 2011) – introduction of the glider and underwater sections
  • Mario Kart 8 (Wii U, 2014) – anti-gravity, HD graphics, orchestral soundtrack
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017) – all the DLC, rebalancing, new characters, smoother performance
  • Mario Kart World (Switch 2, 2025) – open world, 24 players, new modes and crossovers

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: the biggest success

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most complete and best-selling entry in the series, with more than 70 million copies sold to date, which makes it the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch.

It offers:

  • 48 tracks at launch, expanded to 96 tracks thanks to the Booster Course Pass, including remastered retro courses and brand-new circuits
  • 42 playable characters, a record-breaking roster, with guests from Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon…
  • Local multiplayer for up to 4 in split screen and 12 players online, with fast matchmaking
  • The 200cc mode, a true driving challenge reserved for the most experienced players
  • A revamped battle mode, including Shine Thief, Bob-omb blasts and more

Its silky smoothness at 60 FPS, its gorgeous visuals and its colossal amount of content make it an absolute benchmark for the genre.

The iconic items

Mario Kart is famous for the items that spice up its races:

  • Red Shell – a homing projectile that locks onto the racer ahead
  • Blue Shell – feared by everyone, it detonates on the leader
  • Lightning Bolt – shrinks your rivals, slows them down and makes them drop their items
  • Boo – steals an item from another player while turning you briefly intangible
  • Super Horn – the only counter to the Blue Shell, and handy against nearby rivals too
  • Piranha Plant – devours everything in its path while giving a slight speed boost
  • Super Star – invincibility and extra speed, perfect for climbing back up the pack
  • Mushrooms – single or golden, they give a temporary burst of speed
  • Triple items – bananas, shells, mushrooms, boomerangs, bombs… to multiply your attacks

The playable characters

  • Classic characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Toad
  • Supporting characters: Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Metal Mario
  • Special characters: Inkling (Splatoon), Link (Zelda), Villager & Isabelle (Animal Crossing), King Boo, Shy Guy, Dry Bowser, Dry Bones, etc.
  • Customizable: the player's Mii, with their own kart
A Mario Kart 7 race, several drivers neck and neck
The roster grows with every entry, without ever losing its core.

The most legendary tracks

  • Rainbow Road – the final track, tough and visually breathtaking
  • Mount Wario – unique with its point-to-point "downhill" format, no laps
  • Big Blue & Mute City – tributes to F-Zero, blisteringly fast
  • Bowser's Castle – menacing atmosphere and moving traps
  • Koopa Troopa Beach – pure Nintendo 64-era nostalgia
  • Excitebike Arena, Animal Crossing, Hyrule Circuit – successful crossovers with other franchises

Mario Kart Tour & Mario Kart Live

  • Mario Kart Tour (2019, iOS/Android) – tracks refreshed regularly, inspired by major cities such as Paris, Tokyo and New York. A controversial free-to-play model, but massively downloaded
  • Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020, Switch) – uses a real miniature kart fitted with a camera. Thanks to augmented reality, you build your own tracks at home

What future for the series?

The next entry, now officially named Mario Kart World, was released on June 5, 2025 as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. Billed as a revolution, it marks a major step forward for the franchise.

Mario Kart World offers:

  • An open-world mode, letting you freely explore environments between races
  • Races with up to 24 players, both locally and online
  • The Knockout Tour mode, a series of elimination events with steadily rising difficulty
  • New items and brand-new tracks, linked together by the roads of an open world waiting to be explored
  • Dozens of outfits and vehicles to unlock as you explore

The whole evolution of the series is traced in our retrospective from Super Nintendo to Switch 2.

Mario Kart at a glance

Studio Nintendo
First game Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo, 1992; Japanese release on August 27, 1992)
Genre Item-based racing with Mario characters
Flagship entry Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017), more than 70 million copies, the best-selling game on Switch
Technical innovation (first game) Mode 7, a pseudo-3D perspective effect
Iconic items Red Shell, Blue Shell, Lightning Bolt, Star
Latest entry Mario Kart World (Switch 2), released on June 5, 2025

🍄 Want to keep the adventure going? Discover our Mario toys in the store.

FAQ

  • What is the very first Mario Kart game?
    Super Mario Kart, released in 1992 on Super Nintendo (on August 27, 1992 in Japan). It launched the idea of racing between characters from the Mario universe, with items and traps.
  • Which Mario Kart game has sold the most?
    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017), with more than 70 million copies sold, which also makes it the best-selling game on Nintendo Switch.
  • How many tracks and characters does Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offer?
    48 tracks at launch (raised to 96 with the Booster Course Pass) and 42 playable characters in the base game, including guests from Zelda, Animal Crossing and Splatoon.
  • What is the Blue Shell in Mario Kart?
    It is the most feared item: it targets the racer in first place and explodes on them. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Super Horn is the most reliable counter, but other defences exist (a well-timed mushroom, a star, and so on).
  • What is the most recent Mario Kart game?
    Mario Kart World, released on June 5, 2025 as a Switch 2 launch title, with an open world, races for up to 24 players and new modes.

Conclusion

Mario Kart is far more than a simple racing game: it is a video game institution, a must-have for evenings with friends or family. A blend of strategy, luck, rivalry and helpless laughter, it has evolved without ever betraying its DNA. And with Mario Kart World, the series keeps reaching new heights. The race is far from over!

Thirty years of racing

From the Super Nintendo to the Switch 2: our guide retraces the whole Mario Kart series, its tracks and its items.

🏁 The complete Mario Kart guide →
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