First released as Super Mario Kart in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Mario Kart is a racing spin-off of the Nintendo staple Super Mario games. Since then, Nintendo has released a whopping 14 Mario Kart games, spanning across six consoles. Most recently, the series saw Mario Kart 8, which featured some of its own best tracks.
Much like Super Mario Kart on the SNES, Mario Kart 8 has become the Nintendo Switch's best-selling game, having sold 53.7 million copies, even overtaking incredibly popular games such as Super Smash Bros and Splatoon. Across all 14 games, Nintendo has brought fans a total of 193 racetracks across the Mario Kart franchise, meaning there is some debate among fans on which course is the best and why.
10 Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8)
First appearing in the iconic first-ever Mario Kart game, Super Mario Kart, Bowser's Castle is a staple track for Mario Kart games. Since the Bowser's Castle course has made appearances in both Mario Kart Super Circuit and as a revised version in Mario Kart 8.
This track has players embarking on a great track in one 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 single Mario game that has been released.
9 Moo Moo Meadows (Mario Kart Wii)
Moo Moo Meadows is another old but gold track that first made its debut in 1996 within Mario Kart 64 as Moo Moo Farm. The track was absent from the series for a while, not re-appearing until 2008 on Mario Kart Wii, and again being absent from following games until the latest Mario Kart 8.
Despite the tracks' inconsistency across games, Moo Moo Meadows is a course beloved by players for its nostalgic scenes that will remind players of the iconic and replayable Nintendo 64 on which it debuted, and the course itself shares cute and comforting scenery covered with adorable cows. Hence, the course's name.
8 Koopa Troopa Beach (Super Mario Kart)
Koopa Troopa Beach is arguably one of the best-known and most recognizable racetracks from the franchise having appeared in Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour, and Mario 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 the stressful underwater levels featured in most Mario games. There are a few reasons Koopa Troopa Beach is one of the best, for its scenery, cheerful tone as well as recognition among players from a huge variety of Mario Kart games.
7 Tick-Tock Clock (Mario Kart DS)
Only featured in 2 of the Mario Kart games. Tick-Tock Clock is not the oldest or most famous course within Mario Kart, however, since its inclusion in the 2014 Mario Kart 8, it has gained popularity among fans of the series. As the title suggests, Tick-Tock Clock is a course filled with moving cocks and panels which can boost players or hold them back.
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 other Mario Kart game, Mario Kart DS, a title known for its controversial drifting technique.
6 Baby Park (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
The Baby Park is truly one of a kind and brings gamers something completely different from every other Mario Kart track. Baby Park is 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 standard Mario Kart track layout and the reliance on items forces players to make gamers embrace what it is that makes Mario Kart stand out from any other racing game there. The exciting items as well as their randomness and how unpredictable they can make the game. Baby Park is truly any player's race to win, making it one of the tracks that have aged the best in the Mario franchise.
5 Animal Crossing (Mario Kart 8)
Mario Kart8, unlike any other Mario Kart game, is the first to feature tracks within other Nintendo games unrelated to Mario, as well as characters from other games, each with their own matching bike, car, parachute, and wheels. Animal Crossing is one of two games in Mario Kart 8 to have its track. Along with this, players can also race as Isabelle, a male villager, and a female villager.
The Animal Crossing course 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 with the best Animal Crossing games.
4 Hyrule Circuit (Mario Kart 8)
In addition to Animal Crossing, Hyrule Circuit is a course that takes place outside Mario's Mushroom Kingdom and instead in another game. This track takes place within The Legend of Zelda's Hyrule, specifically within the Castletown and Hyrule Castle areas of the map. The track features iconic items within the Zelda games such as Rupees, Keese, and even Link's master sword.
All of these details make for the perfect map for Zelda fans. 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 love The Legend of Zelda and even those who have never heard of the Zelda franchise.
3 Coconut 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 the Mario Kart Booster Pass which was released in 2020 for the Switch, bringing players eight iconic tracks from older Mario Kart games.
2 Mount Wario (Mario Kart 8)
Another course similar to Baby Park which 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.
The variety and change from the usual shown within the course make it like a breath of fresh air within the sometimes repetitive Mario Kart series. For this reason, it is unsurprising that within the release of 2014's Mario 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.
1 Rainbow Road (Super Mario Kart)
There is a reason Rainbow Road is the best-known Mario Kart track of all time. This colorful, galaxy-inspired course has been featured in every single Mario Kart game. Mario Kart 8 even included two versions of Rainbow Road, with one including the original layout from the first Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart and the other being an entirely new Rainbow Road. The stressful Rainbow Road will mess 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 for Mario Kart and for that reason will always be one of the game's best courses.