Within a series as long and successful as Mario Kart, it’s hard to name one entry that is undeniably the best. Mario Kart 8 however, makes this significantly easier than usual.
As the first HD entry in the series, Mario Kart 8 had a lot of expectations to live up to, and it blew them out of the water. With stunning visuals, and a dedication to including as many features and tracks from older games as possible, Mario Kart 8 is arguably the perfect Mario Kart. But in a game full of fun tracks, these are the ones that stand out more.
8 Music Park (3DS)
All the best Mario Kart tracks remain memorable due to one or more unique and fun features. Fittingly, Music Park owes much of its quality to its musical aesthetic. The track is constructed with musical instruments all over, which it uses in clever ways.
For example, there are several back-to-back turns which take players across piano keys and xylophones. If driven across, these even play notes to add to the backing track. A later section also includes jumping musical notes which can be avoided, but also give the opportunity for speed boosts if players can match the rhythm of their jumps.
7 Excitebike Arena
Mario Kart is well known for its varied, intricate tracks, but it does contain some simpler ones which completely change the dynamics of a race. Inspired by the NES title Excitebike, this track shrinks the race into a small arena, and ups the lap count to compensate.
The fun of the track comes from how hectic it can get when racers are bunched up together. The course is so small that even if someone is far ahead, they are susceptible to the item melee of those far in the back. The track also randomizes its obstacles every time it’s played.
6 Rainbow Road
Rainbow Road is the quintessential Mario Kart track, and so every entry in the series comes with its own version of it. Mario Kart 8’s own rendition is easily one of the best, placing Rainbow Road in the context of a space station to give it a unique, more mechanical aesthetic from the other versions.
The track takes full advantage of MK8’s new anti-gravity system, as the entire track takes place in anti-gravity. This changes the dynamics of a race, encouraging players to bump against each other and certain obstacles for intermittent speed boosts.
5 Mute City
Just like the Excitebike Arena, Mute City is another MK8 track lifted out of one of Nintendo’s other properties. In this case, Mute City is the most iconic track from the F-Zero series, and MK8 does an excellent job of adapting it.
Just like the series it comes from, Mute City is all about speed. Instead of the usual coins, the stage features multicolored strips that load players up on coins over time, making it easier to hit top speed. There are also far more boost pads than usual, guaranteeing that high speed is the only choice.
4 Ribbon Road (GBA)
This track has some of the biggest upgrades of any track when compared to its original version. Back on the GameBoy Advance, Ribbon Road was a fairly standard track with a present aesthetic. In MK8 however, it takes place on a toy-sized track in the middle of a wonderfully designed children’s playroom.
The track is extremely dynamic, including 3 sections with varying colors and challenges, including robo-koopas that block the road, ramps that can provide an extra speed boost, and even anti-gravity and flying sections.
3 Hyrule Circuit
When paying homage to other racing games like Excitbeike and F-Zero, there were already racing tracks for MK8 to adapt into its own style. However, adapting the Legend of Zelda series into a track was quite a challenge. One that MK8 clears with flying colors.
Hyrule Circuit is of course great for its Zelda aesthetic, which even replaces coins with rupees. However, it also does a great job of translating the spirit of the Zelda series, with a special shortcut that only unlocks when a mini-puzzle is solved mid-race. It’s a perfect homage, and an extremely fun track to race on.
2 Rainbow Road (64)
While MK8 does an amazing job of creating its own Rainbow Road, it also creates updated versions of some of the other versions from across the series. Its rendition of Mario Kart 64’s Rainbow Road is especially excellent.
It takes the original track’s aesthetic to 11, with fireworks, a flying train, and even an entire town far below the track. It also has a variety of fun sections, including a wobbling track that can be used as a series of ramps, and a flying section that lets racers remain airborne for a long time.
1 Mount Wario
Most MK tracks need to be driven around across several laps, but Mount Wario takes the unique twist of being one continuous race down a mountain. The race starts in the back of an airplane, and racers drive out of it for a bombastic start.
Without laps, the track is allowed to constantly change, with some sections focusing on tight turning, while others contain a multitude of ramps. It even manages to have several routes for racers to go down, adding further replay value. And, the final stretch before the finish line provides some of the best tension in the entire game.