Mario Kart 8: Hardest Time Trial Tracks

Highlights

The time trials in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe present challenging staff ghosts to beat, with some tracks being particularly difficult.
Players must learn the unique characteristics of each track and make strategic choices to beat the staff ghost times and succeed in the time trials.

Mario Kart 8 is one of the best racing games of all time. The game was originally released on Wii U in 2014, and it received universal acclaim from critics and public alike. This release was followed by an updated version, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which hit shelves in 2017, released exclusively on Nintendo Switch, and continues to succeed thanks to the Booster Course Pass.

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The game brings back everything the franchise is known for, including time trials, where players try to complete three laps in a circuit in the best time they can. To make things more complex, Nintendo added some staff ghosts on every course for players to beat. While some of these challenges are fairly easy, there are some races where the staff times are really hard to beat. But which are the hardest time trials in Mario Kart 8?

5 Big Blue

Staff Ghost Time: 1:37.516

Gameplay screenshot from Mario Kart 8 Big Blue

Big Blue is a track inspired by F-Zero, Nintendo's dormant futuristic racing franchise, and it's one of the most beloved tracks in the game. What makes this ghost trial more difficult than others is that players don't need to complete three laps in Big Blue. Instead, the track is divided into three sections, which present completely different designs and hazards.

This means that players can't use the same strategy on each lap, and they will instead need to memorize every section of the track as its own different thing. Other than that, the staff time is simply quite good, so there's no room for mistakes throughout the race.

4 Dolphin Shoals

Staff Ghost Time: 2:14.832

Gameplay screenshot from mario kart 8 dolphin shoals

Dolphin Shoals is one of the most difficult time trials in the base game, which is considered by many the greatest entry in the series. First, the track itself has many hazards that are easy to hit and many turbos that are easy to miss, which combined may end up ruining the player's race. Secondly, and most importantly, the staff time is just, very, very good, which allows for very few mistakes on the player's side. To beat this time trial, it's important to check the staff's set-up stats.

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In this race, they use Wendy on a set-up that is built around mini-turbos. Keeping an eye on her ghost, it's possible to notice just how quickly she manages to gain mini-boosts, and that's what makes this time trial far from being an easy task. The best choice is to counter this by using another build based on mini-turbos, trying to replicate what the ghost does. Sooner or later, Wendy's ghost will miss a few chances for a mini-turbo, and that will give players the chance to win this time trial.

3 Ribbon Road

Staff Ghost Time: 2:07.152

Gameplay screenshot from Mario Kart 8 Ribbon Road

While the original version was pretty forgettable, this remake version makes it one of the most charming tracks in the game. Once again, the first thing that makes this time trial difficult to beat is the staff ghost time itself, which is not perfect, but it's pretty good, so players will need to avoid committing any mistakes throughout each lap.

Secondly, this track has a few shortcuts that are easy to miss, which is a problem given how much they help in beating the time trial. Players will need to learn how to take each shortcut safely on every lap in order to win this race, saving their turbos for specific situations.

2 Ninja Hideaway

Staff Ghost Time: 2:20.813

Gameplay screenshot from Mario kart 8 ninja hideaway

As a general rule, Booster Course Pass tracks have much more difficult time trials than the base game. This is simply because staff times are much better, and they will require a near-perfect execution of each race in order to beat them. That being said, Ninja Hideaway is one of the first races to stick out among the new tracks. On one hand, this is due to the staff ghost time, which is hard to beat in itself.

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On the other hand, this track has a really complex design, with multiple levels and routes that players can take. This means that there are multiple possible strategies to use, and it's not easy to choose the best one. Also, there are hazards and pitfalls around every corner, which will ruin many attempts. There's no best setting to beat this trial, so every player can use their own favorite pilot in the game.

1 New York Minute

Staff Ghost Time: 1:34.573

Gameplay screenshot from mario kart 8 new york minute

New York Minute is another hard DLC track found on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It may not be one of the most memorable tracks in the franchise, but its time trial is really a tough one. Once again, the first reason why this is so hard to beat is to be found in the staff ghost time, which is near perfection. Players will need to know this track inside-out in order to be able to beat the staff's time.

Other than that, while the track itself doesn't have a very complex design, it's full of sections where karts lose a lot of traction, which hurts many of the most used set-ups in the game. The best way to counter this is by using tires that provide more traction, allowing players to lose less time in difficult terrains. That alone won't be enough to beat this time trial, but it's surely a good starting point.