Best Mario Kart Games Of All Time

Not a bad list. I would just reverse the DS with the 3ds entry.

“ The game has been built around one-handed mobile play and can't even be played in landscape mode. “

WTH?! It can be played in landscape mode AND with two hands SINCE LAST YEAR!’

Have you really played the goddamn game or you just jumpec in the hate bandwagon like all the cool kids of the site?

Talk about “professional journalism “

@DK-Fan landscape mode or not it's still the worst mario kart and a trash game

@DK-Fan

While it’s still a bad game, they don’t update these.

They still say Units is p2w which has always been objectively false

Not a bad list overall, but if slide Mario Kart Wii back to 8th, 64 to 7th and swap Super Mario Kart and Super Circuit. Super Circuit is just better. Better controls, better visuals in some ways, all the original courses and twenty new ones.

In my opinion...

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe >>> previous Mario Kart games

But in my honest opinion...

3rd party kart racing games > Mario Kart games

Better Nintendo upgrade their Mario Kart games like the 3rd party developers already did.

Why isn’t Mario Kart DS number 1?

MK:DS holds such amazing memories for me. 8 player 4v4 team battles with my friends. Simply brilliant!

@Lyricana I agree that Super Circuit is better than Super. Every track in Super Circuit is unique (such as Sky Garden, Sunset Wilds etc., whereas in Super you have Mario Circuit 1, Mario Circuit 2, Mario Circuit 3, Mario Circuit 4 (and I might point out that Tour has a SNES themed track called RMX Mario Circuit 1). Also Super Circuit is just under appreciated in the Mario Kart Community imo

@WhiteTrashGuy Yeah and I play a lot of games alone and so I feel DS has one of the best Single Player mode with things like Single Player Battle Mode and Mission Mode introduced for the first time.

I wish I didn't, but I still think the original is the best. Yeah it's only two player, crap frame rate etc. but I still think it's got the most exciting racing, by quite a distance. Those dinky little courses are just so well designed, and the handling allows such precision. I'm mostly talking single player here, so maybe I could be persuaded I'm wrong when it comes to multiplayer. But if I'm on my own, the original is still the one I'll always go back to. And I'm pretty certain that's not just the fault of nostalgia.

@DK-Fan I missed that out-of-date detail when editing the Tour text, it’s been a while since I played it. I’ve tweaked the entry now. As the entry (and review) says, we liked the game — we hardly jumped on the “hate bandwagon”!

@Screen We do our best to keep lists updated — let me know what you’re referring to and I’ll take a look.

Excellent list! I hope Nintendo brings back the Double Dash mechanic for MK9

Is it me or wasn't Mario Kart 64 the first MK game to have a number after the title? Ok I'm just being pedantic, I know what you meant...
But still...

I still think Mario Kart 64 is the best and I will die on that poorly textured piramidal hill

MK8 is a decent MK game but imo the whole series is becoming stale now and needs a propper good shake up with something new adding in to the mix. More track just doesnt cut the mustard anymore. An adventure mode would be my choice. They added the low grav mechanic in to 8 but imo its pointless ans is only there just to be there. It really offers nothing to the expierience.
The best kart game imo is easily Diddy Kong racing. A great Adventure mode, lovely track design within the 4 beautifully themed worlds, collectables in said tracks, multiple crafts to pilot which in turn allows them to design off road tracks, a great power up system, a great Time attack mode where you face TT(an in game represented character) and boss races. It really is a complete, joyous racing game.
Oh.... and an African elephant on a flying carpet.

SMK is still the best IMO. Simple and clean visuals with sharp and frame based gameplay. And the tracks aren't too long so the skill game is infinite and easily accessible for anyone. If you can't beat the Rainbow Road in Time Trial without falling you can't give your opinion about this game.

Double Dash at 2? Yikes.. it's still my personal least favourite Mario Kart and, until Paper Mario Sticker Star came out, my most hated game of all time.

Graphically, the game still looks amazing tho

Surprised by Double Dash so high but won't hate on it even if not a favorite..

MK:DS was amazing for me, was my first ever game where I competed on a world leaderboard and competed for the top on many tracks (early on). So yeah I did do the snaking bit but the journey to mastering that and squeezing in just one extra boost along certain passages was so rewarding. Also had a blast joining my first ever Mario Kart online sessions with friends from the NintendoExpress site.

I personally found MK64 truly awful, and completely missed the point of what made the original so charming.

Agreed that the series has become stale.

The frame rate chugs on Mario Kart Wii, I'd have that lower and MK7 much higher.

As a game I always thought the original is one of the most refined. It's a great single player Mario Kart with, each character has a rival with specific powers instead of the crazy item fest of a multiplayer game.

It shows its age when playing with a friend though...

8 Deluxe at number 1, as I knew would happen. By such a large score margin too, thats crazy. Still believe that its a dull and infuriating experience most of the time, has nothing interesting at all. Boring driving mechanics, god awful item balancing, anitgravity being just okay. Still a solid game, but nothing more than a 6/10 to me.

Of course 8 Deluxe would win, it’s the best by a Country mile.

Personally I’d move the SNES and GBA games up a bit, the Wii and N64 games down a bit, and Double Dash down a lot, but it’s all personal taste.

Swap out Double Dash with Wii and I think this list would be perfect

So nice to see how beloved Double Dash is around here 😊

For me:

1. 8 Deluxe Switch
2. 7 (3DS)
3. Wii
4. DS
5. Double Dash
6. 64
7. SNES
8. Super Circuit

Controls perfect on the snes game? It feels like driving on ice.

@retroman64 Yeah, looking back it’s really weird, like what were they thinking… but I loved it back then

Glad to see Double Dash getting some respect - been a Kart fan since game 1 and that was my favorite until 8 - Deluxe. Still think the Kong Mountain track is one of the best.

@dartmonkey

Specifically the fact that since launch Pokémon Unite has added in the campaign that gives you 3 max level item enhancers. IMHO if a game gives you at least 1 character at a competitive level that shouldn’t be classified as P2W, but pay to expand.

@VancouverVelocityFan
recency bias

@VancouverVelocityFan I think it's probably underappreciated because many people haven't played it and they automatically score the games they have played and like higher than the ones they haven't played, rather than abstaining from that vote.

Something about the Wii entry I found so fun and addicting compared to the rest. My top 3 are probably:

MK Wii
MK 64
MK 8 deluxe

I am quite surprised to see Mario Kart 7 so low while Double Dash is fairly high. Normally I see people despise Double Dash and give huge praise to 7.

Anyway, Mario Kart is one of the few gaming series that I enjoy regardless of the title. I can easily pick up Super Mario Kart and have just as much fun as I would with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Goes to show the quality and care Nintendo has puts into this series.

@Anti-Matter

What are your favourite 3rd party racing games? Just curious.

@Jhena
Well...
I played Chocobo Racing PS1, Skylanders SuperChargers Wii U, Modnation Racers PS3, Team Sonic Racing PS4, Cars 3 (Disney Pixar) PS4, the racing with various vehicles on Go Vacation.

DD actually did something different. All the other ones got boring and tired over years.

Best vanilla one was the ds one.. but even that got boring.

@Anti-Matter

Watched a longplay of chocobo racing. Pretty good with storymode. Also played team Sonic Racing, Cars 3 and Go Vacation. Good games. Have you played the new Chocobo GP?

@Jhena
No.
Already heard about micro transaction behind the game (Chocobo Racing GP) so I changed my mind and looking for another games.

on mario kart 7, it says its the first game to end with a number in the title for mario kart games.... even tho mario kart 64 has a number

(altho mario kart 7 is the first mario kart game to end with the number of games released so far so, kinda)

Double Dash was such a disappointment to me, even playing when it was new. The tracks felt like weaker versions of tracks from MK64 (Wario Stadium destroys Waluigi Stadium for example), and the AI racers spam items like crazy, & the 2 characters per cart was & still is a terrible gimmick.
I've actually been playing it over the weekend, along with Twilight Princess.

8 Deluxe may objectively be the best Mario Kart game yet, but Wii, DS, 7, and Double Dash are so nostalgic to me and keep me from saying it’s my favorite.

People here are sleeping on Super Circuit. By far the best of the first 3 games. It has the best handling plus all SNES tracks are unlockable.

Mario Kart 7 is also way too low. Yes, it sucks that it lacks a vs. mode, but the track selection is stellar, and first person mode is an interesting novelty.

I can only play some mk. All those are not great games.. For me 64 ,mk7, mk8 and double dash are it. All these others were eh at best.

Why do you insist in calling TOUR a one-handed game with no depth? You can play in landscape and two hands for almost 2 years, its drifting system is the most precise and controlable of the series, and that is the way the dedicated players mostly play.

Also, the game is ever changing with the most number of tracks and characters of any MK game.

Yes, gacha sucks and all... but seems like you are talking about a game you dont play.

Yikes, I don’t agree with this list. Opinions are still valid though. Here’s mine:
Have not played: Home Circuit
9: Super Mario Kart: Has aged like a fine brick tbh, it just doesn’t feel great to control. The modes are fine, but some of the track design is also lacking, like the literal dead end in one of the Bowser Castle courses.
8: Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Feels much better to control, and the track design is good. No big standouts, but nothing bad either.
7: Mario Kart Tour: I really like this game. I haven’t spent a dime, and I have plenty of characters, karts and gliders, and can get 5 stars every once in a while. All the remixed courses are so fun, and having a mobile version of Mario Kart is good. It loses points for having those micro transactions though.
6: Mario Kart 64: A very charming game, but the racing is a bit janky. Drifting does not want to follow your wishes, and you don’t get that satisfying feeling of speed when you perform a terrific drift. I will say that the battle mode is probably the best in the franchise, as balloon battle turns into a game of manhunt.
5: Mario Kart 7: Virtually the exact opposite of 64: the mechanics are buttery smooth, but the soul just isn’t there. Gliding and underwater opened the door for excellent track design, but here it feels like they’re just scratching the surface. Battle mode similarly suffers from being sterile: the time limit just makes the experience not fun.
4: Mario Kart Double Dash: The basic system is a blast to control. Switching characters will never not get old. If there was just a bit more meat on the bones in terms of tracks and additional modes, this would be in contention for the best one.
3: Mario Kart Wii: The nostalgia glasses are strong with this one, it’s true, but everything about this game is just fun. I love the look of the game, it has some of the best tracks in the series (there’s probably only 3 mediocre and 1 bad course in the whole game), and the battle modes, while not amazing, do have great tracks to just roam around in, like Funky Stadium or Delfino Pier. Finally, the game is just fun to control. It’s not overly bouncy or completely rigid, it strikes a great balance.
2: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: This one’s pretty easy to explain: the best controls and tracks in the series, but a somewhat lifeless character roster and mediocre battle mode (even on Switch, with the exception of Renegade Roundup) keep it from being my favorite.
1: Mario Kart DS: Okay, this one’s definitely nostalgia, but this has all I want in the series: a good character roster, great tracks, with the introduction of retro tracks to the series, a great feel to control (I like drifting in this one more than any other), the last great battle mode, and mission mode make this my favorite. Hooking up a few DS together and playing this game on bus rides were some of my fondest family memories as a kid.

Do you guys have a problem with the GameCube or something? I swear half the times a game from that era shows up on a list, the description's something like "while it's a divisive entry, and definitely not our favorite, it's still pretty ok I guess".

Played some MK64 this weekend...forgot how BS the rubber banding was in that game 😕

DS and Double Dash have the best mechanics in the franchise; however, I do think there will be a point where 8 DLX surpasses them just purely through content (it's not there yet). 7 also currently has the best track selection of the series, but failed to capitalize on that with the omission of single player VS. Tour needs respect for laying down the foundation for the better half, by the end of 2023, of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's track selection.

@NintendoWife I was one of the rare scrooges who hated it as a kid when it was new, my parents loved it though. Mario Kart 64 made me fall in love with the series instead, so many good memories with that game.

@Matl I agree on Antigrav, tend to not play those tracks. Along with underwater which is worse still.

Mario Kart 7 is too low imo. Otherwise it looks about right to me.

I feel like the newest games in the series are the best, in that order, besides the mobile and toy game.

For me, the original is now the worst in the series, and as much as it pains me to say it, MK64 is near the bottom too. MK8 is the best looking, best playing MK game....period.

Personally, I would have MK7 and Wii higher then Double Dash.

Mk8 is really polished. So polished that it is an incredibly sterile experience. It's a great game but there's no actual racing challenge. No Uber skillful shortcuts or tricks to land. It's all so clinical. MK64 and Double Dash had the chaotic gameplay in spades.

@BusterMove totally agree. It's one of the few, if not the only Mario Kart that is actually a proper racing game. The others are more like party games built around racing.

@betterman the time trials are amazing too. Even more than the racing IMO actually - and that's speaking as someone who has zero interest in things like speed runs. I must have spent more time trying to perfect Bowser Castle 3 than I have playing all the other MKs combined.

It really surprises me to see Double Dash that high, to me it's one of the worst entry in the series. It's still a very fine game, but the double character counts doesn't add much and the tracks are not very inspired. I vastly prefer the new drift system introduced in Mario Kart Wii too. Also the soundtrack is pretty bad.

As of my favorites, it's a tie between Super Mario Kart (for nostalgic reasons, it was so mind blowing back then), Mario Kart 8 (nothing too special about this one, but it's the last one, the soundtrack is amazing and it looks awesome). I really love the mission mode of Mario Kart DS too, and the game was very impressive for the hardware too.

@RodrigoCard

lots of sheep and bandwagoners out there, frenzys and action counts changed the game and I hope there is a mode like that in mk 10. yeah I said it tour is 9 and a mainline game, haters get over it.

mk 8
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