We’re just weeks away from a brand new Mario Kart, and to say we’re excited is a sizeable understatement. The Booster Course Pass, which arrived in waves starting in 2022, breathed life into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but the base mechanics beneath are the same MK8 we’ve been playing since May 2014 on Wii U.
Don’t get us wrong – we’ve loved every minute with the Switch’s best-selling game (and have also enjoyed Live: Home Circuit, and we liked Tour more than most), but after a decade of it, we’re definitely ready to broaden our horizons and explore a new world – a Mario Kart World, even.
As we assemble on the grid and begin revving our engines, let’s use this lull before the storm to glance in the rearview mirror and see how far Mario’s come in his kart since his debut race back in 1992.
In this ‘countdown’ feature series, NL staff will be looking back at every game in the series and following the racing line that got us from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart World over the course of 33 (!) years. We’ll discuss the additions each entry brought, how they evolved as the laps went by, the things we loved, the things we were happy to leave behind, and what Mario Kart World takes from each and every one.
Start your engines…
I am a baby in the grand scheme of Nintendo history, so it took a long time before I first played Super Mario Kart. I think it was on the Wii or maybe even New 3DS Virtual Console that I first got to see where it all started. And it’s got to be said…I wasn’t all that impressed.
I think that a lot of Super Mario Kart’s pros come down to it being the first. I’m sure that if you hadn’t already played the later entries, then this would have been a quality bit of two-player fun. The sprites are packed with SNES sweetness, the concept is so out there, and the courses, while pretty dry by today’s standards, were a great workaround for the hardware’s 16-bit limitations.
Going back to it in 2025 is an interesting one. It’s the game that set the template for the series I know and love, and it’s packed with the kind of nostalgic charm that only a hyper-sensitive drift button and flattened item boxes can bring. But it lacks the sense of silliness and party vibes that I look for in a Mario Kart.
It’s worth a replay on NSO if you haven’t booted it up in a few years, but I can’t say that I’d head back to it over…any other entry in the series. – Jim Norman
- Standout tracks: Bowser’s Castle 3, Vanilla Lake 2, Rainbow Road
- Fun fact: The game’s manual has special classification names for each of the drivers: “The Bros.” for Mario and Luigi, “The Dragon and The Lady” for Yoshi and Peach, “The Showdown” for Bowser and DK Jr., and (my personal favourite) “The Small Guys” for Koopa and Toad
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? Only the entire concept of Mario & Co. in karts, plus items and iconic locales like Rainbow Road. The silly format would come into its own later, but this is the foundation.
Mario Kart 64 was my first, so it’ll always hold a special place on the podium. It was this game, along with GoldenEye, which made obvious the boon of four controller ports embedded in the front of your console. Which isn’t to say I spent a huge amount of time playing four-player MK64 — those pads were expensive!
In fact, most of my 64-bit karting was two-player, and much of that was spent in battles on Block Fort or Skyscraper, hitting ‘A’ and ‘B’ simultaneously to spin on a dime and sneak off a cheeky green-shell hit on my brother. Sometimes we’d make it three-player even if only two of us were playing because the PAL version would then run at faster NTSC-style speed for some reason.
I tended towards DK or Wario, but even at the time the character sprites felt ‘old’ compared to the big polygonal drivers/pilots in Diddy Kong Racing. The circuits, though, were such a leap over flat, 16-bit loops. With multiple paths and environmental dangers as well as item-wielding opponents, the SNES original feels like a straight-faced racer compared to the carnival atmosphere, innumerable hazards, and daring shortcuts here. Performing the Mario Raceway wall-jump shortcut three laps in a row remains one of my greatest gaming achievements. Small fry in the scheme of things, but I still treasure that ghost data!
Special shoutout to the music, too, burned forever into my synaptic pathways. It took me a beat to realise why I was grinning so much during the Mario Kart World Direct, but then it clicked: the raceway theme was playing. Helluva game. – Gavin Lane
- Standout tracks: Royal Raceway, Koopa Troopa Beach, Yoshi Valley, Toad’s Turnpike
- Fun fact: If it’s all a bit much, you can hit ‘L’ to turn the music down or off completely in this one
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? The first four-player Mario Kart, 64 set the template for the multiplayer mayhem to follow, with crazy tracks and novelties that steered the series away from straight racing
Mario Kart Super Circuit was my introduction to the series, and while I’m aware that it’s not looked upon particularly favourably these days, I still absolutely adore its simplicity. Granted, it’s fallen behind in my personal ranking slightly in recent years, but even now I can still appreciate its more streamlined approach when compared to MK64 and Double Dash; it’s aged better than Super Mario Kart.
I still remember playing it in the back of the car whenever my family were en route to a holiday destination (deftly tilting my original GBA to capture the light); even when I’d rinsed every GP and gained the best ranks, I’d go back and play through it all again. The controls just felt so slick, and although I probably enjoyed Superstar Saga and A Link to the Past just that bit more, Super Circuit is one of my favourite GBA games in pure gameplay terms.
Going back to it in 2025, I admit I had to spend time acclimatising to the controls, which is perhaps not an issue I would anticipate with any other entry (apart from the original). Drifting, in particular, feels incredibly twitchy. There were definitely a few times I flew straight into a wall. Or a lake. Not ideal. – Ollie Reynolds
- Standout tracks: Sky Garden, Boo Lake, Sunset Wilds, Bowser’s Castle 3
- Fun fact: Super Circuit was the first entry to feature the Lightning Cup; previous games were limited to the Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups.
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? You could argue that Super Circuit brought very little to the series, but let’s be fair, it’s the first handheld entry, right? There are just as many portable Mario Kart games than not at this point!
And there’s the checkered flag. All three of the games here are playable on Switch if you have an NSO subscription at the Expansion Pack tier (and SMK is available with a standard sub), so if this has gotten you all nostalgic, head out on the circuits for a lap or two and feel free to share your memories below.
In Part 2, we’ll be looking at the GameCube’s Double Dash, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart Wii – keep an eye out for that next week.
And if you’re interested to see where these three finished in the race for the best Mario Kart, we’ve got a ranked list covering just that topic…
