Mario Kart is a series that has pierced through the general video game sphere and become a widely recognized title that even the most inexperienced player has at least some experience with. It’s hard to recount another game series that does not have a single outright bad title in its history. It really speaks volumes to the sheer staying power and enjoyment that comes from the core Mario Kart experience.
That being said, there are definitely lesser titles in the series compared to some of the fan favorites. Many people’s favorite Mario Kart game is usually just chalked up to personal preference. This ranking only considers the mainline and traditional handheld releases of a Mario Kart title, so no Mario Kart Tour, Home Circuit or any of those weird arcade ports.
8/8 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GameBoy Advance)
The improved power of the GameBoy Advance compared to prior handhelds allowed for similar performance to the Super Nintendo, and with it came the first handheld Mario Kart title. Super Circuit does a stellar job recreating the style of the original Super Mario Kart in handheld form and is a real testament to what the GBA was capable of for its time.
It even had link cable support for multiplayer up to four players. This is the last 2d style Mario Kart game released, and likely always will be.
7/8 Super Mario Kart (SNES)
The original Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo released in 1992, and it may surprise you just how much of the Mario Kart formula was perfected with the first iteration. The layout of tracks, drifting, battle mode, items and the weighted distribution of them based on position — all introduced in the original.
People’s preference for Super Mario Kart mostly comes down to how you feel about its 2d iterations, which are contained to the original here and Super Circuit. Despite how much Nintendo was able to accomplish with a 2.5d game on the Super Nintendo, the series made huge advancements with the switch to 3d.
6/8 Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
The first 3d title in the series, Mario Kart 64 benefited substantially from the added detail in fully 3d environments and obstacles. The addition of four players able to split screen simultaneously may have been the most important addition the series had after its first outing.
The original Super Mario Kart was a huge seller on the Super Nintendo, but the Nintendo 64 release cemented the series’ status as a consistent, major hit for Nintendo. The series’ proven track record with an online infrastructure may not have happened as early as it did if it were not for the success of 4 player modes in Mario Kart 64.
5/8 Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS)
The last handheld release in the series, Mario Kart 7 took advantage of the added power of the Nintendo 3DS and offered a comparable experience to the home console versions. While it wasn’t quite as feature packed as Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart 7 did introduce several additions that remain today.
This includes things as minor as coins and driving underwater, to a major change with the addition of the hang glider for traversing long distances from high up. Not quite old enough to be remembered fondly, and not new enough to see play over the near 10 years of Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart 7 was still a solid title in its own right.
4/8 Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS took what made Super Circuit a technical marvel for its time and capitalized with modern amenities — for one, the removal of the link cable and the ability for not just local wireless play, but online multiplayer through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Being the first Mario Kart game with online play would have been enough innovation, but Mario Kart DS also allowed for local multiplayer through DS download play, meaning only one player with a physical cartridge meant anyone with a Nintendo DS could play along.
3/8 Mario Kart Wii
The first home console release of Mario Kart to feature online play, Mario Kart Wii was the console’s best use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. While games like Smash Bros. Brawl struggled tremendously online, Mario Kart Wii never seemed to have many issues.
It also featured the Mario Kart Channel, a separate download that allowed players to view replays and even race in a ghost race against the world record time. Despite this, Mario Kart Wii will likely be best remembered for the inclusion of the Wii wheel accessory, a somewhat ridiculous peripheral that players look back on fondly.
2/8 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GameCube)
Double Dash had possibly the most interesting changes made to the Mario Kart formula. The gimmick of two racers at once enabled double item boxes, now a series staple. The two racer system also allowed for more interesting balance for weight and kart choice. The game is possibly best remembered for the introduction of Baby Park, a simple oval course with seven laps.
Double Dash also had arguably the best battle mode in the series history, featuring smaller maps and four players total, something newer iterations of the mode have yet to recapture.
1/8 Mario Kart 8/Deluxe (Nintendo Wii U/Nintendo Switch)
Originally released for the ill-fated Nintendo Wii U in 2014, Mario Kart 8 was arguably the best title for the console. Aside from the ability to ride on walls, most of the ‘new’ major features in Mario Kart 8 are just carryovers from 7. That being said, the added benefit of being on a home console made 8 a great experience as well. 8 was the first title in the series to receive DLC, with two separate content packs being released for the original Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U.
The courses and new characters added in this DLC were featured in the Switch re-release with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as on-disc content. The fact that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still receiving regular content almost ten years later with the latest wave of DLC tracks is a testament to both the staying power of the title and just what a stellar release it was all the way back in 2014.
