If Mario Kart could be boiled down and balanced onto the head of a pin, and that Kart Essence was then stretched out into a full course, it might look something like “Baby Park.” Some loathe this track, a simple oval that’s whipped around a manic eight times. These are the fifteen best Mario Kart tracks. Time to gun the engines and do more research.

Luckily they’re all included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch. 2 flavor of “Shy Guy Bazaar” or the giant glossy airplanes flying over “Sunshine Airport”? What’s in all those trucks on “Toad Turnpike,” anyway?Īnd then there’s Mario Kart 8’s DLC, a first for the series, that effectively turns Kart into a Nintendo Tournament of Stars with courses inspired by F-Zero, Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda. How can we forget the classic “Luigi Circuit” with its question block floating by a balloon, or the melting ice blocks of “Vanilla Lake 3”? Where is “Wario Stadium” or “Wario Coliseum”? Who doesn’t love the subtle Super Mario Bros. Until then, know that we have a deep fondness for many of the unnamed. Perhaps one day we’ll rank every single last track so you can see your favorite. And just when you think you reach perfection, an opponent sneaks by you at the last second to take the gold trophy. Some have hidden shortcuts that can turn a race around all can be mastered by hitting the right angles and taking those turns at the exact right speed.

Strip away the power-ups and power-sliding and each game contains dozens of brilliantly designed, supremely fun courses that are as fun to look at and explore as they are to race through. While drifting into corners, firing off blue shells, and bursting balloons has been a hoot, we’ve been reminded of why the series has lasted 25 years, outlasting every kart-pretender that a competitor has cooked up: The Tracks. In anticipation of the release, we’ve been firing up our old systems and reliving Kart memories through the decades. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out for the Nintendo Switch one week from today.

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