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No matter which Mario Kart game you decide to plug into, if you are going retro on the original Super Mario Kart, or jamming to the latest DLC pack on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, one thing that will stand out is the complex design of Mario Kart tracks. From convoluted vortexes of twisting action, to the more simplicity in design of a classic grand prix track, some tracks stand out to Mario Kart fans more than others. Here, we rank our top 10 greatest tracks of all time.
10. Grumble Volcano (Wii)
Grumble Volcano takes the original 3-lap take on a familiar track and ups the ante with collapsing pilings of track into molten lava pits as the race progresses. Excepting for skilled ultra shortcuts located throughout the track, the track offers a challenge both for experienced karters and new karters alike as your drifting and boosting skills are tested to the core with several hairpin and 90-degree turns.
9. Yoshi Valley (MK64)
Yoshi Valley stands at the forefront of impossible with simple, yet mind-blowing spaghetti mess of routes to take. In the original offering of the course, the course offered ambiguity on which route was the fastest, with the map and in-race rankings reduced to curious question-marks on the screen, offering the players an opportunity to explore the madness while still trying to find the finish line.
8. Coconut Mall (Wii)
There’s little question that Coconut Mall offers everything a track should have in Mario Kart, from speed ramps, gotcha! Course hazards, and the ever-drifting jumps hops and skips that take the mundane and turn it insane. Coconut Mall offers not only a great test of a Karters skill, but showcases the world-class skillsets that made Mario Kart a blockbuster franchise starting with Mario Kart Wii.
7. DK Mountain (MKDD)
A swanky bridge, a wild cannon ride to a mountain top, a wicked ascent to the finish line. DK Mountain offers more to a Karter than just a lazy stroll and active blue-shell avoidance. DK Mountain plays like an action-adventure platformer, from one to the other.
6. Electrodome (MK8/Deluxe)
There’s little to be said about Electrodome that hasn’t been said already. The course is the ultimate in the karting experience, offering multiple pathways to the finish line, ample skill tests, and road hazards, and the glorious colors and sounds make Electrodome the best track in Mario Kart 8, and one of the best in the series.
5. Music Park (MK7)
Music Park does for Mario Kart 7, what Electrodome does for Mario Kart 8, offering ample skill tests and road hazards, all presented in a gorgeous track design that stands as a testament to the beauty of Mario Kart 7.
4. Baby Park (MKDD)
Chaos comes to mind when playing Baby Park. There is no single track in the series that can absolutely devastate a perfect 60-point run quite like Baby Park. Even besting the troubled CPU players in single player modes, Baby Park turns racing into a game of survival. Launching an assortment of shells on the track (especially the spiny bowser shells) leads to pandemonium not seen in any other track in the series, making Baby Park on Mario Kart: Double Dash!! A special treat that must be appreciated from the comfort of the Gamecube classic.
3. Waluigi Pinball (MKDS)
Like other favorites, Waluigi Pinball is glorious for the traps and road hazards the track boasts. Add in the gorgeous design elements and the ever-shifting challenge to seasoned Karters, and the track instantly becomes an absolute joy to play, making it one of the greatest tracks of all time.
2. Rainbow Road (SMK)
Not to be outdone by its successors, themselves glorious in their own right, the original Rainbow Road challenges Karters to their very core in one of the hardest to master renditions of Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road in the original Super Mario Kart. The tight turns, feeble controls of the SNES, and the lack of barriers, force even veteran Karters to focus on the chaotic throes of this unforgiving track that inspired a legacy spanning over 30 years.
1. Maple Treeway (Wii)
There’s nothing wrong with Maple Treeway. Nothing. The course is handsdown flawless, featuring every technique, challenge, and strategy in the series. There’s shortcuts for the more seasoned player, there’s tricks and treats scattered throughout the course, ample hazards, and Nintendo mastered it all with a gorgeous soundtrack and design elements. Maple Treeway showcases the lasting legacy of Mario Kart Wii as one of the greatest games of all time, and further proves itself atop the list by the single track that’s available as a retro course from Mario Kart 7 to Mario Kart World, a testament to the flawless design of a course inspired by the namesake galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy.