A look at the best track from every mainline Mario Kart game, from the SNES original to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Only the core titles — no spin-offs, just pure racing nostalgia.
Each Mario Kart game has that one course everyone remembers — the one that sparks arguments, nostalgia, and the occasional blue shell rage. Across decades of racing, Nintendo has refined its formula without losing that chaotic charm that keeps players coming back. From pixelated tracks to gravity-defying circuits, every entry has at least one standout that defines its era.
Here, we’re focusing only on the mainline Mario Kart titles, leaving spin-offs and mobile entries aside. The goal is simple: to pick the single track that best represents what each game did right — the ones that felt new, balanced, and unforgettable.
Super Mario Kart (1992) – Bowser’s Castle 2
Thinking back to the original Super Mario Kart, it’s easy to remember the simple joys: Flat pixel tracks, slippery corners, and cruelly timed green shells. However, many of the tracks in the game felt fairly forgettable – except for Bowser’s Castle 2. It stood due to being a deceptively mean-spirited course that severely punished any new players. The sharp turns, lava pits, and Thwomps demanded precision in a game not exactly known for its tight controls. It even featured a dead end, something usually not seen in Mario Kart courses. Because of things like these, some might call the track unfair and badly designed – but you can’t deny that it was memorable and emblematic of a time where the series was far from the casual family fun package it is today.
Mario Kart 64 (1996) – Bowser’s Castle
There’s something almost poetic about Bowser’s Castle once again stealing the show. This time, though, the jump to 3D brought the course to life in a way players had never seen before. Suddenly, you weren’t just driving — you were surviving, dodging thwomps that felt enormous, and taking corners that dared you to oversteer. The eerie torchlight, the echoing laughter, and that pounding soundtrack gave it real personality. It’s a course that didn’t need flashy gimmicks to feel dangerous — it just relied on perfect tension between risk and reward. Every lap felt like taunting Bowser in his own backyard.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) – Sky Garden
On the Game Boy Advance, Mario Kart had to shrink its ambition without losing its spark — and Sky Garden proved that a portable kart racer could still feel magical. The floating clouds, ski-high beanstalks, and light, dreamlike visuals gave it a calm atmosphere that which made it a breath of fresh air (literally). It managed to be both relaxing and demanding, with winding paths that punished every missed drift. The track design was deceptively clever too, constantly making you feel one wrong move away from plummeting into nothingness. It’s short, colorful, and packed with charm — the kind of course that sticks with you long after you’ve put the console down.
Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003) – DK Mountain
If Double Dash was all about chaos, DK Mountain was its perfect embodiment. From the moment that cannon launches you onto the volcano, you know you’re in for a ride — and probably a few screams. The rough terrain, falling rocks, and that precarious bridge at the end made every lap an unpredictable adventure. It captured the game’s two-rider madness perfectly, forcing players to balance speed with survival. The visuals and energy were pure GameCube-era magic: bright, bold, and unafraid to throw a banana peel right where it hurts. It’s not just a course — it’s an event.
Mario Kart DS (2005) – Airship Fortress
This one didn’t just feel like a Mario Kart track — it felt like a full-blown Mario level disguised as one. Airship Fortress brought a sense of adventure few circuits ever matched. You start by dodging Bullet Bills, weave through narrow corridors, and launch out of a cannon like some sort of kart-shaped projectile. It’s hectic, cinematic, and incredibly satisfying once you nail the rhythm. The DS’s limitations didn’t matter; the design spoke for itself. Every lap was a little story — part platformer, part endurance test — and that’s why Airship Fortress remains one of the most beloved tracks in the series’ history.
Mario Kart Wii (2008) – Coconut Mall
Some tracks feel competitive, but Coconut Mall just feels like a party. It turned a shopping center into a speedway, complete with escalators, fountains, and those poor Miis nearly getting run over in the parking lot. It was a wild mix of chaos and charm that captured exactly what made Mario Kart Wii so addictive. The layout kept you guessing, the shortcuts rewarded curiosity, and the music was so catchy it could make losing feel fun. Every boost pad felt like a shopping spree on wheels — reckless, bright, and impossible not to love.
Mario Kart 7 (2011) – Rainbow Road
By this point, Rainbow Road wasn’t just a track — it was an institution. But the 3DS version took it somewhere new, literally. Racing across moons, satellites, and space rings made it feel more like a journey than a circuit. The anti-gravity sections hadn’t arrived yet, but you wouldn’t know it from how dynamic the course felt. Every turn tested your focus, every jump felt cinematic, and every fall reminded you that hubris and Rainbow Road never mix. It’s the rare course that’s both punishing and peaceful — the kind of final race you actually want to replay.
Mario Kart 8 (2014) – Big Blue
Calling Big Blue a track almost feels unfair — it’s more like a high-speed concert. Borrowed from the F-Zero series, it injected Mario Kart 8 with a shot of pure adrenaline. The single-lap structure kept the momentum relentless, the water-stream speed boosts turned every corner into a blur, and that soundtrack? It didn’t just play — it shredded. Every time you race it, you feel like you’re breaking the sound barrier with a smile on your face. Big Blue isn’t about chaos or luck; it’s about flow, skill, and hitting those boosts like a symphony in motion.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe/Mario Kart Tour (2023) – Squeaky Clean Sprint
Given that both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) and Mario Kart Tour (2019) both really only count half as entries to the series – considering the first is just an expanded port of the Wii U original and the second a mobile game – it feels only fitting to award the title of best new track in these games to one that both received at the same time: The fun, varied and surprisingly dynamic setting of an oversized bathrooms, which was developed first for Tour but released as DLC for 8 Deluxe a few days earlier in 2023, is something every fan of the series can probably get behind.
Mario Kart World (2025) – Great ? Block Ruins
The next chapter in the series seems determined to blend nostalgia with new ideas, and Great ? Block Ruins feels like the perfect symbol of that. The crumbling temple aesthetic, littered with giant question blocks that actually change item outcomes, adds a fun layer of unpredictability. Hidden paths, shifting walls, and that ominous orchestral score give it a real sense of scale — almost like Mario Kart meets Indiana Jones. It’s a clever mix of classic item chaos and modern spectacle, proving that even after decades, Nintendo still knows how to surprise us on the track.