Over the last few decades, we’ve seen many gaming IPs enter the racing genre. Some, like Crash Bandicoot and Diddy Kong, have done well, while others have been notable stinkers. (South Park Rally, anyone?) The simple fact is that none of these games would have existed if not for Mario Kart.
The series has expanded notably over the years with new karts, new tracks, and lots of new characters. From day one, however, you have probably been asked the age-old question: who’s the best racer? The answer isn’t quite that easy. It changes between games. Things get even more complex when the games start to let you pick out your own kart.
8 Super Mario Kart (Koopa Troopa)
Year: 1992
Platform: SNES
Some people think Mario should apologize to the Mushroom people for jumping on them. Who Mario really should be apologizing to is Koopa Troopa. The Troopas don’t have easy lives. While Bowser views them as disposable minions, Mario and his family are constantly jumping on their heads and using their shells as projectiles.
Koopa Troopa in this game has the slowest top speed, but that doesn’t matter. He makes up for it with strong handling and acceleration. Remember how tight the tracks are in Super Mario Kart? Koopa proves advantageous at maneuvering tracks and jumping out of the way of turtle shells too. Even better, Koopa Troopa recovers the fastest among the players if he ends up on mud or sand. Super Mario Kart is finally Koopa Troopa’s time to shine.
7 Mario Kart 64 (Yoshi)
Year: 1998
Platform: Nintendo 64
Truthfully, Yoshi is pretty evenly ranked with Peach in this game. (So if you prefer her more, go with her.) Unlike Super Mario Kart, no factors make one character substantially better (or worse) than another. That said, if you’re playing for speed you want everything you can get.
One of the greatest assets of Yoshi is that he recovers the fastest after spinning out, which means he often seems like the fastest. Yoshi also has a better defense against objects like turtle shells that might be flung against him compared to other characters. Keep in mind, due to Yoshi’s lightweight; he is also the easiest character to lose control of if he bumps into a heavier player. While he might not have much defense, this is your guy when it comes to speed running. (Well, dinosaur.)
6 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (Toad)
Year: 2001
Platform: Gameboy Advance
One of the great things that the Mario Kart series does is give each player at least one game to shine. Super Circuit is Toad’s turn. What’s confusing about that is the game has the same roster as Mario 64; only the character’s attributes have been tweaked.
In this game, Toad is the best accelerator. He also tends to do just fine navigating around tracks. Additionally, if Toad falls off the edge (*cough* Rainbow Road *cough*), his acceleration will quickly have you catching up in no time. As you’d anticipate, Toad has little defense and can be bumped around by bigger characters, but the exchange is worth it for the speed.
5 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Barrel Train, Bowser Junior And Diddy Kong)
Year: 2003
Platform: GameCube
Picking the top racer in Double Dash!! is tricky. This game lets you race as two characters. One racer steers, and the other works defense. This is also the first game where you pick your kart. When it comes to the best kart, you can’t go wrong with the Barrel Train. It takes time to unlock the Barrel Train, but worth it due to the train’s speed and durability when handling bumps.
Each weight class of characters is equal, but the lightweights tend to be the best, such as Bowers Junior and Diddy King. You could just as easily pick Toad, Toadette, Baby Luigi, Baby Mario, or the Koopa Troopas and be no worse off. The advantage that you realize in picking lightweight characters is you have slightly longer mini turbos of half a second. Mid-sized characters have mini turbos a third of a second, while Heavy-Weights have a sixth of a second.
4 Mario Kart DS (ROB And ROB-BLS)
Year: 2005
Platform: Nintendo DS
Mario Kart offers a mission mode and online play for the first time with Mario Kart DS. You’re back to choosing just one character and a vehicle now though.
ROB, the NES Robot, is an unlockable character in this game, and Rob’s final vehicle, the ROB-BLS is the best one in the game. It’s fast and easy to navigate. Picking the best character this time around is a bit challenging because the only thing that weight impacts is how you slow down off-road. Rob is a good pick, but merely because you’re riding in his vehicle and not because he gives you some substantial advantage over other racers.
3 Mario Kart Wii (Funky Kong And Flame Runner)
Year: 2008
Platform: Wii
The best kart in this entry on the Wii is the Flame Runner due to its drift, speed, and weight. The Flame Runner works well with an inside drift, too, and is better at it than any other kart. The Flame Runner's weakness is that it offers low acceleration, and any jumps are nearly impossible. Still, it's worth it for the speed alone, though.
Funky Kong is the best character because his stats are simply outstanding and better than every other character in the game. When Funky Kong is paired with a top-of-the-line kart like the Flame Runner, you’re going to clock some personal records at the very least.
2 Mario Kart 7 (Shy Guy/B-Dasher/Mushroom Wheels/Beast Glider)
Year: 2011
Platform: 3DS
While it might have been somewhat true in previous games, Mario Kart 7 lacks any one specific “best combo.” Instead, the game does a great job of offering a balance between karts and characters. Lightweight characters remain a strong choice. While I tend to choose Shy Guy for novelty, you’d do just as fine picking one of the other lightweight classes like Toad, Lakitu, or Koopa Troopa.
One of the best karts you can pick is the B Dasher. While it might have the lowest acceleration of all karts, it's also the fastest kart in the game. For wheels, the unlockable mushroom wheels are a good choice due to their good speed and handling. The Beast Glider, Super Glider, and Gold Glider provide the best speed, even though handling might be a bit compromised. When these features are combined, the end result is a vehicle with high speed and good acceleration as well as decent handling and low weight. What more do you need?
1 Mario Kart 8 (Wario/Pipe Frame/Slick Tires)
Year: 2014
Platform: Wii U, Switch
The first heavy-weight character in the game, Wario, flourishes in Mario Kart 8. It was about time since Wario first appeared in the series in Mario Kart 64. Wario offers great speed and traction. If you can get up to top speeds with Wario and avoid being struck by a projectile, it’s unlikely anyone will even be able to come anywhere close to you. Wario is also good at handling tight corners.
A great kart for Wario is the Pipe Frame, which as stats go, is simply the best vehicle in the game. The Pipe Frame offers strong acceleration, good handling, and a solid mini-turbo. For a heavyweight like Wario, the Pipe frame will balance low speed. When it comes to wheels, anyone who has spent time with Mario Kart 8 will tell you there’s only one choice, Slick Tires. These tires have the perfect stats to make sure you stay in control of your kart at all times. Lastly, there aren’t really any “great” gliders in Mario Kart 8 because they’re all so perfectly matched. Just pick a glider design you like.