Top 10 Mario Kart Tracks

As I was playing Mario Kart Wii the other day, I was thinking to myself, "I wonder which tracks really are the best?", so I decided to make a list of the Top 10 Mario Kart tracks. So, here it is. Hope you enjoy, and if you want to comment about ones you like, leave a comment below.

10) Lakeside Park (Super Circuit)
With some catchy jungle beats and lava raining down from the volcanoes above, Lakeside Park is one of the best offerings Super Circuit brings to this Top 10 list. The driving gets especially hectic during a Time Trials run while trying to find the perfect, speedy shortcut. (Many gamers famously jump over the lake itself).

9) Yoshi Valley (Mario Kart 64)
Sure, the narrow ledges and sharp turns of Yoshi Valley are challenging, but what makes this track so fun is the fact that with so many different paths, it’s impossible to know who’s in the lead until everyone makes it safely off the mountain. This element of surprise lends a big hand to multiplayer matches. The giant spinning Yoshi egg is also a nice touch.

8) Koopa Beach 2 (Super Mario Kart)
Although short, this track is definitely sweet. Hard to navigate waters full of bottomless pits and lots of sandy space make this track much more than your average day at the beach. This course also helped inspire the next track on this list.

7) Koopa Troopa Beach (Mario Kart 64)
One thing Mario Kart seems to always get right is their beach tracks. Koopa Troopa Beach is the best of them. This track is famous for its shortcut right behind the tracks waterfall, which is one of the easiest to use in the entire game.

6) Delfino Square (Mario Kart DS)
Delfino Square can get pretty crazy when a ton of items are thrown around, but that’s when Mario Kart is the most fun. Some well laid shortcuts and the giant bridge add to the excitement. This track was so good it was revamped and added to Mario Kart Wii.

5) Koopa Cape (Mario Kart Wii)
This track is filled with lots of wild corners and opportunities to make crazy jumps. The warp-pipe section of the track can also lead to some great multiplayer showdowns when racers are neck-to-neck. Few Mario Kart tracks make such good use of water as Koopa Cape.

4) Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64)
The famed Rainbow Road course makes a grand appearance in Mario Kart 64. Chain Chomps tear through parts of the track making for some challenging manoeuvres, especially when there are no walls to hold you into the track. This Rainbow Road is famous in particular for its large shortcut which can be made with a well timed hop right at the beginning of the race.

3) Airship Fortress (Mario Kart DS)
This track is an excellent homage to the early days of Mario. Who doesn’t remember the great Airships that Mario would board to defeat the Koopa Kids? Airship Fortress has some of the coolest features, including a super long roundabout turn and a giant launcher which shoots racers from one side of the track to the other. Never has there been a course more “retro” than this.

2) Baby Park (Mario Kart: Double Dash)
Baby Park may be really short, but its one of the more fun courses to race on during multiplayer matches. Because of its small size, items run wild all over the course and make it one heck of a challenge to just complete all 7 laps without being hit by a green shell. Baby Park is the true definition of fun.

1) Bowser Castle 3 (Super Mario Kart)
Bowser Castle 3 is quite simply the best track Mario Kart has ever seen. It’s been in three different Mario Kart games, (Super Mario Kart, Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Wii), and all three iterations are a blast. The Thwomps, jumps, 90 degree turns, and dangerous close-to-course lava make for some exciting manoeuvring. As with most other tracks on this list, multiplayer matches also excel here. Not only is this the best Mario Kart track, but it’s the best Bowser Castle yet. It’s going to take a lot to make a track better than this in the future. I think it’s safe to say that simple is sometimes better.