The Best Kart Racing Video Games

There are numerous great kart racing video games available, and we’ve selected a few titles that may interest you. Everything from the ever-iconic Mario Kart franchise to some of our personal favorites from years past is included in this list. Of course, as a result, don’t pay too much attention to the ranking. We’ll find games that can be played on anything from your phone to Nintendo’s latest platform release, the Switch 2.

13 Mario Kart Tour

It was a somewhat surprising move to see Nintendo become interested in the mobile market, particularly in terms of smartphone applications. However, when they did unveil their intentions of bringing out their IPs to the likes of Android and iOS, one of those franchises happened to be Mario Kart. Mario Kart Tour was first released in 2019, and it controls rather well. It may take some time to get used to the controls, but they are fairly intuitive to understand.

A simple swipe will unleash your power-up, along with taps and holds, to steer the vehicle in the desired direction. Nintendo made the game a bit easy to grasp for just about everyone. Now, with it being a mobile game, there are in-app purchases, and they can be a bit overwhelming, but at the very least, it’s a game that you don’t necessarily have to sink money into to play casually. Likewise, the game is free to play, so there’s no reason not to give this title a try.

#12 Kirby Air Ride

Kirby even had a bit of a kart racer back in the day with Kirby Air Ride. Now, this was a Nintendo GameCube title where Kirby could zip around the track without having players push a single button to accelerate. However, to make turns, players would need to hold down a button to brake. It was different, and of course, you had access to different power-ups to use against the competition. After all, what kart racer doesn’t feature power-ups?

You’ll even find a top-down racing game mode, which is something a bit different from the usual third-person courses in the main game. However, what might have kept players engaged throughout the title was the fact that there were numerous objectives to complete in races. These would eventually unlock certain content in the game, such as new stars and attributes to race with.

#11 Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a game that may appeal to fans of the network and its various characters. It features the typical tropes you’d expect from a kart racer, but is skinned to include different characters from Nickelodeon shows. As a result, you’ll find characters from Hey Arnold, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and SpongeBob, to name just a small handful.

Meanwhile, the races themselves have various power-ups that players can obtain to use against their opponents. As you’ll race and gain the in-game currency, players can use the funds to purchase upgrades for their vehicles, so you’re not strictly dealing with the stock build of a kart the entire time.

#10 LEGO 2K DRIVE

There are numerous LEGO games out there for you to enjoy from full-on adventure games to recreations of classic franchises, and so on. But in LEGO 2K DRIVE, you’ll get the opportunity to hit the brick road and drive like there’s no tomorrow!

The game will let you not only race on some of the most insane tracks you’ve ever witnessed but also give you a vehicle that can transform! You’ll need to use this ability to win each race and get ahead of your rivals! Plus, the game is open-world, meaning you can go anywhere and see what else to do.

#9 Beach Buggy Racing

Beach Buggy Racing is a kart racer that has hit not only console platforms but also iOS and Android. Again, it’s exactly what you would expect from a kart racing video game title, where you’re barreling down different themed levels. You’ll have different power-ups to pick up and fire at your opponents while also striving to reach the boss battles that will have players racing against said boss in hopes of unlocking them within the game.

There’s also the ability to customize your car and make necessary upgrades. Likewise, you’ll find that each character has a unique power that they can trigger once per race, so you’re always armed right from the start of a race, but knowing just when to use it will be key here.

#8 Mario Kart Live Home Circuit

Another Mario Kart game that has made the list is Mario Kart Live Home Circuit. Within this game, players are given a physical RC car and the necessary components to make their unique course within their home. From there, the vehicle is controlled by your Nintendo Switch, in which case the game brings out an augmented reality Mario Kart experience. You’ll race within your home while virtual opponents and power-ups will pop up on the track, much like a traditional Mario Kart title.

While this is a fun experience, it does limit things for those who may purchase this game. For starters, you’re limited in how far you can travel with the RC car in your home away from the Nintendo Switch. Likewise, you need a good amount of space to make a course appealing to play. Then there’s the task of actually setting this course up and taking it down when you want to play the game. If those don’t seem like deterrents, then this might be a title well worth picking up.

#7 KartRider: Drift

One of the biggest drawbacks of getting a new video game is that you have to pay for it and then possibly pay for additional content via DLC, expansions, or things being put behind paywalls.

But with KartRider: Drift, that fear will never be in your mind. Why? Because the racing title has no cost to it whatsoever. It’s built to be a fun title that you can race around with friends, and customize things like your car and driver to make it more personalized. There are multiple modes in the game, too. That means you can test out your skills against your friends or attempt to top the world leaderboard!

#6 ModNation Racers

Do you remember ModNation Racers? It was a big hit or perhaps a hidden gem at this point for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. The video game was a thrilling kart racer, offering not only a variety of tracks, racers, and power-ups to choose from but also a significant amount of creativity. Players could create their characters, customize their vehicles, and even make levels to race around in. This was something that could be achieved not only by tweaking everything yourself, including the terrain elevation, but also by allowing the game to generate content, so there was plenty of content for players to explore.

One of the aspects that made this game unique compared to its competitors was the ability for players to drift and build up a meter during races. Through this meter, the player could initiate a boost or bring out a shield to protect themselves against attacks from other racers. Unfortunately, this game didn’t live on with a new installment, but there’s always hope that Sony will dust this IP off and bring it back out once again.

#5 Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sonic has several kart racing games available. Still, we opted for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, as it comes with not only various characters from the Sonic franchise but also other Sega character IPs, such as Crazy Taxi, Super Monkey Ball, Space Channel 5, Alex Kidd, and Shinobi, to name a few.

You have a variety of themed courses as well, from these games to race around in, but what you might find of interest is the fact that the races will transform the vehicle depending on the terrain they are racing around in. Players may be racing around in a car, boat, or plane as they progress through the laps. Meanwhile, as you can expect, there are different weapons that you can obtain as you race around as well to fire off at those pesky rival racers on the map.

#4 Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

When Nintendo was dominating the kart racing scene with Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing offered a competitive alternative on the PlayStation. Of course, that didn’t pan out as well, but it had a strong following. Fortunately, years later, the game was remade for modern platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Not only did we receive a visual revamp for the courses, but we also saw numerous improvements.

If you don’t recall the original game, this is a kart racer that features the usual tropes you would expect from a traditional kart racing game. However, the title centered around the Crash Bandicoot franchise, pitting it against other racers. With Crash Bandicoot making a resurgence with the likes of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, those of you who haven’t given Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled might be missing out on some thrilling gameplay.

#3 Diddy Kong Racing

Developers Rare took on the kart racing genre for the Nintendo 64 as well with Diddy Kong Racing. This was a game very much like Mario Kart 64 at the time, but what was different was the line of characters players could race around in. Within the game, we had a storyline for players to follow, which centered on Diddy Kong and his friends racing against various bosses to defeat an evil wizard pig named Wizpig, who was attempting to take over the world.

Here we are once again racing around courses where players can collect power-ups that either boost or attack their opponents. Unlike some of the other games, there were clear markings of what powers were on the level, and upon collecting the same power-ups, the player would be given a stronger buff, such as a longer boost or more rockets to fire at an enemy. Furthermore, players were able to race around the different levels in either hovercrafts, planes, or, of course, karts. While this title was a big hit for the Nintendo 64, Rare was eventually bought by Microsoft, which ended the planned sequel for the Nintendo GameCube.

#2 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

One of the biggest kart racers out there right now, with players joining online to compete against other players and friends, is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Released initially in 2014, Mario Kart 8 was a big hit for the Nintendo Wii U, but unfortunately, the console platform itself wasn’t much of a success. As a result, Nintendo made a few enhancements and added characters to bring Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the Nintendo Switch.

This is a classic Mario Kart experience. Here you’ll find the game featuring a wide range of levels, iconic characters, various kart customization options, incredible visuals, and a great soundtrack, all wrapped up in a single package. You can’t get much better than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe right now, and while it’s a port of the Nintendo Wii U version, this game still holds up incredibly well today.

#1 Mario Kart World

Yes, Mario Kart World has “kart racing” in it…it’s literally in the title! How do we not know this, people?!?! Anyway, the beloved racing series has plenty to offer you kart-wise, as you’ll start with a basic roster of karts, and then, over time, unlock more for you to have fun with. While the game doesn’t have full-tilt customization like before, each kart does have its own stats. Thus, you’ll want to pick carefully to match the playstyle you have in the game. Then, once you’re ready, go to the track and see how fast you go!

Admittedly, co-op isn’t something you typically think about in games like Mario Kart World. After all, the main point of the game is to take on your foes, whether they be real people or CPU-controlled characters, and get to the finish line first. Even in battle modes, co-op isn’t guaranteed. However, what this new entry to the series brings is different. There’s a mode called “Free Roam” that allows you to go from course to course and see all that it has to offer…while doing so with friends! You can even take on challenges with friends to complete them more easily. Go forth and have fun.