While rumors of a brand new Mario Kart game continue to circulate, Nintendo has seemingly solidified its commitment to Mario Kart 8, announcing a whopping 48 new DLC tracks to be released in six waves by the end of 2023. The franchise is on every Nintendo system imaginable, even players’ own homes.
Although brand new tracks are possible, the commitment has been to bring loads of fan-favorite tracks from Mario Kart’s past onto the Switch. Naturally, this has led fans of the franchise to go wild, wishing for all the tracks in the world to return to Mario Kart 8. Some are all-time classics that deserve a touch-up, while others are franchise-staples.
8 DK Jungle Parkway
There have been plenty of jungle-themed tracks throughout Mario Kart’s history, but none ever quite topped DK Jungle Parkway. This track, initially included in Mario Kart 64 and later remastered for Mario Kart Wii, has a great deal of variety.
Featuring a lot of sharp corners, players need to be at their very best to nail every drift around this course. Visually, there are cave sections, open-air sections, bridges over rivers, and even a massive jump over an island. Very few changes would be needed to turn this classic into a great modern track.
7 Airship Fortress
Airship Fortress was an original course for Mario Kart DS and eventually made its way into Mario Kart 7, too. This is one of the most visually striking tracks in the game, and giving it a new touch of paint would be a glorious sight to behold.
Starting off on the fortress walkway, all the drivers must charge straight at Bullet Bills to get around the corner and onto the airship. After dodging some Rocky Wrenches, players will go down into the bowels of the ship, where there are obstacles galore to be dodged. Finally, players are shot out of one of the ship’s cannons and spiral down a fortress turret to the finish. It’s a wild ride.
6 Toad’s Factory
A course so far only seen in Mario Kart Wii, Toad’s Factory has a basic shape but lots of fun obstacles along the way. It’s got some great visuals, with moving parts just about everywhere players look, and they can only imagine how much more detail could be added on the Switch.
The course is essentially square, with minimal cornering. Instead, players will have to worry about many obstacles along the main straights of the track. From moving road sections to crushing machinery, and even a patch of mud, players will constantly be on their toes in this one.
5 Frappe Snowland
Frappe Snowland is a classic track from Mario Kart 64 but was also seen in Mario Kart DS. This track is one of the franchise’s more infamous ones, perhaps second only to Choco Mountain as Mario Kart 64’s most broken track, with it being possible to beat in under 20 seconds thanks to a speedrunning shortcut.
This track is visually quite basic, but there’s still a lot of charm to it. With modern graphics, the snow-covered fields could look quite beautiful, and the snowmen that block the track in sections will be a welcome addition. It’s unlikely that the track will be quite so broken this time, too.
4 Maple Treeway
First appearing in Mario Kart Wii, Maple Treeway certainly has a warm atmosphere to it and can be ranked among the more visually striking tracks. It was later ported to the 3DS in Mario Kart 7, retaining a lot of charm, although it’d be nicer to see those graphics pumped up significantly on Switch.
The orange leaves are quite beautiful, and they’re used cleverly throughout the track, which mixes long straights and sharp turns quite well. There are even wigglers for players to contend with as they navigate the area.
3 Banshee Boardwalk
On the surface a very plain track, but one with incredible potential for both casual and highly skilled players. Introduced in Mario Kart 64 and reappearing in Mario Kart DS, it’s not the most visually interesting, but some touching-up could make it feel quite spooky.
It’s got a unique layout, with plenty of straights, but lots of sharp squared-off corners, forcing players to use their drift efficiently. There are a lot of holes along the way, and even some bats to contend with, but there are also a few open ends that skillful players can use to cut significant sections of the track.
2 Wii Rainbow Road
There have been loads of different takes on Rainbow Road over the years, and the fanbase will always be debating which ones are the best. Arguably the track that gave the raceway the reputation it has as a difficult icon of the series is the version in Mario Kart Wii.
Whilst the Mario Kart 64 version is undoubtedly an iconic beast in its own right, Mario Kart Wii’s version of the track really took the training wheels off. Where the N64 track had barriers along every side, the Wii version took no prisoners and forced players to be near-perfect drivers or plummet into the abyss on almost every corner.
1 Waluigi Pinball
The internet’s obsession with Waluigi, triggered mostly by his lack of inclusion in Smash Bros Ultimate, will never die down, and thankfully for Mario Kart fans. Waluigi has one of the franchise’s most enjoyable tracks centered around him.
First included in Mario Kart DS and later ported to Mario Kart 7, this track is an absolute rollercoaster, in some cases literally. Driving around an active pinball track with so many moving parts and colors is such a spectacle, especially for the relatively limited DS. Getting a version of this track on hardware as capable as the Switch would be a sight to behold.
Mario Kart 8 is available now for Nintendo Switch & Nintendo WiiU.
