In 2022, the Mario Kart series will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Through the roller coaster of emotions the Mario Kart series has put players through, it continues to cement itself as the poster child of party games. Since its 1992 debut, Mario Kart has taken players through the air, underwater, on bikes, and even upside down en route to becoming one of the highest-selling franchises in gaming.
With rumors, speculation, and the desire to see what’s next for the Mario Kart franchise ramping up, it’s easy to build up a long wishlist of new and returning content. Especially when it comes to Mario Kart’s long history of fantastic tracks. Starting with Mario Kart Super Circuit (and from Mario Kart DS onward), each Mario Kart brought back a selection of Retro Tracks that breathe new life into old tracks by utilizing updated mechanics. Assuming the next Mario Kart doesn’t bring back every track in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fashion, there is a selection of tracks gamers would love to see again.
10 Ghost Valley 3 Could Become Even Scarier (Super Mario Kart)
With their creepy music, Boos that fade in and out, and the dark depths below, the Ghost tracks have always been some of the most atmospheric tracks in all of Mario Kart. Many of them have risky shortcuts, holes throughout the track, and walls that disappear when they’re hit – ensuring that players will always be filled with a level of adrenaline and dread.
Ghost Valley 3 is currently the only Ghost track in Super Mario Kart yet to make the transition to 3D (Ghost Valley 1 returned in Mario Kart Tour). Ghost Valley 3 is easily one of the most difficult tracks in Super Mario Kart, so for it to get a 3D revamp with Mario Kart 8’s gravity track design could make this track far more frightening than ever before.
9 Wario Stadium Is The Only Mario Kart 64 Track Yet To Return (Mario Kart 64)
Mario Kart 64 is one of the most beloved games in the series and is a big reason why many still keep their Nintendo 64 around to this day. Thanks to all the memories Mario Kart 64 has created, its tracks frequently return in future games.
However, only one Mario Kart 64 tracks has yet to return: Wario Stadium. This could be attributed to its length as Wario Stadium is among the longest tracks in the series. An easy solution to that is for Wario Stadium to be broken down into a one-lap track much like N64 Rainbow Road when it returned in Mario Kart 8.
8 Lakeside Park’s Volcano Could Be Even More Of A Threat (Mario Kart Super Circuit)
Mario Kart Super Circuit kicked off the tradition of bringing back old tracks when it included every Super Mario Kart track. Most of Mario Kart Super Circuit’s popular tracks have already received the Retro treatment such as Cheese Land and Sunset Wilds.
The appeal of Lakeside Park is the erupting volcanos in the background. These volcanos intensify, and the sky darkens, as the race goes on, racers will have to avoid lava boulders scattered throughout the track. A remake of Lakeside Park could lean more towards the erupting volcanos concept to create a more exciting and skill-intensive track.
7 A Remake Could Fix Mushroom City’s Biggest Flaw (Mario Kart Double Dash!!)
It’s grown to become a tradition that every Mario Kart game needs at least one track that takes place on traditional roads with non-racing traffic. Mario Kart Double Dash!! actually included two of these tracks in Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City, with Mushroom Bridge making a quick return in Mario Kart DS.
Mushroom City is infamous for its confusing layout, which is likely the biggest reason it has yet to return. A revamped Mushroom City could better clarify the track’s many different pathways while also giving players greater incentives to explore those different paths.
6 DS Bowser Castle Is One Of The Best Bowser’s Castle Tracks (Mario Kart DS)
Bowser’s Castle is a staple in any Mario Kart. Often right behind Rainbow Road, these tracks are anything but a calm before the storm. Bowser’s Castle tracks typically contain as much challenge as they do fire and lava.
Mario Kart DS’ take on Bowser’s Castle is one of the best in the entire series. DS Bowser Castle is filled with winding roads and alternate pathways that start racers at the entrance of the castle. From there, racers will have to avoid obstacles as they scale the castle’s multiple floors before being dropped back at ground level. There’s little room for error in DS Bowser Castle.
5 Wii Rainbow Road Is Still One Of The Most Difficult Tracks (Mario Kart Wii)
Rainbow Road has long stood in the way of racers and their chance at Mario Kart glory. A true test of Mario Kart skill, awareness, and resiliency. Few Rainbow Roads have challenged players like Mario Kart Wii’s Rainbow Road.
Wii Rainbow Road is a lengthy track filled with tight, angled, turns. If approached too fast, those turns can quickly fling racers off the track’s mostly barrier-less roads and into the reaches of outer space. Wii Rainbow Road is sure to find itself on the top of most Mario Kart fan’s wishlists when it comes to potential returning tracks.
4 Maka Wuhu’s Beauty Is Almost Distracting (Mario Kart 7)
Mario Kart 7 was criticized upon its 2015 release for playing it safe and not pushing the series further ahead. While Mario Kart 7 did introduce gliding and underwater racing, that also came at the cost of the removal of some Mario Kart Wii features such as the ability to race on bikes as well as popular characters such as Waluigi and Funky Kong.
Mario Kart 7 did introduce tracks that only contain one lap and are split off into three separate legs. Maka Wuhu, along with Wuhu Loop and 3DS Rainbow Road, were the first three tracks of this type. Maka Wuhu is inspired by Wii Sports Resort and takes players throughout Wuhu Island’s beaches, caves, and mountainous countryside all with a beautiful orange skyline of the setting sun.
3 Mount Wario Is An Exhilarating Mountain Descent (Mario Kart 8)
Mario Kart 8 built upon every facet of Mario Kart 7’s foundation and that included the one-lap tracks. Arguably the best of these one-lap tracks in Mario Kart 8, and arguably the best track in the game as a whole, is Mount Wario.
Mount Wario takes place on a snowy mountain that has racers competing against one another as they descend to the bottom. Racers will go through icy caverns, a wooded forest, and an adrenaline-pumping straightaway complete with ski slalom gates. It’s difficult to improve on perfection, but bringing back Mount Wario along with Mario Kart Tour’s Reverse tracks could create a whole new experience as racers would then have to ascend Mount Wario instead.
2 Hyrule Circuit Brings A Legendary Series To Mario Kart (Mario Kart 8)
Mario Kart 8 holds the distinction of bringing many firsts to the franchise. Two mold-breaking areas are the inclusion of DLC characters and tracks as well as the inclusion of characters and tracks from outside the Super Mario universe.
Hyrule Circuit gives players a full The Legend of Zelda experience. Racers drive through the plains of Hyrule Field before entering Hyrule Castle. Racers can reveal a shortcut complete with the classic Zelda secret chime. Hyrule Circuit also replaces coins with rupees as well as including classic Zelda enemies as obstacles.
1 Ninja Hideaway Is The Best Of Tour’s Original Tracks (Mario Kart Tour)
It’s no secret that Mario Kart Tour got off to a rough start and that negative first impression has continued to turn players off. Mario Kart Tour has since received plenty of new additions and updates that have slowly turned Mario Kart Tour into one of the most underrated Mario Kart entries. At first, Mario Kart Tour’s original tracks were solely based on real-life cities such as Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mario Kart Tour has since introduced non-city original tracks with the best of the bunch so far being Ninja Hideaway.
Ninja Hideaway is a Japanese dojo-inspired track with multiple pathways. These pathways are varied to the point where Ninja Hideaway can feel like two different tracks. Ninja Hideaway is an overall fantastic track and has the potential to quickly become a longtime fan-favorite if it returns in the next Mario Kart.
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