Super Mario Kart — stories left

Super Mario Kart was the first game to feature playable characters from the Mario series other than Mario or Luigi in a non-platforming game and the selection and different attributes of the characters is regarded as one of the game's strengths, IGN describing a well-balanced "all-star cast".

Retrospective reflection on the Mode 7 visuals was mixed, with IGN stating that the once revolutionary technology now looks "crude and flickery".

Another aspect of the game to have been praised is its gameplay, which Thunderbolt has described as the "deepest [and] most addictive... to be found on the SNES console".

Mean Machines described the game as having "struck gold" in a way that no other – not even its sequels – has matched and GameSpot named the game as one of the greatest games of all time for its innovation, gameplay and visual style.

Entertainment Weekly wrote that although the game might appear to be a "cynical attempt by Nintendo to cash in on its Super Mario franchise" the review concluded that "plunking the familiar characters down in souped-up go-carts actually makes for a delightful racing game.

GamePro said the game "does an excellent job of capturing the thrill of Go-cart racing, and wraps it up in the familiar, fun, Mario-land atmosphere.

In 1996, Next Generation listed it as number 37 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", commenting that the controls are elegantly designed to offer "supreme fun".

In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the game 16th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time".

In 1999, Next Generation listed Super Mario Kart as number 7 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "Imitated a thousand times, but never, ever, equalled, Mario Kart changed the rules for the driving game and gave the world one of the most engrossing and addictive two-player experiences ever".

IGN ranked it as the 15th best game ever in 2005, describing it as "the original karting masterpiece" and as the 23rd best game ever in 2007, discussing its originality at time of release.

In 2018, Complex listed Super Mario Kart seventh on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".

Previously, when naming it as one of the most wanted games for the platform in November 2008, Eurogamer stated that problems emulating the Mode 7 graphics were responsible for its absence.

It was certified as "the best selling handheld racing game of all time" in, selling 7.83 million units as of December 31, 2008, and ultimately reached 23.60M in total, to be the 3rd best-selling game on the console.

Super Mario Kart (1992/8), in which Mario series characters race karts, became popular for its item-driven comebacks and was later made into a series.

Super Mario Kart received positive reviews and was praised for its presentation, innovation and use of Mode 7 graphics.

In the United Kingdom, Super Mario Kart was the top-selling SNES game in February 1993, and it went on to be the seventh best-selling game of 1993 with more than 250,000 sales in the country.

Critics praised the game's Mode 7 graphics.

Another aspect of the game to have been praised is its gameplay, which Thunderbolt has described as the "deepest [and] most addictive... to be found on the SNES console".

The use of the style and characters from the Mario franchise was also praised as well as the individual characteristics of each racer.

The reviewer also praised the use of Mode 7 and challenging CPU-controlled opponents.

Several sequels to Super Mario Kart have been released for successive generations of Nintendo consoles, each receiving commercial success and critical acclaim.

Although reviewers including IGN and GameSpot felt that the single-player gameplay was lacking compared to its predecessor, the simultaneous four-person multiplayer modes – a first for the Nintendo 64 – were praised.

It was certified as "the best selling handheld racing game of all time" in, selling 7.83 million units as of December 31, 2008, and ultimately reached 23.60M in total, to be the 3rd best-selling game on the console.

Mario Kart Wii went on to be the worldwide best-selling game of 2008, and ultimately became the second best-selling game on Wii, with 37.38 million sales.

With 18.99 million copies sold, Mario Kart 7 became the best-selling game on 3DS.

The game was developed over 1 years, centred on 8 people including producer Shigeru Miyamoto and directors Tadashi Sugiyama and Hideki Konno.

In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by the magazine Family Computer Magazine,it scored 24.57 out of 30, as shown below.

This score placed it 14th among all Super Famicom titles (323 titles in total, as of 1993).

Also, in the "Super Famicom All Catalog '93", a special supplement to the 1993-8 information issue of the same magazine, it was introduced with the words "the big attraction is that a 2-player versus mode, which Nintendo's other racing game F-ZERO did not have, has become possible".

In addition, in the "Best 30 by Category" printed at the end of the "Super Famicom All Catalog '93", a special supplement to the 1993-8 information issue of SUPER FAMICOM Magazine, it took No. 12 for characters, No. 17 for controls, No. 9 for absorption, No. 14 for value for money, and No. 19 for originality.

As of the end of 2022, cumulative worldwide sales of the game were 8,760,000 copies, and cumulative sales in Japan were 3,820,000 copies.

Following this model the Mario series has gone on to become the best selling video game franchise of all time with 193 million units sold as of January 2007, almost 40 million units ahead of second-ranked franchise Pokémon, also by Nintendo.

It was certified as "the best selling handheld racing game of all time" in, selling 7.83 million units as of December 31, 2008, and ultimately reached 23.60M in total, to be the 3rd best-selling game on the console.

Mario Kart Wii went on to be the worldwide best-selling game of 2008, and ultimately became the second best-selling game on Wii, with 37.38 million sales.

With 18.99 million copies sold, Mario Kart 7 became the best-selling game on 3DS.

The console's top five is rounded out by Rare's Donkey Kong Country in third, with sales of 9.3million units, while its two follow-ups are also in the top ten, Super Mario Kart in fourth, selling over 8.7million units, and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior in fifth, with 6.3million units sold.

The first game in the Mario Kart series, it was released in Japan on August 27, 1992, North America on September 1, 1992, and Europe on January 21, 1993.

Super Mario Kart was the first game to feature playable characters from the Mario series other than Mario or Luigi in a non-platforming game and the selection and different attributes of the characters is regarded as one of the game's strengths, IGN describing a well-balanced "all-star cast".

In Europe, it was the top-selling game during the first quarter of 1993, above the Sega Mega Drive titles Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Streets of Rage 2 during the same period.

The first sequel, Mario Kart 64, was released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64 and was the first Mario Kart game to feature fully 3D graphics.

Although reviewers including IGN and GameSpot felt that the single-player gameplay was lacking compared to its predecessor, the simultaneous four-person multiplayer modes – a first for the Nintendo 64 – were praised.

Mario Kart DS, released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, was the first Mario Kart game to include online play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Furthermore, the number of copies sold exceeded that of Super Mario Bros., released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, making it the first Mario title to outsell a previous installment.

In addition, North American users were able to get the game starting from August 6, 2014 to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the game, which included the new game update of Mario Kart 8 on August 27, 2014.