Best Games Like Mario Kart

Mario Kart is one of the most recognizable racing series around and has managed to maintain its popularity over the years by introducing new gameplay mechanics as well as a plethora of racers and tracks based on first-party Nintendo franchises.

The game’s straightforward controls and gameplay make it appealing to a wide audience of players ranging from casual gamers to dedicated kart racing purists.

Consisting of eight mainline games spread across various Nintendo handhelds and consoles, Mario Kart has solidified its presence as the principal kart racer. However, there are still plenty of options for scratching that kart racer itch, even for those who prefer to game on a different non-Nintendo system. 

Here, we’ll be highlighting the top games like Mario Kart to try if you don’t own a Nintendo Switch or simply desire something novel.

Make sure to check back as we continue to update this list with fresh games and while you’re here, consider reading through our other curated compilations:

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While it may not include cameos from anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, Team Sonic Racing is still a wonderfully fast-paced kart racer that finds clever ways to incorporate Sega’s mascot character Sonic and the expansive universe he inhabits. The game also happens to be a substantial step up from its predecessor, 2012’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, in several areas.

For one, the roster is a lot smaller, with arbitrary additions like Wreck-It Ralph and Danica Patrick removed in favor of a more Sonic-focused cast consisting of 12 racers along with a collection of 21 tracks based on famous locations from throughout the series.

Kart customization exceeds Mario Kart’s standards, allowing players to modify various aspects of their kart’s appearance, ranging from materials and paint color to adding stickers and different wheel types.

The CTR games have always felt a lot more polished than Mario Kart when it came to driving and boost mechanics. Still, the series carries a great deal of nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the PlayStation family of consoles. CTR: Nitro-Fueled remains faithful to its source material in this regard, maintaining the original cast and driving controls while adding some quality of life improvements to the PS1 classic.

Among these is a modified HUD that makes the boost gauge more readable for novice players as well as the ability to swap between characters mid-story. Characters and environments were rebuilt from scratch and appear more vibrant and animated than ever before.

While its supplementary tactile controls will take some time to adapt to if you’ve only ever played Mario Kart, once you’ve got it figured out, the game becomes a lot more entertaining.

If you’ve ever felt disappointed by the lack of cat representation in Mario Kart (Cat Peach doesn’t count), rest assured Meow Motors is the game for you. This indie kart racer sees you playing as one of 12 fierce felines whose unique personalities and special abilities will keep you grinning as you compete in races across three modes: circle races, drifts, and strike.

Like Mario Kart, tracks are littered with an assortment of power-ups and items designed to help get you in front of the pack or, at the very least, annoy your opponents. What really makes Meow Motors stand out from all the other B-tier kart racers is the quality of its presentation. Racers have detailed backstories and charming designs that are further complemented by 20 vibrant tracks and a bombastic soundtrack.

Super Indie Karts is a throwback to classic kart racers of the 1990s and, as a result, shares many similarities with earlier MK entries like Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64. This is most apparent in the graphical department, with the game employing a mix of 2D sprites and low-poly 3D art to portray its enormous roster of racers and tracks.

Where Super Indie Karts has Nintendo outpaced is in racer and track diversity, boasting 30 playable characters and over 40 tracks, all of which are based on existing indie game series such as Cross Code, Aegis Defenders, Mutant Mudds, ToeJam & Earl, and many more. The game also includes a variety of modes you would expect in a kart racer such as Grand Prix, Time Trials, and Battles as well as local split-screen support.

Beach Buggy Racing 2 is a straightforward kart racer that includes all of the amenities Mario Kart fans have come to appreciate, minus the Nintendo mascots. The game sees 1-8 players competing on an assortment of themed-tracks ranging from sandy Egyptian pyramids to enormous dragon-inhabited castles and everything in between.

It’s a much more refined product than the original Beach Buggy Racing, which had a habit of living up to its “buggy” namesake for all the wrong reasons. The sequel introduces special abilities for each racer, as well as an array of fascinating items you won’t find in Nintendo’s kart racer.

All in all, BBR2 is a reliable pick for a Mario Kart substitute that’s sure to appeal to a broad demographic of players.

If you’re enough of a maniac to play Mario Kart on 200 CC chances are you’ll enjoy Trailblazers, a rapid arcade racer whose devs describe it as “F-Zero meets Splatoon.” The game’s core mechanic revolves around painting parts of the track with an assigned team color. Doing so rewards you and your two teammates with a speed boost when driving over the painted area.

Of course, enemies can do the same as well and can even paint over any areas you’ve claimed as your own. This encourages players to work together to cover as much ground as possible as they try to outwit their opponents. Its co-operative nature ends up making Trailblazers feel a lot more vibrant than your average arcade racer, with no two races playing out precisely the same.

Maybe you don’t come to Mario Kart for racing but rather the opportunity to irritate your friends by spamming them with items that cause them to spin out and shake their fist in exasperation as you leave them in a cloud of dust. Well, if that’s the case, why not try another game that lets you abuse your opponent both figuratively and literally.

Road Redemption is a spiritual successor to the Road Rash series that sees you racing against other players while engaging in savage melee-based combat while driving a motorcycle.

The game features dozens of different weapons such as pipes, baseball bats, and the occasional wrench, all of which can be used to deliver a gratifying blow to your enemy’s head. This is accompanied by a remarkably deep combat system with grabs, kicks, and counters that can be enhanced via a skill tree.

If you enjoyed the gravity mechanics introduced in Mario Kart 8, then you’ll likely enjoy Grip: Combat Racing, which allows racers to drive upside down, on walls, ceilings, and almost anywhere else your tires will fit. Along with conventional vehicles, Grip has futuristic-looking antigrav racers similar to those in a Wipeout or F-Zero game.

However, it’s not for the faint of heart, often going out of its way to make the on-screen action as intense as possible by swapping out Mario Kart‘s spiky blue shells in favor of homing missiles and machine guns that will leave more than just a scratch on your enemy’s car. This is further complemented by a variety of demanding racetracks with enough loops to make you dizzy and a heart-pounding dubstep soundtrack.

Continuing with the vehicular combat theme, Burnout Paradise Remastered is an enhanced version of the absurd arcade racer from 2008 and arguably the best entry in the Burnout franchise (Burnout 3: Takedown comes in at a close second). The remaster introduces a host of technical and visual improvements such as new Day/Night time cycles while maintaining the layout of its well-crafted open-world.

Paradise City has plenty to offer in terms of exploration, providing players with an expansive sandbox filled with hundreds of miles of roads and underground paths in addition to a multitude of concealed shortcuts, ramps, and billboards just begging to be driven through.  You’re free to cause as much mayhem and destruction as you want while driving over 70 different vehicles, way more than any Mario Kart game.

Imagine if you took Mario Kart‘s Battle Mode, eliminated the goals, and incorporated soft-body vehicle damage modeling; that’s essentially Wreckfest in a nutshell. Inspired by the mayhem of demolition derby races, the game sees you cruising around vast arenas searching for your next prey. The objective is to incapacitate every other car by any means while ensuring your engine keeps running.

Of course, there are various modes which offer more conventional style races. Still, if you’re playing Wreckfest, chances are you want to cause as much destruction as possible.

There’s always a method to all the madness, with Wreckfest featuring precise controls and superb car handling capable of rivaling more serious racing sims like F1 and Forza Motorsport.

As superb as Mario Kart is, we have to acknowledge a clear absence of fruit representation throughout the series. Other than those cursed banana traps, there simply aren’t enough power-ups and items for players to sink their teeth into. Enter in All-Star Fruit Racing, a kart racer that’s not afraid to show its appreciation for a well-balanced diet.

Jokes aside, the game manages to incorporate some amusing new ideas in what would otherwise be a run of the mill kart racer. For one, racers can pull off unique fruit-based maneuvers by combining different fruits they collect along the track. These serve as the game’s power-ups and can provide various offensive and defensive abilities based on the fruits used, giving you the freedom to experiment with different strategies.

While it may not be out just yet, KartRider: Drift is already looking to give Mario Kart a run for its money with promises of free to play without any paywalls, cross-play support, and comprehensive kart/character customization. The game will serve as the successor to 2004’s Crazyracing KartRider, which was also free to play and remains quite popular in South Korea still to this day.

It includes everything in a Mario Kart influenced game: colorful visuals, many crazy tracks, and numerous power-ups to assist when needed. KartRider: Drift premiered at Microsoft’s X019 occasion and is anticipated to launch this year.