Mario Kart has a lot of things that make it special but by far the most impressive is the great visuals of each track. With a massive variety of settings and ideas, truly nothing is off-limits and it can make for some very memorable experiences. Plus, now we have the expansion packs for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe we get to see a bunch of our favorite classic tracks reimagined on modern hardware.
All of these tracks are expertly weaved together into cups of four, which lets you be taken on a journey of rage-filled racing. It does mean that the quality of tracks across a single cup can often be unreliable, so we’ve picked out the best Mario Kart cups that stay consistently strong for the entire competition.
Moon Cup
Tracks:
- Berlin Byways
- Peach Gardens
- Merry Moutain
- 3DS Rainbow Road
The Mario Kart Tour tracks in the expansion pack can be quite odd. They’re usually very pretty, but can often be a bit bland to play, however, Belin Byways is one of the better ones. Peach Gardens and Merry Mountain both have their great moments, but 3DS Rainbow Road is doing the heavy lifting here. It’s easily one of the most complex versions of the iconic track.
Leaf Cup
Tracks:
- Wario Stadium
- Sherbet Land
- Melody Motorway
- Yoshi Valley
Wario Stadium is a DS classic that has a lot of strange obstacles and great action, although it can be very frustrating getting caught out in the mud. Sherbet Land is the weak link, but Melody Morotway and Yoshi Valley both make up for it with a great concept and fun interweaving tracks respectively.
Mushroom Cup
Tracks:
- Mario Kart Stadium
- Water Park
- Sweet Sweet Canyon
- Thwomp Ruins
As the first cup in the game, it’s designed to ease you into the game and it serves as a good showcase of the game’s strong points. Mario Kart Stadium is a deliberately basic track, but you immediately get flung into a world of cool concepts and complex layouts with the other three.
Egg Cup
Tracks:
- Yoshi Circuit
- Excitebike Arena
- Dragon Driftway
- Mute City
Yoshi Circuit we can take or leave, but all three other tracks in this cup are certified bangers. Excitebike Arena may just be an oval, but the randomly generated jumps and obstacles make for a chaotic race. Meanwhile, both Dragon Driftway and Mute City show off the anti-gravity mechanics of 8 to perfection, with tracks that thrive on perfect drifts, well-timed overtakes, and mind-bending pathing.
Special Cup
Tracks:
- Cloudtop Cruise
- Bone Dry Dunes
- Bowser’s Castle
- Rainbow Road
There are a lot of big hits in this cup. Cloudtop Cruise is the weakest of the four, but still a great opening track. Bone Dry Dunes is chaotic fun as the track breaks up around you. We have yet another great iteration of Bowser’s Castle, and finally, Mario Kart 8’s own version of Rainbow Road is one of the best.
Golden Dash Cup
Track:
- Paris Promenade
- Toad Circuit
- Choco Mountain
- Coconut Mall
This is a bit of a lopsided cup, with Paris Promenade and Toad Circuit being just ok. However, then you throw two all-time greats at it with the simple classic of Choco Mountain and the wonderfully varied drive of Coconut Mall.
Triforce Cup
Track:
- Wario’s Gold Mine
- SNES Rainbow Road
- Ice Ice Outpost
- Hyrule Castle
Wario’s Gold Mine is flawless, on this there will be no debate. SNES Rainbow Road may be a basic track, but the modern graphics spice it up really nicely to make it a fun novelty. Ice Ice Outpost is enjoyable with its splitting paths, and Hyrule Castle is a worthy crossover track.
Turnip Cup
Tracks:
- New York Minute
- Mario Circuit 3
- Kalimari Desert
- Waluigi Pinball
New York Minute is another Tour track that stands out and we have a simple yet classic track in Mario Circuit 3. Kalimari Desert is where things get really great with the fun risk-reward of going for the tunnel shortcut. Then things reach their peak with Waluigi Pinball, an absolute blast of a track that stands as a strong contender for the best Mario Kart track of all time.
Crossing Cup
Tracks:
- Baby Park
- Cheese Land
- Wild Woods
- Animal Crossing
It’s no filler all killer in the Crossing Cup. Baby Park is a tiny seven-lap oval that is guaranteed to create chaos, Cheese Land is the best basic track in the game, Wild Woods is a rollercoaster of a track, and Animal Crossing uses the different seasons to create a varied track.
Lightning Cup
Tracks:
- Tick-Tock Clock
- Piranha Plant Pipeway
- Grumble Volcano
- N64 Rainbow Road
Tick-Tock Clock is made of chaotic moving parts that will always manage to catch you off-guard. Piranha Plant Pipeway is a fast-paced and somewhat claustrophobic track that doesn’t give you much space to tussle with your opponents. Grumble Volcano has an intense feel with open lanes and wide corners for drifting, then there’s the N64 version of Rainbow Road, which in Mario Kart 8 has been turned into a long one-shot race that will really put your skills to the test.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
