The 10 WORST Mario Kart Tracks

“Mario Kart 8” (2014) “Mario Kart 8” just may be the best in the series with fantastic music, a gorgeous presentation, and, of course, wonderful track designs. But it isn’t without flaws. In the Special Cup, you’ll find Bone-Dry Dunes, a desert-themed course with some fairly annoying turns. Placed by some of these sharp turns are giant Bone Piranha Plants. Chances are if you don’t get snapped by one of these, you’ll get hit by another racer’s item. The track at these points are rather narrow. Unless you’ve got distance between you and others, trying to keep your speed up will prove to be problematic.

“Mario Kart DS” (2005) The best “Mario Kart” courses strike a nice balance with proper hazard placement, engaging layouts, and ways for you to pull ahead of your opponents. But Figure-8 Circuit has absolutely none of that. Literally. The course has no hazards to make things interesting or even any boost pads to make you go faster. It’s just a wide track in the shape of an 8, which makes it a bore to drive on. We know the first race in any “Mario Kart” game is supposed to ease players into the mayhem. But others at least have more engaging layouts than this. If Nintendo ever chooses to remake this one, we hope it spices things up a bit.

Mario Circuit

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“Mario Kart: Double Dash!!” (2003) This Mario Circuit isn’t horrible per se, but it does pale in comparison to the originality found in most other courses. It was clearly inspired by levels within the first World of several Mario games. Bright green hills, pipes, Goombas, and the like. But as we had already seen that in courses from previous entries, this didn’t seem that interesting. The final section can also be a bit irksome; multiple bumps in the sand can mess with your flow, especially if you get hit by something in the middle of it. Thankfully, the track’s Wii appearance deflated this annoyance by introducing boost-giving tricks when you go over jumps.

“Mario Kart 7” (2011) Any time “Mario Kart” makes us drive on ice, it’s never a fun time. In “Mario Kart 7,” we got Rosalina’s Ice World. Moving past the fact that Nintendo could’ve given the space-faring character a much more unique track than one that’s ice-themed, the course just isn’t that fun. The opening, slender bit goes past a chasm. So if you’re around a bunch of other racers, you better be careful not to get knocked in. The underwater section seen later doesn’t really add anything as the layout is the same as above water. It does have some nice scenery, but that doesn’t really help the level of enjoyment when it comes to racing here.

“Mario Kart 64” (1997) We love a track with a great spooky theme. But when one squanders it, it’s pretty disappointing. And so Banshee Boardwalk of “Mario Kart 64” finds itself on our list. The only hazards you’ll find are bats that barely do anything and Boos that occasionally pop up to hinder your vision. The layout itself is also irritating. Its sharp turns consistently cause you to bounce off railings and the narrow sections without the railings make it very easy to fall off. The uninteresting hazards and the troublesome design leaves you with an unbalanced course. We’d get tracks in later installments that did a much better job at utilizing the haunted house theme.

Bowser Castle 2

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“Super Mario Kart” (1992) Like Rainbow Road, courses inspired by Bowser’s Castle have appeared in most entries in the series. For the most part, Nintendo has managed to make each one feel unique despite them all featuring similar elements. But way back in the original game, one of Bowser’s Castles was a slap in the face. Thwomps and sharp turns are a bit frustrating, though they’re to be expected. What really bothers us is its fake shortcut. About halfway through, a side path leads to nothing but lava, which is rage-inducing enough to earn recognition. It is possible to use the shortcut with the feather item, but you only get that if you’re really falling behind and it’s still pretty difficult to pull off.

Snow Land

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“Mario Kart: Super Circuit” (2001) Snow Land is straight up an abysmal experience. What makes it so infuriating is evident as soon as you begin. The screen shakes the ENTIRE TIME. Why? Who knows, but it is completely disorienting and makes Snow Land the uncontested worst new track in this GBA entry. Beyond that, it has all the elements we’ve come to hate from ice-themed races. A bunch of stupid snowmen that you can run into and the overall lack of traction from driving on ice combines with the rumbling screen to make something distinctively awful. We’re so grateful this course has never been remade for another entry…yet.

Neo Bowser City

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“Mario Kart 7” (2011) Bowser should really stick to designing castles because this is ridiculous. Neo Bowser City is one of the only “Mario Kart” courses where it’s pouring down rain. Which means it’s one of the only courses that decreases your traction without having you drive on ice. Not only is the rain overall problematic, but it also leads to multiple puddles that can cause you to spin out. The track’s layout isn’t too bad, except for one severely sharp turn with no railing. It can be pretty easy to fall off here, especially due to the slick road and particularly on higher CCs. We’re honestly a bit confused as to why Nintendo wanted to bring this race back for “Mario Kart 8.”

Yoshi Falls

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“Mario Kart DS” (2005) Yoshi has had its name attached to some of the most unique tracks in “Mario Kart” history. The multiple paths of Yoshi’s Valley in “Mario Kart 64” and the shape of Yoshi Circuit in “Double Dash!!” make them stand-outs. But Yoshi Falls does the dino a disservice. It’s simply a big oval with not much in terms of scenery or hazards. It does feature waterfalls that can send you into the center chasm, but they aren’t even on the main path. The similarly-shaped Baby Park is much smaller, offering a close-quarters chaotic experience. But Yoshi Falls is too spread out and it’s much more boring than any other Yoshi track.

“Super Mario Kart” (1992) We couldn’t end without giving a special shoutout to another awful ice track. Vanilla Lake 2 highlights the most frequent problem with ice-themed courses that we’ve already touched upon: your traction is essentially annihilated. However, with the original game’s dated controls that grow more unwieldy with each passing year, it’s never fun to return to. There are also exceptionally irritating groups of ice blocks that obstruct your path, almost guaranteeing you’ll run into them. It was remade for “Super Circuit” where, like Snow Land, the screen continuously shakes for no reason. It’s rare when a remade track is worse than the original, but Vanilla Lake 2 pulled it off.