Super Mario Kart is the game that started the Mario Kart series and is credited with creating the kart-racing subgenre. Nintendo EAD developed it for the Super Famicom, which got it in Japan on 27 August 1992; North America followed on 1 September 1992 and Europe on 21 January 1993. Tadashi Sugiyama and Hideki Konno directed, Shigeru Miyamoto produced, and Soyo Oka wrote the music.
Eight characters race on 20 courses split into four cups at 50cc, 100cc and 150cc. Two players can share Mario Kart GP, face off in Match Race or try to pop each other's three balloons in Battle Mode. It is the only game in the series that splits the screen horizontally even in single-player mode.
The regional versions differ in small but telling ways: in Japan Bowser and Peach drink champagne, several courses were renamed abroad, and the PAL version changes the rocket-start timing. With 8.76 million copies sold it is the fourth best-selling SNES game, and in 2019 it entered the World Video Game Hall of Fame.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Super Mario Kart | SNES | Sep 1, 1992 | Nintendo | 1 |
| NA | Super Mario KartVirtual Console | Wii | Nov 23, 2009 | Nintendo | 1 |
| NA | Super Mario KartVirtual Console; released for the game's 22nd anniversary | Wii U | Aug 6, 2014 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | スーパーマリオカート | SNES | Aug 27, 1992 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Super Mario Kart | SNES | Jan 21, 1993 | Nintendo | 1 |
| BR | Super Mario Kart | SNES | Aug 30, 1993 | — | 3 |
| KR | Super Mario Kart | SNES | 1995 | Hyundai | 3 |
| JP | スーパーマリオカートVirtual Console | Wii | Jun 9, 2009 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | スーパーマリオカートVirtual Console | Wii U | June 2013 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Super Mario KartVirtual Console | Wii U | Mar 27, 2014 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Super Mario KartNew Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console | Nintendo 3DS | 2016 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Super Mario KartPreinstalled on the Super NES Classic Edition / Super Famicom Classic Mini | Other | 2017 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Super Mario KartNintendo Switch Online (SNES library) | Switch | Sep 5, 2019 | Nintendo | 4 |
Also known as: スーパーマリオカート JP2Super Mario Kart SP WW4
Box art by region
NA Super Mario Kart 
EU Super Mario Kart 
JP スーパーマリオカート
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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CensorshipJPNA/EU
The Japanese version shows Bowser and Princess Peach drinking champagne in their victory animations; the North American and European releases cut the drinking.3
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TextJPNA/EU
Several courses got new names abroad: Ghost Swamp, Koopa Castle, Chocolate Island and Nokonoko Beach became Ghost Valley, Bowser Castle, Choco Island and Koopa Beach.3
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TitleJPNA/EU
The Japanese title screen has a small background scene with Mario and Peach that the international versions dropped, and the logo lettering is different.3
Translations
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English Official
Nintendo1992SNES · Japanese versionReleased · complete
Nintendo released the game in English for North America and Europe in 1992–1993.1
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Reception
Super Mario Kart sold 8.76 million copies worldwide, 3.82 million of them in Japan, which makes it the fourth best-selling SNES game. Critics praised its Mode 7 graphics, depth and character roster, and in 2019 it was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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