The Kart Racing genre is synonymous with action-packed races, fun with friends, and eternal frustration when getting hit with an overpowered item on the final lap. The Mario Kart series has, of course, been a frontrunner in the genre for multiple decades, with Crash Bandicoot's racing ventures trailing behind in second place.
Unfortunately for PC gamers, there are currently no Mario or Crash Bandicoot kart racing games available, leaving behind an unfortunate void. Although PC gaming doesn't offer the kart racing genre's top titles, there are plenty of other games available that will offer fast and frantic fun with friends.
Updated October 16, 2023, by Joe Grantham: While PC players don't have the best options in regard to kart racing games, this doesn't mean they are completely left out to dry. Over time, developers both large and small have tried and will continue to try and fill the void. KartRider: Drift, for example, has been a big deal in South Korea for many years and has recently reached the rest of the world with a PC release on Steam. With constant updates from a dedicated team, this promises to be one of the best kart racing games on PC.
10 Best Racing Games Of The Decade, Ranked (According To Metacritic)
No genre has benefited more from this generation's beefed-up graphics and tech than the racing genre, and here are the 10 best racers of the decade.10 Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure
Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure is available on a handful of different systems, including Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and, of course, PC. The game was developed by Vector Unit and immediately stands out with its impressive visuals.
Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure has plenty for players to do, with an adventure mode, weekly tournaments, and numerous cars to collect and customize.
9 Meow Motors
As the name suggests, Meow Motors is a cat-themed kart racer with wholesome visuals and cute character designs to make it one of the most adorable racers on the market right now. The game is far from being just a gimmick, though, as the racing gameplay feels great, the tracks are creative, and the power-ups are well-balanced.
8 Open-World Games With The Best Driving Mechanics
Cruising around an open world can be a lot of fun if the mechanics are pulled off properly.Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer, though there is split-screen multiplayer to ensure that players can still compete with their friends.
8 Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, like its predecessor, doesn't try to hide its influences from Mario Kart. The game takes a selection of mascot characters from Nickelodeon, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Tommy Pickles, and Danny Phantom, and throws them into well-designed tracks inspired by classic Nickelodeon shows.
It seems that GameMill Entertainment, the game's publisher, is a fan of Nintendo's spin-off games, as the company has recently released Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, which has many similarities to the Super Smash Bros. series.
7 Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
There have been many games released in the last few decades that have taken a recognizable character or IP and implemented it into an underwhelming kart racer. Unsurprisingly, many people thought that Garfield Kart - Furious Racing would have a similar fate when it was first announced.
However, the game's development team, Artefacts Studio, did a solid job with Garfield Kart, creating a thoroughly enjoyable kart racer for fans of the show or kart racing genre. Garfield Kart - Furious Racing may not offer many innovations to the genre, and its roster of just eight characters is fairly lackluster, though the game is still a decent kart racing option.
6 F1 Race Stars
F1 Race Stars was developed by Codemasters and offers a kart racing alternative to their realistic, simulation-style Formula One games.
23 Most Realistic Racing Games Ever
There are plenty of great racing games on the market, but these examples are the most realistic.Despite the spin-off theme, F1 Race Stars features official licensing, with real racer names and teams from the 2012 F1 season. Furthermore, the tracks are loosely based on real circuits but with quintessential kart racing elements included, such as shortcuts and ramps for jumps.
5 Wacky Wheels
To add some variety, Wacky Wheels is an excellent choice for those who enjoy the retro gameplay of the original Super Mario Kart. Wacky Wheels was released in October 1994 by Apogee Software, while the development was handled by Beavis Soft.
Instead of karts, players drive lawnmowers, while the characters are all zoo animals. Along with racing modes, the game also features a mode titled Wacky Shoot-Out, which is similar to the battle mode from the Mario Kart series. The 90s game was rereleased on GOG.com in 2014, making it easy to find today.
4 Super Indie Karts
It's not only older games that offer a callback to the retro style of racing games, as Super Indie Karts is a kart racer with a fantastic 16 to 64-bit style. The game was kickstarted in late 2014 and is still in Early Access as of October 2023, though One Legged Seagull is aiming to complete the game eventually.
Great Racing Games Like Forza Horizon 5 (For Those Who Don't Own An Xbox)
Players who don't own an Xbox or gaming PC but want to play something like Forza Horizon 5 should take a look at the following games.Super Indie Karts' art design is its standout feature, although the game also boasts excellent level design, solid gameplay, and an optional first-person perspective which is unique for the genre.
3 Team Sonic Racing
Team Sonic Racing released on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in May 2019, before coming to mobile devices and Amazon Luna in the months and years that followed.
The kart racer lets players choose from 15 different characters and cars that fall into either the Power, Speed, or Technique category. As one would expect from a 2019 Sonic release, Team Sonic Racing features wonderfully designed tracks that are bursting with color, making them a joy to ride around.
2 Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed initially released in November 2012 and is a sequel to the aforementioned Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. The game includes a plethora of iconic SEGA characters like Sonic, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, and Beat from Jet Set Radio. The Collection package is available on Steam and includes a handful of DLCs.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed received Metascores as high as 82 across the various systems on which it is available. It is widely considered to be one of the best kart racers available for PC players to enjoy.
1 KartRider: Drift
Released in early 2023 for PC, KartRider: Drift is a free-to-play online kart racing game with cross-platform capabilities. The game has two main modes, Speed Mode and Item Mode. Speed Mode is the ultimate test of skill, where players must rely on drifting and boosts, to come out on top.
Item Mode, on the other hand, is more similar to Mario Kart. Players take advantage of fun items to disrupt their opponents and enhance their own race. As players progress and complete more licenses, they will unlock increasingly more difficult and fun tracks in KartRider: Drift.