Gamers typically think of kart racers as lighthearted romps. Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing, and countless others subscribe to that. The family-friendly tone goes along with screwball scenarios of disparate characters coming together for a race. As such, titles in this genre are rife with slapstick humor, vibrant tracks, and a mischievous edge. Not all are up for a clean race, though.

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Some kart racers play dirty. They present dark stories with more twisted subject matter. They often reflect that tone in more gruesome gameplay. The goals may remain the same: win the circuit and sabotage the other drivers. However, these kart racers pack in infinitely more road rage.

7 Monster Jam Battlegrounds

A monster truck in Monster Jam Battlegrounds

It goes without saying that a game about monster truck rallies would be chaotic. The point of these events is to show off the sheer size and power of the vehicles. Many modes here do just that. They have tracks to traverse, stunts to perform, and obstacles to trample.

One of these, though, centers on ramming other cars and reducing them to scrap. Players then get a star rating based on the number of vehicles they destroy. The whole mode essentially glorifies violence, and that's a good thing (at least in this context). It's why monster trucks are so appealing to the masses.

6 Planet Of Death

A race in Planet of Death

Most racers compete in these events to please audiences and/or win prizes. Planet of Death raises those stakes exponentially. It takes place in a world ravaged by an intergalactic fungus. Only one vessel remains to escape, and it goes to the winner of the tournament.

That's definitely a grim twist on the formula. Not finishing in first place basically means certain death, and the fungus would make that death slow and painful. The game constantly reminds players of that with its grungy environments and hellish atmosphere. While this drains some of the fun, it does wonders for motivation.

5 Jak X: Combat Racing

Jak and Daxter in Jak X: Combat Racing

The title says it all. When Jak & Daxter throw their hats into the kart racing ring, they do so with their typically zany intensity. Drivers desperately navigate the series' hazardous locales. At the same time, they use their vehicles' advanced weaponry to blow their rivals to kingdom come. The game even has a few modes dedicated to racking up a kill count. That may sound homicidal, but that's because it is.

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That said, the narrative doesn't offer much choice. The heroes find themselves poisoned by a crime lord, and they only get the antidote if they win the racing championship in that crime lord's name. It takes the seediness of Jak's urban crime stories and pumps it with the adrenaline of racing. To make it worse, it's all filmed for a reality TV show. Now, that's truly twisted.

4 Rock N' Roll Racing

A race in Rock 'N Roll Racing

Few music genres evoke craziness more than rock and heavy metal. It was only a matter of time before some demented developers applied them to racing. As expected, Rock n' Roll Racing involves outpacing opponents, but players also have front and rear weapons to assist in this. In that sense, the game is a precursor (pun intended) to Jak X. To go with that comparison, this title even offers bonus points for wiping out other cars. Racing doesn't get more mean-spirited.

The icing on that cake is the audio. Rock tunes flank each race, pumping every moment full of adrenaline and anger. Accompanying these songs is an announcer named "Loudmouth" Larry, who regularly insults the racers and comments on the carnage with sadistic glee. He has almost as much fun watching these dark deeds as players do performing them.

3 Crazy Frog Racer

The Annoying Thing in Crazy Frog Racers

Crazy Frog, otherwise known as "The Annoying Thing," is a character designed to be grating. He began as a silly sound effect and went on to cover several peppy songs. He may seem like an odd choice to lead a kart racer, but one of his commercials does feature him in a race. However, that doesn't mean his games are easy on the eyes.

The Crazy Frog Racer titles look disgusting. The title character's grotesque design is rivaled only by those of his fellow racers. For better or worse, they match the dirty tracks, which wind in and around each other like a demonic roller coaster. Drivers regularly fly off into the infinite abyss, which is inevitable due to the breakneck speed. Like their star, these games try their best to be utterly off-putting.

2 South Park Rally

Cartman and friends in South Park Rally

Although it looks like a colorful cartoon, South Park couldn't be less appropriate for kids. Anyone who's seen it can attest to that. The show is rife with swearing, sex, violence, and other depravities. Moreover, it embraces that stupidity and flips viewers the bird for not accepting it.

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The games strive to do the same. While this title boasts the standard kart racer content, it slathers that content in a South Park paint job. The tracks, drivers, vehicles, and items are laden with the outrageous humor that fans expect. Anyone who doubts that need only look at Saddam Hussein as a power-up. Moments like these are more offensive than losing the race.

1 Warped Kart Racers

Peter Griffin in Warped Kart Racers

As strange as it sounds, South Park isn't the only adult cartoon to get a kart racer. Mobile players also have a crossover title that combines Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, and Solar Opposites. All of these make their names with raunchy humor and shock value, often deriving jokes from the characters' suffering. That holds true for this racer.

Most attacks are based on offensive or gross gags from the shows. Players can throw a drunken clam as a projectile or litter the tracks with farts and puke. It's all grossly immature and largely tasteless. At the same time, it's a dirty departure from the usual kid-friendly kart racers.

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