Video Games
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Tier List Maker
Rank the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe courses, from Mario Kart Stadium to Rainbow Road.
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Meet every course (36)
These 36 courses load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the course is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Mario Kart Stadium
The introductory course of Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe version, and the first course of the Mushroom Cup. It is a basic circuit in an autodrome stadium full of banners, with fireworks in the background.
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Water Park
The second course of the Mushroom Cup, set in an amusement park. Submarines travel along the track and balloons float out of Warp Pipes, with Nokis, Toads and yachts filling the area.
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Sweet Sweet Canyon
The third course of the Mushroom Cup. It is similar to Cookie Land from Double Dash!! and Tart Top from Mario Kart DS, and has a sweets theme.
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Thwomp Ruins
The fourth and final course of the Mushroom Cup, set in ancient ruins populated with Thwomps.
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Mario Circuit
The first course of the Flower Cup, and one with a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U based on it. Players can race on it in Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe version.
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Toad Harbor
The second course of the Flower Cup, set in a seaside town, and the longest three-lap course in Mario Kart 8. It is written Toad Harbour in the British English version.
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Twisted Mansion
The third course of the Flower Cup, a large haunted mansion inhabited by many Boos. It can be seen as a spiritual successor to Luigi's Mansion from Mario Kart DS.
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Shy Guy Falls
The fourth and last course of the Flower Cup, in a cliffside area with two waterfalls. Shy Guys mine throughout the course while players drive up and down the waterfalls in anti-gravity.
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Sunshine Airport
The first course of the Star Cup and the first airport course in the series, set on Isle Delfino. Airplanes can be seen parked around the airport.
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Dolphin Shoals
The second Star Cup course, on a beach with dolphins swimming around and an underwater cave with a large Maw-Ray, so racers go both above and below the water.
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Electrodrome
The third Star Cup course, set in a neon-lit city area filled with Koopa Troopas, Shy Guys and Raving Piranha Plants. Banners with the Star Cup logo appear throughout.
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Mount Wario
The fourth and last Star Cup course, a mountain summit and ski resort themed after Wario. Players race from the top to the bottom, similar to DK Mountain in Double Dash!!
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Cloudtop Cruise
The first course of the Special Cup. It takes place mainly on clouds, a giant beanstalk similar to Sky Garden, and an airship.
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Bone-Dry Dunes
The second Special Cup course, on a desert and canyon with shifting sand rivers and bones. The British English version drops the hyphen.
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Bowser's Castle
The third Special Cup course. This version is heavily based on the Bowser's Castle levels from recent Super Mario platformers, such as Super Mario 3D Land.
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Rainbow Road
The fourth and final Special Cup course. Unlike its predecessors, it takes place in a space station presumably owned by Mario Kart TV or REXA, with satellites floating around.
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Moo Moo Meadows
A retro course from Mario Kart Wii, inspired by and a successor to the Mario Kart 64 track Moo Moo Farm.
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Mario Circuit (GBA)
A retro course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, where it was the first race course of the Flower Cup.
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Cheep Cheep Beach
A tropical beach named after Cheep Cheeps, from Mario Kart DS, where it was the third course of the Mushroom Cup. It resembles Cheep-Cheep Island from Super Circuit.
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Toad's Turnpike
A retro course from Mario Kart 64, where it was the first course of the Flower Cup. It is set at night, with traffic that racers have to dodge.
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Dry Dry Desert
A desert course from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. A different course known as Kalimari Desert in Mario Kart 64 is called "Dry Dry Desert" in Japanese.
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Donut Plains 3
A race course introduced in the original Super Mario Kart. It takes its name from the Donut Plains levels of Super Mario World.
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Royal Raceway
A Mario Kart 64 course that returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It sits between Sherbet Land and Bowser's Castle in the original game.
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DK Jungle
A jungle race course that first appeared in Mario Kart 7, then returned in Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe version.
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Wario Stadium
A stadium course that appears in Mario Kart 64 and in Mario Kart DS. Wario Stadium has two versions across the series.
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Sherbet Land
A course from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. A different course with the same name also exists in Mario Kart 64, where it sits just before Royal Raceway.
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Music Park
The third course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart 7, known as Melody Motorway in British English. It is a winding circuit floating in space, with a giant xylophone and piano.
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Yoshi Valley
The second course of the Special Cup in Mario Kart 64, and one of Yoshi's home courses.
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Tick-Tock Clock
A course from Mario Kart DS, which is based on the Super Mario 64 level of the same name.
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Piranha Plant Slide
The first course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 7, known as Piranha Plant Pipeway in British English. It is based on the underground levels of Super Mario Bros.
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Grumble Volcano
The fourth and final course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart Wii, around a volcanic area covered with lava. It has many jumps, moving platforms and sharp corners.
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Yoshi's Island
One of three courses introduced to the series in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The other two are Squeaky Clean Sprint and Sky-High Sundae.
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Sky-High Sundae
A course released in Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the fourth and final course of the Propeller Cup. It is one of three courses new to the series in Deluxe.
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Wild Woods
The third course of the Crossing Cup, available in Mario Kart 8 through the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 DLC. It is in a forested area, and also included in Deluxe.
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Ribbon Road
A course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, where it was the second course of the Star Cup. It returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, after Neo Bowser City.
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Super Bell Subway
The third course of the Bell Cup, found in a subway station called the Golden Bell. It came with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 DLC and is part of the base game in Deluxe.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tier list questions
Which courses on this list are retro courses?
Moo Moo Meadows, Mario Circuit (GBA), Cheep Cheep Beach, Toad's Turnpike, Dry Dry Desert, Donut Plains 3, Royal Raceway, DK Jungle, Wario Stadium, Sherbet Land, Music Park, Yoshi Valley and others come from earlier Mario Kart games.
Are all of these courses in the base game?
No. Courses like Sky-High Sundae come from the Booster Course Pass, and Wild Woods and Super Bell Subway are tied to the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in the original game.
How should I rank Mario Kart courses?
Common criteria include track layout, scenery, music, shortcuts and replay value. Many players also compare the original Mario Kart 8 courses separately from retro and DLC courses.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .