Board 8 > Ranking all 96 tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with writeups

(+) Yeah! (+)

I don't have any nostalgia for F-Zero, never played it growing up, so Mute City is actually probably one of my least favorite tracks in MK8. However, Big Blue might be one of my favorites.

19. DK Mountain

I know I only ranked it 19th, but in a lot of ways it's kind of the perfect track. Get shot up to the top of the mountain, drive around sharp turns over steep cliffs on the way down, cross a rickety bridge, do it over again. There are so many "shoot to the top and then drive down" types of tracks nowadays that it's hard to remember that there was a time, back in Double Dash's day, where this style of track was HIGH CONCEPT. It's one of the most unique tracks in DD! Now it seems almost weirdly quaint - yet I still think it kind of executes its idea perfectly. The turns going down the mountain feel really dangerous and fun and I love that you can kind of shortcut across them but it's really dangerous - it's kind of like Rainbow Road Wii where it's got that feeling of like, having to see how far you can push it, how much can you safely jump over and still clear the jump and make the turn? And the bridge at the end - I mean, it's just iconic. It's an iconic track.

getting knocked off the bridge 18 times as you're about to finish is simultaneously the single most and least satisfying thing in mario kart's history

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_43cq3DalZw

I will never not laugh at this.

The DK Mountain bridge video is still the funniest shit I've ever seen in Mario Kart history

Still shows up in reels occasionally

Oh, I missed a lot of rankings and chances to comment. I'll just drop this:

Paratroopa1 posted...

It's like Sky Garden, but better!

They're the same course in Japan!

Grand_Kirby posted...

Oh, I missed a lot of rankings and chances to comment. I'll just drop this:

They're the same course in Japan!

What

Paratroopa1 posted...

What

Cloudtop Cruise's name in JP is also Sky Garden. Think of it like N64 vs. GCN Sherbet Land, or N64 vs. DS Wario Stadium.

Oh I see. Makes sense!

rosalina's ice world is let down by the fact that the quarter-pipe (one-third pipe, maybe?) rules and feels like its own thing then is followed up by a level that does nothing for the better part of 60% of the rest of the course before the ending. this adds up to being...okay, i guess

18. Neo Bowser City

Hey, it's the Toad's Turnpike theme again sort of. It's nice that Bowser gets a track that isn't a Castle. I can't really think of much to say except that this track is just really, really good from start to finish - every turn feels like a fun, interesting challenge. I'm not sure if this has slippery physics or if I'm just imagining it in the rain but it feels like handling this track is really tricky. I love the rainy city vibe though, I guess that's the Seattleite in me. I have nothing bad to say about this track.

Neo Bowser City on 200cc is an absolute mess

I never stated this but my rankings do assume 150cc

Yeah it wouldn't affect my rankings either, just always what I think of when I see that stage

17. Yoshi Circuit

This is, somehow, my highest rated GCN track! I was gonna say that it's the first game eliminated, but then I realized that actually happened way, waaaaaay back when I put Toad's Turnpike at #46. Mario Kart 64 is my most nostalgic MK game so it's kind of funny that none of its 6 tracks really did anything huge for me in this game - and DD is the MK game I played the second most and yet same thing. Anyway Yoshi Circuit kicks ass, it's just so much more complex and interesting than any other 'Circuit' track. I really like the way that this track being a perfect silhouette of Yoshi makes it 'found art' of a sort - the track isn't even really designed, it just kind of exists the way it does because of Yoshi's shape, but it somehow comes out perfectly. There are just SO MANY turns on this track and that feels great. You're pretty much never driving straight, maybe less in this track than in any other in the game, and that just makes for a good ass track. ALSO, it's the only track that has Double Dash's basic circuit theme, which makes it kind of a big deal, much like how Royal Raceway is the only one with that theme.

16. Ice Ice Outpost

I only just now realized that the Toads on the thumbnail pic for this track have the same colors as the colors of the two tracks on this course. Anyway holy hell, maybe it's just the almost comedically sincere violin in this track but it's just got a crazy energy. I feel like I see people divided on this course and I don't know why. I fucking love the whole gimmick of the two dual paths snaking around each other for the entire course where you can keep switching from one to the other. There's just a lot of really interesting 'expression' to this track - you can drive it a hundred times and never drive it the same way twice depending on how you decide to switch off between the two tracks and that gives it a lot of replay value. It's narrow and not knowing which track is more dangerous has you getting kinda item fucked a lot, but being able to switch tracks also lets you shake people off so it's kind of a trade off. I dunno, good as hell track, never gets old for me. I said Rosalina's Ice World was the best ice-themed track but I guess this one is also ice-themed, it's kinda in the name

15. Bowser Castle 3

Hell yeah. I just love the classic Bowser Castle theming with its manic energy and the feeling that it's less a race course and more an obstacle course from hell, and this track captures the vibe perfectly while modernizing it. Bowser's Castle 8 has grandeur, but this one has the actual vibe that it's going to kick your ass. I love the way they 'modernized' all of the very 'geometric' features of the SNES Bowser's Castle courses - the way you're driving over ramps over lava and able to drive on the top of walls and stuff makes it feel all very new but it keeps that feel of the old Bowser's Castle, where it feels less like a normal race course and more like a video game level. I really love how much of a glowup the SNES and GBA tracks got in this game.

14. Rainbow Road (8)

Huh! You know, I've just been sleeping on this one for a while and I don't know why, but I really regained a newfound appreciation for it recently with the new Rainbow Road tracks hitting with the last wave of DLC. 3DS RR doesn't have enough challenge for my tastes; Wii RR doesn't have the secret sauce that makes a top tier track. But this one just kinda has it, for me. The track is super difficult and has some really ambitious turns and feels like a proper challenge, like Wii, but it's just got something about it that excites me more to play and I don't really know why. Hitting every turn on this one just feels exhilarating. Also I used to not be a big fan of how the satellite part breaks up the feel of the track but now I like the variety, and driving on conveyor belts is always fun. I think for some time all the Rainbow Roads blended together but now I'm finally starting to see this one in its own light and appreciate it.

13. Dragon Driftway

Why the hell do I never see anyone talk about this track? It fucking rocks. All of the Wii U DLC tracks are so insanely good it blows my mind, they just really put so much effort into them and it shows. This is another MK8 track that just uses the antigrav concept perfectly by having these impossibly winding paths that create otherwise impossible geometry to normally drive through and they stylized it like you're driving on the back of a fucking dragon. It's a visual and stylistic splendor and driving it just feels awesome. Like maybe I'm misreading this but it feels like a criminally underrated track to me.

Great picks. Rainbow road mk8 never gets love but thats s-tier for me. Yoshi circuit and neo bowser city are also top 10 or near top 10 tracks, great lines. Being difficult on 200cc is also a feature, not a bug, imho

I do like dragon driftway but the optimal lines always feel a little messy and awkward for whatever reason. I think it's underrated but probably hits high B-tier if I actually made a list

Paratroopa1 posted...

17. Yoshi Circuit

This is, somehow, my highest rated GCN track! I was gonna say that it's the first game eliminated, but then I realized that actually happened way, waaaaaay back when I put Toad's Turnpike at #46. Mario Kart 64 is my most nostalgic MK game so it's kind of funny that none of its 6 tracks really did anything huge for me in this game - and DD is the MK game I played the second most and yet same thing. Anyway Yoshi Circuit kicks ass, it's just so much more complex and interesting than any other 'Circuit' track. I really like the way that this track being a perfect silhouette of Yoshi makes it 'found art' of a sort - the track isn't even really designed, it just kind of exists the way it does because of Yoshi's shape, but it somehow comes out perfectly. There are just SO MANY turns on this track and that feels great. You're pretty much never driving straight, maybe less in this track than in any other in the game, and that just makes for a good ass track. ALSO, it's the only track that has Double Dash's basic circuit theme, which makes it kind of a big deal, much like how Royal Raceway is the only one with that theme.

aw yeah, GOATed track

I can't ever play Dragon Driftway without being reminded of this:
https://youtu.be/a3o_ZKWi-OU?si=Zhj6WhCx3nLwvuHI&t=159

12. Wild Woods

Kind of in the same vein as Dragon Driftway - an original Wii U DLC track, very windy with a lot of antigrav, sick vibes, super underrated. I think? I dunno, is there a huge contigency of Wild Woods fans out there? This track is unassuming but somehow reminds me of Big Blue. I'm always a huge fan of a good water slide portion and unlike Koopa Cape or Piranha Plant Slide, this one actually has water that carries you forward, which is like, the best mechanic a track can possibly have. The music here is great and the theming is great. I love the Shy Guys' weird little gnome village, it's got big theme park ride vibes in a good way. This is another track where I don't have any bad notes - pretty much every part of this track feels perfect.

11. Grumble Volcano

Is this track divisive? Every time I'm racing with other people I feel like people groan when this one comes up but I get amped. Grumble Volcano fucking rules. There's just nothing like the feel of the track literally crumbling underneath you as you're driving on it; I don't even know how this track pulls it off but I literally feel like I'm racing to not fall off sometimes and it's like action movie shit. Then each lap having more and more of the track crumbled away so that it gets harder and harder to drive kicks ass. I like that it's a fire/volcano themed track that's not Bowser, we get Podoboos (the most-forgotten SMB1 enemy) and those ones that are like a big vine of them from SMB3 and that's cool and kind of weirdly unique. I can't believe this track was only a Star Cup track in its original game, it genuinely feels more perilous and exciting than any Bowser's Castle.

Time for my top ten, featuring like 6-7 fairly obvious choices and 1-2 tracks that will probably make you go 'huh'

i think i like grumble volcano more than most and i still dont like it all that much. wild woods is great though

10. Waluigi Pinball

I mean, it's Waluigi Pinball. I don't have to explain this to you. It's one of the GOAT track themes and it's a great track in its own right. Maybe a touch on the overrated side - I admit that I really wish the main pinball 'concourse' at the end was a little more exciting, you're not really incentivized to do much than just drive straight thought it and I kinda wish it was just a bit more chaotic in some way. I don't care enough to nitpick that much. I love this track. It's fucking Waluigi Pinball. Everything except that one section is well designed and I really like it when you do get lined up with one of the rolling balls and you have to avoid it; it kinda doesn't always happen so this track can either be quite exciting or a little uneventful but it's pretty turn heavy so it's fun to drive either way. For me it's just one of those tracks that pops off the track select screen and always makes me want to play it. It's hard to believe it wasn't even in this game until the booster course DLC.

9. Tick-Tock Clock

This was my favorite track in MKDS and, judging by my list, it still is my favorite track from MKDS (although again Airship Fortress isn't here so we can't judge that one). First of all it's just really nice to see a Mario track draw from a SM64 theme; for some reason, it just doesn't feel like we get a lot of homages to SM64, strange as that is to say given its position as maybe the most beloved Mario platformer of all time. Maybe part of that is that this is one of the only worlds from that game that's actually memorable or unique, but still, they closed of Peach's castle in Royal Raceway so this is about as good as it gets. Anyway yeah I love every single part of this track, it's gimmicky but it's fun as hell. The pendulum just makes for a perfect obstacles and tricking off the spinning gears rules (or making the choice to fly over them instead but that's not as fun). As you can probably see, I'm just kind of a sucker for unique stage themes and gimmicks and this track has them.

8. Coconut Mall

Against all odds, this track somehow isn't overrated. It really is that good. The music really is the GOAT. This isn't just a gimmicky track with cool theming but a course that just feels really, really good to race on its own merits. Much like Waluigi Pinball, I can't believe it wasn't in the game until the booster course; it feels like it always had to be here. It's not MK8 without it to me anymore. The escalators, the multiple floors, tricking off the fountain, making the sharp turns down the stairs; it's tight and yet never feels cramped, and everything's racing by so fast that this track really has a good sense of speed. My only complaint is that there aren't Miis out in the cars anymore; that's like one of the few things I actually remember from MKWii. On the other hand, the cars now have Shy Guys in them that do donuts in the parking lot so it's kind of a trade off?

Also it's weird that despite my general 'meh' feelings about MKWii, it lasted longer on this list than 64, DD, or DS lol

Feel like rails would pop off on Waluigi Pinball

7. Rainbow Road (SNES)

Yes, this is my favorite Rainbow Road in the game, despite how weird and borderline sacriligious it is to have this one in the MIDDLE of a random cup instead of at the end. I've always loved the original Rainbow Road and I love that it got paid respect here in MK8 (another Wii U DLC track, of course). I always really vibed with how challenging this track was in SNES and I love the weird, frantic, almost kind of haunting music; it just has a totally different vibe from the other Rainbow Roads, one that's more dangerous and almost alien. Of course, it's a lot more driveable now, and a track not having any rails isn't anything new at this point, but those 90 degree turns are still challenging to hit and it's easy to fall off here. I love how VIBRANT this Rainbow Road is, compared to 3DS or even 8 that feel more washed out. Also the Thwomps here creating shockwaves for you to trick off of is a really cool gimmick; they're probably the most difficult things in the game to trick off of, and also the most dangerous, but it's satisfying when it works!

6. Music Park

My favorite 3DS track, and still is. The only, the ONLY, bad thing I can say about this track is that for a track called Music Park, the music isn't memorable at all. But, like I said a dozen times already, I'm a sucker for unique level themes, and driving down a spiraling piano or xylophone that plays notes as you go is the kind of shit I'm here for. Bouncing off a big drum also rules. But the real shit here is that section with the big bouncing music notes. First of all, I love those guys, they look so happy! I like that they're not even like, standard Mario things; it's exceedingly rare that you really get anything new to the Mario world in a Kart track. But they also account for my single favorite trick section in the game; tricking off of them bouncing your Kart up into the air, having to time it with their bounces, feels so fucking good. You can glide over this section but why would you ever do that?

Glad that Rainbow Road 8 was highly placed. One of my all time favorite tracks that is super underrated.

The music there is phenomenal as well, so glad it got a remix in World <3

Rainbow Road 8 and Grumble Volcano both in top 15? I can forgive you for Toad's Turnpike :p

I've always really enjoyed Grumble Volcano in this game, too. I don't see much praise for it whenever favorite tracks come up, but it's just a blast of a track imo. The music is excellent as well. Though I never played Mario Kart Wii (I went DD > 7 > 8 > 8D > World, with a couple hours of Super Circuit after 7 launched), so I have to wonder if any salty feelings from that game may be affecting general opinion.

For me whenever i played online, it felt like Grumble Volcano came up at least twice as often as any other map, which is impressive in a way considering how many tracks there are

Still good, but man I've played it to death

Music Park is a silly name, I much prefer the PAL version's Melody Motorway.

andylt posted...

Music Park is a silly name, I much prefer the PAL version's Melody Motorway.

It's pretty funny that they changed the name when there's banners everywhere that still say "MUSIC PARK" on them.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c4608c06.jpg

It's even visible in the course icon!

Music Park hell yea, also one of my favs

Whether I'm playing on 7 or 8, Music Park is an absolute all-timer for me.

Melody motorway is definitely a better name. I like music park but it's also one of those levels I don't get excited about either. I think snes rainbow road is a good enough track that I don't find particularly plays well in 12p online on mk8e. The narrow margins make it feel like any item hit will not only ruin your drift line but potentially just send you off the edge and end your race

Oops! I had a really busy weekend and forgot to finish five fucking writeups for this list. Please stand by

This is my S tier by the way, the last five tracks are all ones that I have, at least at some point, had at #1 on this ranking before switching them out. Putting them in order was really hard, I don't have a definitive favorite but these five tracks are the closest thing, I basically had to rank them in order of how close I was to really having them #1

5. Squeaky Clean Sprint

In terms of visuals and track theming, this one pretty much can't be beat. I like how pretty much everyone who thought the idea of a bathroom track was silly was completely shut up by how much this track rocks; they used every element of this theming they possibly could to its fullest. Driving into an underwater bathtub section and going down the drain where you can shortcut through a literal ring that someone lost in the drain, driving around on a soapy floor, a toilet bursting and being able to ride the plume of water up to a shelf that serves as a second route. There's just so much to look at here and it's all so creative and awesome. It reminds me a lot of the Micro Machines game for the NES with all its cool track ideas, but taken up to 11 - they spared absolutely no expense on this one. The only reason it's not higher is because the four tracks above this are my four favorite track designs in the game. This one's still really good, but it does have a couple too many straight lines.

Also I just noticed that Music Park was my last remaining original 32 track (and Rainbow Road was my last of the original 16 MK8 tracks). Huh! Of the four left, 3 of them are Wii U DLC and one is Booster Course lol. God the original 16 DLC tracks are so fucking good

4. Ribbon Road

Rainbow Road? No, this is Ribbon Road! Absolute banger of a track and an all-timer reclamation project. The original Ribbon Road? It's fine but completely unnotable. The remake? Basically the most unrecognizable retro track in the game, and that's a good thing. It plays like an original. The vague theming of giant presents in the background has been reimagined into a beautiful playroom set, kind of similar to Squeaky Clean Sprint in the whole miniaturization aspect and the way there's just tons of shit to see in the background here. The track just feels great; beautiful racing lines all over, creative shortcuts, and tricking off the wavy blue track is awesome. I love the Mechakoopas here, you so rarely see these guys and I don't even think they were in the original but they kind of remind me of 'older' Mario, like they're something that would be in SMK or SC that you don't see a lot anymore, and they work perfectly with the whole toy theme. The music arrangement's cool as hell too, sounds almost nothing like the original. Easy S-tier track, one of my top faves, underrated.

3. Cheese Land

I LOVE CHEESE LAND. You cannot stop me from loving CHEESE LAND. It's so fucking good. I love that it's made out of CHEESE. It's spiritually kind of like a desert themed track but way cooler. The little swiss-cheese potholes are extremely fun to make decisions about; do you go around? Drive through? Take a line that lets you trick off them without going off road? It's a little thematic touch that makes the track surprisingly unique. There isn't anything *crazy* going on in this track, I just kind of think every turn feels perfectly tuned and racing around this track feels FAST. It's like, perfectly designed and perfectly calibrated. And it has the best music in the game. There's something so fucking funny about taking the original theme and making an epic jazz ensemble out of it. It sounds great, it looks great, god Cheese Land fucking rules and I can't believe there's two tracks better than this. I can't believe two of my favorite tracks in this game are Super Circuit tracks, but for some reason the fact that they have to overhaul them so thoroughly makes them really good in the remakes.

2. Big Blue

Uhh holy shit, it almost feels illegal how good Big Blue is. Mute City is cute and fun but this shit is real. This is my favorite *track* in the series, and #1 is only #1 by virtue of other factors (though you'd be surprised how close Cheese Land got, really). This is the only track in the game besides Mount Wario that really feels like it fully justifies the 3-segments design and I wouldn't have it any other way; this is just such a wild ride from start to finish, an absolute roller coaster of a track. The best part is easily the water slide portion, again, of course, because the pickup in speed you get on an already fast track is just exhilirating, and every turn in that portion is *just* wide enough for you to make it by reaction alone. It's perfect. It's a perfect homage to the feeling of F-Zero in just about every way, from the visuals to the music to the way it feels to play it. Goddamn that arrangement of the Big Blue theme is so good. Pretty much an auto-pick when it comes up in online play, only the other tracks in the top 5 could possibly dissuade me. Completely mindblowing that they made this track.

1. Yoshi's Island

It was too hard for me to imagine picking anything else, even over Big Blue. I love this track more than any other. SMW2 isn't even like, my favorite game of all time or anything, but goddamn this one just hits me right in the nostalgia gut. So much of the Mario's series sense of itself and its own history has been sanded off at the edges and made into a specific image that it's startling to see something from the much weirder era of Mario paid homage so thoroughly. Yoshi's Island is a delightful game that feels forgotten a lot and this track just serves it justice basically perfectly. Everything in this track makes me smile. It's got the seagulls! The fat birds that waddle around! The big blue guy that comes out of the water! If you can name ANY of these guys by name without looking it up, good job, you know SMW2 better than I do! I like how it does the Hyrule Circuit thing and has an element from the game in it, but I think the ? cloud and the shortcut track that appears is even cooler. I like that it's got kind of an element to it where you can hope someone else makes the path for you, or go for it yourself but open it for your rivals as well. The whole track is really well designed; without the theming I think it'd still rank pretty high, the lines all feel great and it has a good sense of climbing to the top of the track before flying back down and it's got obstacles that are interesting without being intrusive. But yeah the YI theming is obviously the selling point. It's even got special music at the start and end! It has Yoshi coins! They have a unique sound! So much love went into this one. The Booster Course DLC is a little bit uneven in how much effort they put into it; some of the tracks feel a lot more sloppy and not well designed. But they put their A team on this one and it shows. It is, narrowly, my favorite track in the game.

Okay that's the list! Glad to have that out of the way, kinda just always wanted to do it and it was nice to have an outlet. Thanks for reading!

My MK8 tracks list, now with tiers

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/bc42d103.jpg