is a 1996 kart racing game for the Nintendo 64 (N64). Developed and published by Nintendo, it is the second installment in the Mario Kart series after 1992's Super Mario Kart. The game retains the gameplay of its predecessor: the player, controlling a Mario franchise character, races opponents around tracks based on locales from the Super Mario platform games. Tracks contain obstacles to slow the player down and item boxes which give the player power-ups to aid in their progress. Mario Kart 64 contains different single-player and local multiplayer game modes, including a Grand Prix racing mode and a last man standing battle mode.
Mario Kart 64 was first revealed in 1995 alongside the N64. The development team focused on best utilising the console's technology for smooth gameplay, rather than innovating significantly on its predecessor, in order to appeal to a wide audience. Developers were bounded by the N64's processing power and made use of rendering techniques to save on memory, and used car physics simulations to aid the game's kart design. Mario Kart 64 was released in late 1996 in Japan and in 1997 worldwide, months after the launch of the N64.
Mario Kart 64 was received positively by critics. The track designs, multiplayer, and presentation were lauded, while criticism was directed towards its technical issues and difficulty. The game sold 9.87 million copies worldwide, making it the second-bestselling N64 game. Mario Kart 64 was nominated for awards following its release, and retrospectively has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The game has a notable speedrunning presence online. Mario Kart 64 was rereleased digitally for the Virtual Console line on the Wii in 2007 and the Wii U in 2016, and for the Nintendo Classics service in 2021.
Gameplay
left|thumb|The player, as [[Mario, racing on Luigi Raceway, the game's introductory track]]
Mario Kart 64 is a kart racing video game featuring characters and elements from the Mario franchise largely similar in gameplay to its predecessor Super Mario Kart (1992). The player controls one of eight Mario franchise characters and races opponents in karts around tracks based on locales from the Super Mario platform games. and boxes labeled with question marks which give the player a random item based on elements from the Super Mario series. Items can be either power-ups, such as giving the player a speed boost, or offensive, such as causing an opponent to spin out. Princess Peach, Toad, and Yoshi are lightweights; Luigi and Mario are middleweights; and Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Wario are heavyweights. There are three difficulty levels based on engine classes—50cc, 100cc, or 150cc—with the harder difficulties' more powerful engine classes providing increased maximum speeds and control difficulty. The player must race on every track in the cup, and points are given out at the end of each race based on position—nine for first place, six for second, three for third, and one for fourth. Mario Kart 64 was developed concurrently with Super Mario 64 (1996) and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division. The game was revealed alongside the N64 console itself in November 1995 at the Shoshinkai trade show via a videotape given out to journalists. Mario Kart 64 was intended to be released alongside the N64 itself in mid-1996 but was delayed after development resources were directed towards Super Mario 64, itself a launch title for the system.
Developers did not focus on innovating significantly on the gameplay of its predecessor Super Mario Kart, intending for the game to appeal to a wide audience. Nintendo instead focused on the game's use of technology and internal processes through using the full extent of the N64's processing capabilities, especially in regards to the performance of multiplayer gameplay. Developers created a simulation of remote-controlled vehicles and did research on the physics of cars to aid in designing the game's kart mechanics. Ultimately, it was decided the gameplay derived from this research was too "realistic" and unenjoyable for game testers, and developers settled on a more straightforward approach to controls in the final release. A pre-release version of the game originally featured Kamek, a villain in the Yoshi series, before being replaced by Donkey Kong. Other features cut during development include a racing game mode without items—scrapped due to disinterest from game testers—and two tracks. The cut tracks were based on a parking garage and a large city, respectively.
Release
Mario Kart 64 was released in Japan on December 14, 1996, in the United States on February 10, 1997, and in Europe on June 24—the American release of the game was moved forward a week from the initially announced date. It was the second entry in the Mario Kart series after Super Mario Kart. Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln stated that the difference in time between the Japanese and American releases of the game was due to the company's desire to release the game during the holiday season in Japan, considering a lack of N64 releases in the region. Marketing for the game included a 5 million advertising campaign. Coinciding with the game's release in Japan, Nintendo released a special edition of Mario Kart 64 which came with a specially-styled black-and-grey N64 controller. It was released in China on December 25, 2003 on the iQue Player through the Chinese localization company iQue. Mario Kart 64 was digitally rereleased on the Wii and the Wii U through the Virtual Console, releasing on the Wii worldwide across January 2007. On the Wii U, the game released on January 21, 2016 in Europe and on December 29 in the United States.
The Mario Kart 64 soundtrack, composed solely by Kenta Nagata, was released on CD several times across 1997 in Japan and the United States. The American releases were published by Nintendo on March 1, 1997 and April 1 respectively, and the Japanese release was published by Pony Canyon on September 19. The releases include the game's songs as well as different sound effects and remixes of songs from the game, and each includes a different track listing. A remix album containing club remixes of the game's soundtrack, Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit, was published by on December 26, 1997. The soundtrack was also released as an album on the Nintendo Music streaming service on July 15, 2025.