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Mario Kart Quiz

Mario Kart Quiz

Brain-buster
10 questions
About 3 min
Up to 3 stars

Built to stump. Any score is bragging rights, and 9 or 10 earns the Genius title.

Timed mode 15 seconds per question

This Mario Kart quiz is a Brain-buster for anyone who has ever dodged a banana peel at the last second. Ten questions trace the series from its Super Nintendo beginnings to the open-world era, covering items, vehicles, new features and the updates that changed how it plays. Six or more right is a podium finish, and every answer comes with a bonus fact.

How Mario Kart became Nintendo's party racer

Mario Kart began in 1992 as Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo, co-directed by Hideki Konno and Tadashi Sugiyama. The team leaned on the console's Mode 7 graphics trick, which rotated and scaled a flat map so tracks seemed to stretch toward the horizon. Its mix of cartoon racing and silly weapons caught on so well that kart racing became a genre of its own, and plenty of other mascots later followed it onto the track.

The series is built around keeping races close. Racers near the back tend to pull stronger items from item boxes, while the leader mostly sees bananas and coins, so a big lead is never safe. Skill still matters, though: drifting through corners charges a mini-turbo, and a well-timed boost at the countdown can launch you ahead before the first turn.

A handy way to keep the games straight is to tie each one to its console, since nearly every entry was built to show off new hardware. Think about which feature felt brand new the first time you played each game, and the answers will come easier. Don't sweat a few spinouts; this quiz is meant to be tough.

Mario Kart questions and answers

Show all 10 questions with answers (spoilers!)

In the Mario Kart series, which game was the first to include the Spiny Shell, better known as the blue shell?
Answer: Mario Kart 64
Director Hideki Konno said it was meant to keep every racer in contention right up to the finish.
Which was the first Mario Kart game you could play online against people around the world?
Answer: Mario Kart DS
It hit US stores in November 2005 and connected players through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.
Which Mario Kart game put two characters on every kart, one driving while the other handles items?
Answer: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Released on GameCube in 2003, it let the two riders swap seats mid-race to trade jobs.
Which Mario Kart game first let racers soar on hang gliders and drive underwater?
Answer: Mario Kart 7
It arrived on the Nintendo 3DS in December 2011, and both features returned in later games.
Which Mario Kart game introduced anti-gravity, letting karts race up walls and upside down?
Answer: Mario Kart 8
It launched on Wii U in 2014; bumping a rival on anti-gravity track gives both racers a speed boost.
Bikes first joined the Mario Kart series in which game?
Answer: Mario Kart Wii
Released in 2008, it also came bundled with the plastic Wii Wheel steering accessory.
In the Mario Kart series, which item can destroy an incoming blue Spiny Shell before it hits you?
Answer: Super Horn
Its shock wave also blasts away nearby rivals and most other attacking items around you.
Which engine class, faster than 150cc, was added to Mario Kart 8 in a free 2015 update?
Answer: 200cc
It arrived in April 2015 and was included from day one when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came to Switch.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass added how many courses in total?
Answer: 48
The tracks arrived in six waves of eight between March 2022 and November 2023.
How many racers can compete in a single race in Mario Kart World, a Nintendo Switch 2 launch game?
Answer: 24
That doubles the 12-racer fields of Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

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