ITT: I Rank All 96 Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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Current Events » ITT: I Rank All 96 Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Quick Guidelines:
  • while I tried to be somewhat objective in these rankings, this list does ultimately boil down to personal preference, deep-seated bias, and inscrutable whimsy. I also put a lot more consideration into the top and bottom ranks than the middle.
  • Soundtrack plays heavily into my opinion. A track can be decidedly average and yet vault up the list if it's got a killer soundtrack that I can jam to while I'm zipping around corners and dodging shells.
  • I don't play online much if at all; therefore my experience is almost exclusively based on playing Versus, 200cc, random tracks (typically 48 at a time), Hard COM, and all items except that motherfucking Blooper
  • Double Dash!! was previously my favorite entry until MK8 Deluxe finally nudged it out through sheer force of content, so I will be heavily biased towards that. Conversely, I never played the handheld entries, and thus have no inherent love / nostalgia for them. I was also miffed that GBA tracks were vastly overrepresented in the Booster Pass compared to GCN tracks, so, again...bias.
Anyway, let's have at it!
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
I expect Toad Circuit to be number 96 if you want validity.
I'm down

I expect Baby Park in top 10
I hope that piranha plant level is 96
just way too much bs going for that track
I bought the Taito Egret II Mini just to play puchi carat
Dungeon Travelers 2 on steam, pls. I need that game in my life, it's like a drug
Homeless_Waifu posted...
I hope that piranha plant level is 96
just way too much bs going for that track
that right angle turn on the grate before going into the pipe midway through is my bane.
#96: New York Minute (Tour)

This is probably the biggest example of subjectivity you'll see on this list. Yes, I know that Toad's Turnpike or maybe Toad Circuit would usually sit comfortably at the bottom on these lists, and objectively I agree. But then again...I...fucking... hate ...New York Minute. Hate-hate-hate, double -hate...LOATHE ENTIRELY. It's ugly, the soundtrack's annoying (not bad in its own right, but it's mediocre enough that it has since become annoying by association), the layout is frustrating, and you have little to no chance to recover if you fall behind in the last lap, which will happen often, considering that the AI is up your ass for the entire race more so than any other race in the game, and is just itching to make you pay at the finish line. The exploding manholes would've been the only neat aspect of this race, if boosting off them actually gave you any kind of edge in the race overall. NYM is the only race in the Booster Pass (and MK8 in general) that I would eagerly delete from my Switch if I could.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
My favorite has to be Big Blue. The music plays a big part.
[This Signature Intentionally Left Blank]
The list is already shit
Proud Arceus of C.E.A.L. 3DS: 3926 5179 1229 IGN: ICanSnake (AS, Moon, UM, SW) | Jon (X)
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#95: Toad's Turnpike (N64)

Time for objectivity to take the reigns here, because I have a lot of fond memories of racing this race back in the good ol' days. But it's hard to deny that it simply has little to nothing to offer that other races don't do far better at this point. Not even the modern additions like anti-grav walls and glider ramps can really give a spark.

Turnpike edges out Toad's Circuit as second-worst for a very specific personal reason. For years I've hunted the elusive 720 score - a perfect score for a 48-track random selection Versus circuit on 200cc, Hard COM (Came damn-close once with 717). I went through a phase of attempting it with items off just to see if I could do it. And the one race that thwarted me every single time was, you guessed it, Toad's Turnpike; because you have to race it absolutely perfectly to beat the CPU without items, and I choked every time. So fuck you Toad's Turnpike, you get 2nd to last place in a CE ranking that absolutely no one will agree with!
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
#94: Toad Circuit (3DS)

What can I say about this one, honestly? It's just...there. It's so milquetoast I can't even form a strong opinion about it. I guess I could say that graphically it's particularly low-effort even compared to the other early Booster Pass entries - the giant Toad balloons look like they came straight off the Gamecube. And it does burn me when we could've at least gotten Luigi's Circuit from DD!! in place of this.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
I agree on Toads turnpike only on the fact that they massacred the song and vibe of the N64 version

N64 was a late-evening casual cruise on the interstate

MK8 is a meh techno energy that's too bright and busy, basically the outskirts of a city aka moonview Highway

https://youtu.be/7gwdPCs9Q8w?si=zdoztaKfLacWBtT1

Perfection
Toad's Factory is the best Toad course in the series and they have yet to bring it back.
Ah, yes, the Negotiator: General Kenobi
<sneaky beeping>
Maple treeway better be number 1 and bowser's castle SNES 3 better be number 2 I know that much or we havin' problems.
GTag:MadDogg730 PSN:lMadDogg NNID:xMadDoggx NS friend code:5313-0564-0819 Go buy cyber shadow like right now.
paris promenade and tokyo blur next

those tracks are ASS ass, twisted mansion sucks too
https://i.imgur.com/hLHUnOI.jpg
You act like I don't know my own way home
Yep, ain't nobody gonna like this list, lol.

Just try to keep in mind that only the bottom 8 or so are tracks that I have actual beef with, and even then NYM is the only one I genuinely hate. The rest of the list is more of a 'least-best' arrangement.

#93: Donut Plains 3 (SNES)

Prior to the advent of the Booster Pass, this track was the number-one thorn in my paw, and almost always busted up my win streak. I've since 'gotten gudder' at it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an uninspired pain in the ass and an absolute mess design-wise in the second half of the lap, with precious little chance of recovery before the finish line due to the track being ridiculously stingy with items boxes.

#92: Sunset Wilds (GBA)

I have a feeling this one's going to ruffle some feathers in particular, but y'all were warned that I have no nostalgia for the handheld entries, and have a grudge against the GBA tracks for being overrepresented in the Booster Pass compared to DD!! Bottom line, this race is annoying, uninteresting, profoundly ugly, and it would rival NYM for my least favorite race...

...but damned if it doesn't have one of the catchiest soundtracks in the whole Booster Pass, one that I catch myself humming all the time even after being away from MK8 for weeks. That alone vaults it up several spots from the bottom.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Baby Park better be top 10
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_____Cait posted...
Baby Park better be top 1

Toad's Turnpike being second worst seems way off.
Irregardless, for all intensive purposes, I could care less.
Always like threads like this.
I'm a long, long way from giving up
Call me old-fashioned, call me a fool
91) Cheese Land (GBA)

Ah, Cheese Land. The most aptly-named track in the entire game for more than the obvious reason. Like I said in the OP, CPU behavior is a factor in these rankings, and it's never a bigger factor than it is right here: Cheese Land is, quite consistently, the cheesiest fucking race for CPU bullshit in the entire game. No matter how gud I git, no matter how flawlessly the race is run, there will always be CPU shenanigans in the middle of the 3rd lap that turn the remainder of the race into a shooting gallery.

Which kinda sucks, because I wouldn't mind the race otherwise. Visually it's nice (if understandably monotonous), with that exceptional coat of paint that all of the first 48 tracks got (which also means that it predates my anti-GBA bias). Still, the last leg of the track is a total mess even when I'm not actively getting cheesed, and the soundtrack doesn't exactly stand out, so I can't really rank it any higher than this.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
90) Mario Circuit (GBA)

I think we're finally getting out of the tracks I over which I have a specific bone to pick, at least. It's not just spite / bias that compels me to dump so many GBA tracks toward the bottom, they're just...not that great. Nothing particularly offensive about them, there's just so many tracks that are better. The anti-grav ramp added to this one mixes things up a little, but it's not really enough to stand out. It's a filler track in between all the others that I genuinely enjoy. Decent soundtrack, but it doesn't really do this track any favors.

89) Snow Land (GBA)

Pretty much what I said above, but with a jauntier and slightly catchier soundtrack to give it a narrow edge.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Mario Circuit is great. Stop this!
88) Tokyo Blur

I seem to have a higher opinion of the Tour tracks than most (as will become apparent with some of the higher rankings, many of which I'm sure won't go over well), but there's really no defending this one. It's honestly kind of baffling that a Japanese-based developer could make their representative track so exceptionally boring! I mean, what better way to take in the sights and cultural majesty of the great city of Tokyo than to spend most of the race stuck in a walled-off freeway? The noticeably high chance of CPU bullshit nearing the finish line compared to other races is an unwelcome cherry on top. It's a filler race at best that reeks of missed potential.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Hm cool lets check this

masterpug53 posted...
#95: Toad's Turnpike (N64)

Aight Im out
You haven't set a signature for the message boards yet
87) Rainbow Road (SNES)

For starters, I generally enjoy this race. I get a lot of satisfaction zipping around the 4rd and 5th turns in one long sweep while my 'nemesis' CPU invariably falls off the track next to me. And I'll expound upon this opinion in a later ranking, but counter-intuitive as it may be (and in direct contradiction to some of my other criticisms), I kinda like that this is a plain, no-frills update from the original game's track.

Still, there's five frickin' Rainbow Roads in MK8, and all the rest are more enjoyable than this one by a considerable degree. There's also a particularly annoying CPU trend in this race where around the start of the 3rd lap the other racers will fall back and let the nemesis gain huge grounds right about the time I get hit with bullshit in the middle of the lap. So points off for exceptionally-annoying rubberbanding here.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Are you not holding backwards defense items when in first place. The CPU really is not ad good as youre suggesting.
DodogamaRayBrst posted...
Are you not holding backwards defense items when in first place. The CPU really is not ad good as youre suggesting.

Y, you can hold defensive items backwards?! Holy shit!!

It's not about the CPU being 'good.' It's about them hitting me with the ol' blue shell + red shell one-two punch or some similar variant of cheese at such an inopportune time that I have little to no chance to recover before the finish line. I won't claim to have a deeper understanding of the mechanics than what I see when I play, but I have played a lot of this game, and some stages have more noticeable and consistent cheesing patterns than others.

And it's not a heavy factor in these rankings, mind you; just something to fill the space when I don't have much else to say. Cheese Land wouldn't exactly rocket up the list if it suddenly started playing fair.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
TC, if possible, can you include clips of the levels you're rating? Maybe post a YouTube link if it exists? Otherwise, cool topic.
If you have a banans, green shell, red shell, or bobomb, you can hold the use key down to hold the item behind you and it will shield you from a hit directly from behind.
burns112233 posted...
TC, if possible, can you include clips of the levels you're rating? Maybe post a YouTube link if it exists? Otherwise, cool topic.

That's a really good idea, actually. I hadn't put that much thought into this topic structurally, but that could help people visualize what I'm talking about when you've got five different Rainbow Roads and like half a dozen Mario Circuits, lol. Actually might be fun to record myself racing each race and post it somewhere. I'm not very social media-savvy, but it might be fun if I can get it figured out. That way everyone can have a field day with my driving as well as my rankings, lol.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
SNES rainbow road at place 87 got me butt-flustered like no other.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/671cbe05.jpg

Its a top 15 track at least damn you.
*awaits other track placements*
GTag:MadDogg730 PSN:lMadDogg NNID:xMadDoggx NS friend code:5313-0564-0819 Go buy cyber shadow like right now.
Dk Jungle Parkway #1
DodogamaRayBrst posted...
If you have a banans, green shell, red shell, or bobomb, you can hold the use key down to hold the item behind you and it will shield you from a hit directly from behind.

I was being...incredibly sarcastic. I mean, we all have our different skill levels and mine's not world-class by any stretch of the imagination, but implying that I don't even know how to hold a defensive item was pretty darn insulting, lol.

And I know this is probably a controversial statement in our post-Dark Souls era, but 200cc Versus with Hard COM is not easy, especially when you're trying for an unbroken 48-race win streak.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Sorry if you felt I was insulting you. Wasnt my intention.
DodogamaRayBrst posted...
Sorry if you felt I was insulting you. Wasnt my intention.

All good! I know sarcasm's tough to detect on the internet, and I was just teasing when I called it insulting (which again, probably didn't come across accurately on my part).
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
86) Vancouver Velocity (Tour)

It's arguable whether it's worse to be memorably bad or forgettably mediocre in a ranking like this. I guess it's the former, because this one manages to stay out of the bottom ten by being, at worst, the latter. I've noticed a trend with the Tour tracks in which having a nighttime setting tend to hurt while a daytime setting helps; not a hard rule by any stretch, but in the case of Vancouver Velocity it particularly stands out because it's hard for icons outside of the often-narrow track to stand out and become memorable. The ice arena stands out, but that's mostly because I can never remember which lap has which turn and keep running into the wall. Still, I do generally appreciate the greater lap variety and track-switching shenanigans of Tour tracks (even if they do give me literal headaches at times from running straight into a wall), so maybe I'm being too hard on this one.

I should point out that, due to it being a fairly new release, I haven't really burned it into my brain like most of the other tracks. And to be perfectly honest, I'm now second-guessing whether or not this track should've been lower in the rankings. I guess at the end of the day it's so forgettable that I can't remember it enough to give a definitive opinion on it! So I'll take my lumps on this one if you're miffed by any of the tracks I ranked below it (though to be fair, jumping one spot up in the 80s and 90s wouldn't be some noteworthy validation). As for it potentially ranking higher, there are plenty of new and 'new to me' tracks added by Waves 5 and 6 that made a far bigger and / or better impression on me than Vancouver, so I think this is about the highest I would've rated it regardless.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
masterpug53 posted...
#95: Toad's Turnpike (N64)
absolutely based
You felt your sins weighing on your neck.
85) Boo Lake (GBA)

Not a bad track, tbh. I have no major complaints about the layout; it's nice that hitting the water segment gives you a chance to course-correct after buzzing around that hairpin turn, and I like that you're allowed to drive overtop the central block divider when ramping up out of the water at the end of the track.

But the theme of this double-ranking post is that, the whole time I'm racing this track, I'm thinking of an original MK8 track that fits the same motif but does everything better, and in this case that would be Twisted Mansion. So ultimately this ends up being yet another missed opportunity entry into the Booster Pass where there were plenty of more deserving tracks in the franchise's history that we could've gotten instead.

84) Sky Garden (GBA)

Again, it's a decent track, and I personally enjoy racing it well enough. Looks nice (especially for a Wave 1 track), has a good layout, and has a decent upbeat soundtrack. But again, while it's not quite as close a comparison as Boo Lake is to Twisted Mansion, I can't help but dwell on how superior Cloudtop Cruise is most of the time I'm racing this track.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
83) Dry Dry Desert (GCN)

I've previously mentioned my near-blind bias for Double Dash, so you might be wondering why a rare and precious GCN entry is ranked so low. To be honest, my grudge against DD getting snubbed by MK8 long predates the Booster Pass; because out of the four DD tracks selected for inclusion in MK8's initial run, three of them just happened to be my least favorites!! (cue ominous music as a portent of rankings to come).

But it can't be stressed enough that I don't think Dry Dry Dunes is a bad track. The dual paths around the quicksand can be fun (as is rocketing over the middle if you happen to have a mushroom), the collapsing obelisks at various phases of the race mix things up, and the addition of and underwater segment as an oasis - complete with the jetstream boosts - was a nice touch. Shame they got rid of the twister hazard, though (something I'd forgotten about until I just watched a vid of the DD version).

Having said all that, the setting is just kinda...blah. A desert track needs a really good hook to be interesting imo, and Dry Dry Desert doesn't have it. The soundtrack fits the mood like a glove, but it still isn't particularly catchy or energizing. I can't deny that whenever this track would come up in the DD All Cup Tour, it rarely ever got a more positive reaction from me that 'eh...fine, let's get it over with,' and that sentiment has only marginally improved with time.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
as a major boo lake enjoyer i'm afraid it's over for you
https://i.imgur.com/hLHUnOI.jpg
You act like I don't know my own way home
82) Bone-Dry Dunes (8)

An 8 course finally makes an appearance. Clearly I do not have a thing for desert tracks, lol. Like I said earlier, a desert course needs a hook to stand out, And BDD's hook is...annoying hazards. The lumpy dune area with the Dry Piranhas Plants has always been a thorn in my paw, and the pair of Dry Bones pacing along the last big sweeper turn are rarely not irksome (I know you can take the upper path, but for some reason I never got gud with that).

Still, even my least favorite 8 track is inherently a cut above the competition. It has that nice touch of overproduction present in most of the original 48, particularly in the Toad sandship towards the beginning of the race that drops coins at you. And the brief anti-grav segment is a nice change of pace.

Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
This is a pretty bad ranking so far
Hope rides alone
I respect TC's opinion but god-damn its causing me physical and emotional pain to see SNES rainbow road, vancouver velocity, GBA boo lake, and now Bone-dry dunes so low.

It really feels bad man.
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81) Riverside Park (GBA)

This should be the end of me dunking on the GBA tracks (and hey, spoiler alert: there is at least one GBA track that made it very high into my personal rankings). Overall (and apart from the aforementioned spoiler), Riverside Park is my favorite of the GBA bunch; it has a nice vibe going for it, good visuals, fitting soundtrack, and a couple of fun moments dodging Ptooies. But it's ultimately a little too basic for me to rank higher (a justification that will be self-contradicted soon enough, I promise you that!).
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
80) Baby Park (GCN)

andherewego.jpg

Let me start of by saying that I am not (intentionally) trolling with this opinion. I have actually taken criticism thus far into consideration, and have revisited and nudged a few of the rankings accordingly.

Let's start with the positives: Baby Park is a track I enjoy in theory . I also have several fond memories playing this track on local multiplayer with friends back in the good ol' days. And I adore the visual overproduction that MK8 gave this level, and all the little details that went into the full-blown theme park that surrounds it (pity though that you can't really take any of this in when you're zipping around the track).

But...it's an oval. And in actuality, I simply do not get much enjoyment or stimulation driving around an oval. Items are what make MK fun and have kept me hooked on the franchise for years over 'real' racing games, but they're still secondary to the actual racing, which is an aspect that Baby Park all but neuters imo. I get that it's supposed to be the 'great equalizer' by virtue of being incredibly short and basic, and in the old days of local multiplayer that was true. But MK8 is not the same experience for me. When I'm playing against CPUs and care much more about winning, I do not find the random madness of Baby Park to be particularly enjoyable; and unless I found a solid group of friends to play with, I don't think that sentiment would improve much via online play.

Ultimately my opinions on Baby Park are pretty similar to my opinions on Final Destination in Smash, and I'm not afraid to go against the grain in either case.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
I think that's all fair. It's gorgeous in MK8. But at the end of the day, its gimmick isn't all that interesting. Like you said, it's just an oval track.
Ah, yes, the Negotiator: General Kenobi
<sneaky beeping>
At burns' recommendation, here's a dump of some clips of the previously-ranked races, if anyone would like some visual aid (I know with some races it can be hard to remember which is which by name alone).

#96: New York Minute (Tour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGOl7374cHU

#95: Toad's Turnpike (N64)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPoT_YDzpd4

#94: Toad Circuit (3DS)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrHxgLy9lk

#93: Donut Plains 3 (SNES)

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

#92: Sunset Wilds (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqT4uVye1o8

#91: Cheese Land (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JduphBt80w4

#90: Mario Circuit (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaEmg6ATdEo

#89: Snow Land (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGMDLyJCuo
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
#88: Tokyo Blur (Tour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTwX9-lIH6o

#87: Rainbow Road (SNES)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeG3fYlhJ88

#86: Vancouver Velocity (Tour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzD7Lo6Ijik

#85: Boo Lake (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZuRmtDp3aQ

#84: Sky Garden (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAi7K8LO8n0

#83: Dry Dry Desert (GCN)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxfizmUZo7U

#82: Bone-Dry Dunes (8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeB0TqlQOsM

#81: Riverside Park (GBA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcGyRY4_pw

#80: Baby Park (GCN)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2QuoWucWqg
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
#79: Mario Circuit 3 (SNES)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_fyJ6PRAEY

I actually...kinda...honestly... love this track. Which was a pretty big surprise, considering how much I turned my nose at its inclusion when it was first announced. In a Booster Pass full of old-school tracks that received various levels of in-depth or halfhearted modernizations, I quickly warmed to the notion of taking the oldest-school track imaginable and remaking it in 3D with virtually no bells and whistles.

I mean, I played the original MK with friends, and I appreciate it as the birth of one of my favorite franchises, but truth be told I never really enjoyed playing the original all that much; the series didn't really find its legs until MK64 and beyond. So to be able to enjoy an original MK track now in all its minimally-altered glory and with none of jank of the original is a delightful little blast from the past. And the fact that the soundtrack was pretty much lifted directly from the SNES original with little to no alteration is a welcome cherry on top.

However, I have to be at least somewhat objective here, and I can't in good conscience rank it any higher after I've ragged on plenty of other tracks for being too basic.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Baby Park is great

and Mount Wario is the best
#78: Cheep Cheep Beach (DS)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvmBSlAJ0aA

Not a whole lot to say about this one. Nice, pleasant little beach-themed track that I've always enjoyed well enough. Mid-lap offers some good variety between cutting straight through the water or trying to hug the sandbar. The last big turn always used to give me fits, but I finally got gud at it awhile back, and now I enjoy zipping around it. Still, not really enough going on here to make it stand out.
Simple questions deserve long-winded answers that no one will bother to read.
Current Events » ITT: I Rank All 96 Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
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