Mario Kart tracks that never returned after debut

The Mario Kart series is home to many, many different courses, and each new game in the series adds even more to that big number. A ton of old tracks were remade for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass, but a select few of them didn’t make the cut. Not just that, but some Mario Kart courses have never reappeared after their initial debut.

Today, we’re listing off all the Mario Kart tracks that never returned to future entries in the series. Do keep in mind that we won’t count Mario Kart Tour here – eventually, its service will end and the tracks in it will presumably become inaccessible. In case that happens, we’re sticking to courses that haven’t appeared in any main series games since their debut.

Mario Kart 7 courses

It doesn’t sound quite right, but Mario Kart 7 is the second-most recent Mario Kart game (not counting Tour). That makes the game well over ten years old, and since Mario Kart 8 is its only sequel, many of Mario Kart 7’s courses didn’t really have the chance to reappear in a new title. By far and away the most popular “lost tracks” from Mario Kart 7 are Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu, which of course are based on Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort. We once thought this would be a shoo-in for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass, but as it turns out neither Wuhu Loop nor Maka Wuhu wound up making an appearance. It’d be lovely to see Wuhu Island in full HD, especially after the relatively uninspired Nintendo Switch Sports, whose hub world just isn’t quite the same.

The Wuhu Island courses aren’t the only ones that remain exclusive to Mario Kart 7, though. We’ve got Cheep Cheep Lagoon, which hasn’t left Mario Kart 7 (other than Tour). It’s pretty much a generic ocean stage, and we think it makes sense it’s not in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Cheep Cheep Beach from Mario Kart DS is already there, and it’s very similar. Then there’s Daisy Hills, which also appears in Tour, but has yet to appear in a mainline game. This one’s got a neat farm and alpine vibe, so it’s definitely one with potential if it’s ever remade in HD. There’s also Mario Circuit, Bowser’s Castle, Shy Guy Bazaar, and Wario Shipyard. Of these, Maka Wuhu and Wuhu Loop are the only courses to not be featured even in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart Wii courses

The first Mario Kart Wii-exclusive course was Luigi Circuit, which didn’t even come back for Mario Kart Tour. It’s a bit on the generic side (plus there are lots of different Luigi courses), which might explain why we haven’t seen it again. One particularly tragic loss is Toad’s Factory, which between its conveyor belts and pistons is utter madness and great fun. It didn’t come back for Mario Kart Tour either, meaning the only way to play it is to break out your old Wii or Wii U console. We’d love to see this course come back in full swing for Mario Kart 9, or whatever the next game winds up being called.

In a similar vein to Luigi Circuit, this game’s Mario Circuit hasn’t made it back either. It probably will at some point in the future, given that Mario Kart games usually feature at least one old Mario Circuit in the first retro cup. Dry Dry Ruins did come back for Mario Kart Tour, but that’s not the case for main series games. Then we’ve got Bowser’s Castle, which hasn’t returned in any capacity. It’s got twisting tunnels, plus a giant mechanical Bowser that shoots fireballs directly forward. That’s somewhat similar to Mario Kart 8’s giant stone Bowser that punches the floor, so maybe that’s why we haven’t seen it back.

Mario Kart DS courses

There are three courses from Mario Kart DS that never came back, and all of them are absent from Mario Kart Tour as well. The first is Figure-8 Circuit, which is about as basic a starting course as you can get. The name “Figure-8 Circuit” tells you everything you need to know: it’s a track in the shape of a figure-8 with absolutely no other distinct features. That’s probably why we haven’t seen it – there’s just not much to discuss. Then there’s Bowser Castle, which is also fairly nondescript save for the long, spinning metal pipe that serves as the core feature of the course. Finally, we have Rainbow Road, which features a big loop and catchy music. Figure-8 Circuit aside, we think Bowser Castle and Rainbow Road are locks for a future title. Though as you’ll soon see, a few more games need their Rainbow Road to have a chance in the spotlight first.

Mario Kart: Double Dash courses

There are four courses from Mario Kart: Double Dash that haven’t returned yet: Bowser’s Castle, Rainbow Road, Wario Colosseum, and Mushroom City. It’s been a long time, too, because Double Dash released in 2003. It’s over 20 years old and a quarter of its courses haven’t been seen again! Double Dash’s version of Bowser’s Castle features Thwomps, fireballs, and several jump ramps. The thing is, every other version of Bowser’s Castle does too, so we’d certainly like to see a modern revision of this course to see what it has to offer compared to other Bowser’s Castle courses.

Despite having catchy and popular music, Double Dash’s version of Rainbow Road has never returned. There’s a huge amount of potential, as even in the GameCube version there is a nighttime city directly below. Between that and the rainbow rings surrounding the course, we think this version of Rainbow Road would look stellar in HD. Plus, a modern-day remix of the triumphant theme that plays? Count us in for Mario Kart 9.

Wario Colosseum isn’t quite as fondly remembered as the others, but it’s a fun course nonetheless with tight turns and big jumps. It’s also huge, which is why it only requires two laps to finish. Mushroom City, on the other hand, is a great candidate for an HD remaster. The oncoming traffic turns this stage into complete chaos, and we’d definitely like to see it come back.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit courses

Here’s what we’re missing from Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Rainbow Road, Broken Pier, Lakeside Park, Cheep-Cheep Island, Yoshi Desert, and Bowser Castle 4. Of these, only the first two haven’t appeared in Mario Kart Tour. This game’s version of Rainbow Road has a neat reference to Paper Mario: Bowser’s Castle, in the design from that game, appears in the background! This would be cool to see in HD, and we think this version of Rainbow Road will come back with many changes and adjustments in a future game.

We’re not quite as familiar with the other courses here compared to other Mario Kart games, but they’re all available on Nintendo Switch Online via the Expansion Pack right now. That makes them a great deal more accessible than the lost courses from Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart 7 – none of which are currently playable on modern hardware.

Other courses

The only missing course from Mario Kart 64 is Wario Stadium – not to be confused with Wario Stadium from Mario Kart DS, which has returned. There are several courses missing from Super Mario Kart, but that’s kind of a different story. Most Super Mario Kart courses that appear in modern Mario Kart games are heavily, heavily edited, which makes sense due to how primitive the originals are compared to more recent tracks. That said, Mario Kart: Super Circuit includes every single race track from Super Mario Kart, so technically each one of them has appeared. Many of them, including Koopa Beach 1, Mario Circuit 4, and Ghost Valley 3, have not appeared since.

That’s the end of our comprehensive look at every missing Mario Kart track. Are any of these your favorites, and are there any you’d really like to see return as a classic track in the next Mario Kart game? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.

We’d like to think the next Mario Kart game is coming sooner than later – Mario Kart 8 is over ten years old now, as good a game as it is. It’s available now on Switch, and If you’ve yet to pick up the console or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, new bundles are incoming which you can read about here. You can also check out the game’s official site here.