How Many Mario Kart Games Are There?

"Mario Kart 8: Deluxe" continues to be the best-selling game on Nintendo Switch several years into the console's lifespan, despite being a port of a Wii U game. Many people have used the constant news about "Mario Kart 8: Deluxe" getting more popular to say that it's finally time for a new "Mario Kart” game. But what exactly are fans basing this theory on? Well, it's partially related to the number of "Mario Kart" games that have been released across console, mobile, and even arcades. The number of "Mario Kart" games in the series (spoiler: it's more than 8) has led people to believe that a "Mario Kart 9" is due to be released soon.

One of the main reasons for the assumption that the Nintendo Switch will get a new "Mario Kart" title is that since the release of "Super Mario Kart" for the SNES, only one duo of consoles missed out on new "Mario Kart” title: Game Boy and Game Boy Color. With that single exception, every Nintendo Console since has gotten an original "Mario Kart" title. The only question for the Nintendo Switch is if Nintendo considers "Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit" a mainline "Mario Kart" title. Here's how many "Mario Kart" games there really are.

The "Mario Kart" series contains 14 entries (15 if you consider "Mario Kart 8" and "Mario Kart 8: Deluxe" different games) spread across consoles, mobile, and arcade releases. There are 9 console games: "Super Mario Kart," "Mario Kart 64," "Mario Kart: Super Circuit," "Mario Kart: Double Dash," "Mario Kart DS," "Mario Kart Wii," "Mario Kart 7," "Mario Kart 8," and "Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit."

The arcade titles include "Mario Kart Arcade GP," "GP 2," "GP DX," and "GP VR." The arcade titles are developed with the help of Bandai Namco, so they include some non-Mario characters like Pac-Man. The one other game, "Mario Kart Tour," was released for mobile in 2019 and quickly became the most downloaded mobile game. Nintendo has not yet announced any plans for a new "Mario Kart" title or even DLC for "Mario Kart 8: Deluxe," despite the game selling nearly 40 million copies. While the port continues to sell like crazy, it would be hard for Nintendo to deny the value of making a new "Mario Kart," even if it only sold half as many copies.