Summary

• Achieving 100% on Mario Kart 8 is a challenging task with 96 tracks to conquer.
• Some tracks, like Super Bell Subway and DK Mountain, are particularly difficult with tight paths and obstacles.
• Mastering the challenging tracks requires skill and precision in order to avoid falling off or getting hit by oncoming trains or obstacles.

Achieving 100 percent on a game like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario Kart 8 is no small task, especially with the Booster Pass' 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:DLC tracks giving the game even more substance. 96 tracks to learn and conquer, no less! The grand prize for all your efforts, in case you wondered, is a version of Mario and his iconic Kart all decked out in solid gold. You've got both the gamer touch and the Midas Touch, evidently.

Some tracks are a lot harder than others, though. A handful are downright shut-your-Switch-off-chuck-your-controller-and-go-outside frustrating, even. See where those blighters that are giving you the most trouble land here, with our rundown of the most challenging tracks to perfect in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Switch.

Updated December 28, 2023 by Bobby Mills: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe now boasts its full roster of tracks, which has doubled courtesy of the incredibly generous Booster Course Pass. There are now just under 100 courses, both new and returning, to 𒈔maౠster.

Ranking every single one on its difficulty would result in a listicle longer than the Gettysburg Address, so we've narrowed down our faves; and even, per our article on the subject, recommended an optimal kart for each one to boot. Don't say we never spoil you!

17 Super Bell Subway 🤡 ꦓ

Fancy Dodging Trains?

If getting pelted with red shells and Bullet Bills wasn't enough, try avoiding oncoming trains while you're at it. Super Bell Subway from the Bell Cup has you racing through subway tunnels, and apparently, the trains are all on time today (must not take place in the UK, then) because you'll be running into them a lot. Literally.

The trains are massive and take up most of the tunnel, making them a headache to dodge at high speeds. You can attempt to take the alternative higher paths above the trains, but it's easier said than done. The paths are extremely narrow, and even a tiny mistake means falling off and getting a face full of a locomotive in locomotion. Ouch.

16 𒆙 D🌠K Mountain

In The Jungle, The Painful Jungle

Part of the final wave of the Booster Course Pass, DK Mountain is a beloved classic that's had numerous incarnations since its GameCube debut. Though it may not strike anyone as especially tricky, with its wide open track and ample fencing, the devil is, as they say, in the details.

Getting the best time on DK Mountain requires knowing when to throw caution to the wind and drive your kart directly off a cliff. This is because the second portion of the course is so twisty, it doubles back on itself, allowing you to get some serious air (in the right kart) and skip entire corners. Top that off with an undulating bridge near the finish line that's easy to plummet from, and you've got yourself a tropical doozy.

15 🍰 Rainbow Road (SNES)

Famously One Of The Hardest Mario Kart Tracks

Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart on SNES is one of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the most iconic Mario Kart tracks. It's also known for making people want to pull their hair out. Swings and roundabouts, eh? It really evokes the feeling of driving on a road in the sky, since a giant bottomless pit lingers below you, waiting to swallow you whole at any moment. As is tradition.

There are no rails, no walls, and no offroad sections. If you go off-course at any point, you're going to fall. If that wasn't bad enough, the track is filled with massive Thwomps that slam down on the road. You need to time it just right to avoid getting squished or having them block your path. No wonder it's been, since its inception, hailed as one of the hardest Mario Kart tracks.

14 Wario Stadi꧃um ⭕

Those Sharp Turns Are Merciless

Wario is a jerk, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his massive dea𓄧th trap🦩 of a stadium. Wario Stadium from the Leaf Cup hits you with every obstacle under the sun: mud, fireballs, and twisty roads with walls that are easy to slam into.

What cements this as one of the hardest Mario Kart 8 tracks is the surprise that waits for you halfway through the stage. Once you enter the antigravity segment, you're faced with two mercilessly sharp 90-degree turns. They're a nightmare to maneuver at 200cc, especially since there are no rails to save you from falling. Better get familiar with the ground!

13 ෴ Cheese Land 💦

Delicious, Yet Brutal

Cheese Land may not be 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a track everyone wanted to return, but it's a doozy. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Mario Kart 8 track with this many twists and turns, so you'll be wanting a kart that can meet the challenge. The narrow road in this cheese-filled desert is filled with sharp bends, including a harsh 180-degree turn that requires precise drifting.

With so many sharp corners, it's incredibly easy to accidentally go off-road, which means needing to tread your way back through painfully slow sand or dodging a giant hungry Chain Chomp. If you're playing this track on 200cc, or some schmuck online picks it for you, then good luck.

12 Neo Bowser🌳 🐎City

Slippy Reptilian Metropolis

Slippery roads and sharp turns make a deadly combination. Neo Bowser City from the Bell Cup, looking like a discount Blade Runner knockoff, is incredibly tricky to perfect for several reasons. Rain pours from the sky during the race. Since the roads are so slippery as a consequence, turning is harder than usual. It wouldn't be such an issue if the track wasn't filled with ludicrous sharp turns.

The amount of bends in the road is nuts. Attempting them at high speeds will most likely result in fall𒐪ing off a cliff or smashing into🦋 a wall, which are also liberally distributed around the place. You really need to polish your drifting skills if you hope to win first place on this track.

11 🦂 Draꦇgon Driftway

Dangerous, Winding Gobblegut

This long and foreboding ancient castle roadway is🦄 the most difficult track in the🐽 otherwise laid-back and casual Egg Cup. As if the winding, dragon tail-shaped track wasn’t difficult enough, a disorienting change of angle and tilt is applied every so often. Those with motion sickness or acrophobia need not apply.

It’s also easy to get knocked into the occasional gaps in the wooden railing along the sides (let's hope OSHA aren't watching) or fall into the abyss below. The frequency of jumps and boosts in Dragon Driftway gives you a higher margin for error, but more potential for fun, if that's what you're into.

10 🐬 Rainbow Road (Wii U) 💯

Continues A Storied Tradition Of Pain

Rainbow Road is arguably one of the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:most famous racing tracks ever, but this Wii U version is just cruel. This colorful winding track in space has many turns, but very few safety rails. This is one of the few tracks where your items can work against you, as going too fast with a star or mushroom can easily send you flying off൲ the road.

Even the boosts along the track can hinder you more than they help. You must hit them at the exact right angle to stay on track. If you're off even just a little, you'll be hurdling off into the vast emptiness of space. Good thing the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom appear able to breathe in a vacuum.

9 Bo𒈔wser’s Castle (Wii U) 🐈

One Giant Death Trap

The Special Cup is one of the hardest cups to even beat in the entire game. It takes its time like a sadist, to break you down and rub in how woefully inattentive of a driver you are. There are surprises around every corner of Bowser’s Castle waiti൩ng to knock you out, and one wrong move can send you all the way back to last place. Talk about unforgiving.

A colossal statue of the Koopa King himself towers above the track's second half, waiting to slam its fists on unsuspecting motorists. This is on top of the sudden, sharp turns and booby-trap weaponry to contend with. Not especially pleasant.

8 🦩 Ninja Hideaway

Beautiful, But Ruthless

The Lucky Cat Cup DLC brought a combination of tracks from other Mario Kart entries, as well as the new course Ninja Hideaway, a challenginꦕg nighttime dojo romp. This track ✃offers high-detail visuals, many secret shortcuts, and ample opportunities to mess up. Natch.

There are Shy Guys trying to train all along the course, taking up a ton of your time if you don’t manage to avoid them, or their kites. This map also has tons of nooks and crannies for you to get stuck on and lose precious seconds, including the gears of a comically oversized ♚spike trap.