Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7
United States box cover For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EAD Nintendo SPD Group No. 3 Retro Studios
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date	Retail: December 1, 2011 December 2, 2011 December 3, 2011 December 4, 2011 December 4, 2011 May 31, 2012 September 28, 2012 September 28, 2012 December 7, 2012 Nintendo eShop: October 4, 2012 October 4, 2012 October 18, 2012 October 18, 2012 November 1, 2012
Language(s)	Deutsch English (United Kingdom) English (United States) Español (España) Español (Latinoamérica) Français (Canada) Français (France) Italiano Nederlands Português (Portugal) Русский 한국어 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文
Genre	Racing
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - All ages DEJUS: - General audience GSRR: - Six years and older
Mode(s)	Single-player, local multiplayer (up to 8 players), online multiplayer
Media	Nintendo 3DS: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad Tilt

Mario Kart 7 is a racing game developed by Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the seventh console installment in the Mario Kart series (hence the game's title), and the second (the first being Super Mario 3D Land) installment in the Super Mario franchise overall (excluding crossover installments) to be localized to Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian. Additionally, it is the first Mario Kart game to be developed by more than one video game developer, namely Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios, and the second Mario Kart to have a different video game developer (not including the Mario Kart Arcade GP series), the first being Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

The main new feature of this installment is the hang gliding and underwater driving, which allows racers to glide through the air and race in underwater sections of the new and old tracks. Kart customization is also introduced instead of racing in pre-made karts like the previous titles. In the game, players can exchange Ghost data and play online in multiplayer mode. Players can also receive Ghost data via SpotPass and race against other player's Ghosts from around the world. Nintendo stated that the game brings "a bunch of new elements" to the Mario Kart series.

Mario Kart 7 was the first Super Mario game to use the Nintendo Network service, as it offered the ability to create custom communities, which would then become one of the features of the service; however, the service was terminated on April 8, 2024, making the game no longer playable online. Once Nintendo introduced retail games that could be downloaded via the Nintendo eShop until its discontinuation on March 27, 2023, Mario Kart 7 was released in 2012 for the eShop, where it required 635.38 MB (5,083 blocks) to download.

Gameplay

Features

One of the gameplay mechanics in Mario Kart 7 is racing in First-Person View. By pressing , the player can activate the view and then the system to steer.

Mario Kart 7 features the standard gameplay present in preceding games in the series, with the gameplay style being very close to that of Mario Kart Wii. Players compete for gold trophies in the eight Grand Prix cups, four consisting of the new courses and four consisting of the retro courses, a returning feature from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Along with Grand Prix, Time Trials, and Battle Modes also return. Time Trials have players race on tracks to set records, as well as race against their own or other racers' ghosts. Battle Mode features two different modes; Balloon Battle and Coin Runners, the latter returning from Mario Kart Wii. Players can set their own rules for Battle Mode, choosing CPU difficulty, which items will appear or team games. Online races and battles return, allowing up to 8 players to race or battle using the Nintendo Network online service. Players can also create custom communities, which can be accessed by other players via codes.

Mario Kart 7 also has some new features. Players can now use hang-gliders to navigate through the air and propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players now assemble their own karts, rather than select preset karts as in the previous games. It is possible to select the kart's body, wheels, and glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used, mainly through collecting coins during races. Mario Kart 7 returns to the traditional eight-driver race like in the previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in Mario Kart Wii. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

Coins make a prominent return since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Coins are to be found along a race track and can be underwater, on the road, or in the air. Collecting coins up to a maximum of ten slightly increases the player's top speed and, if enough are collected, will allow the player to unlock vehicle parts used for customization.

Similar to preceding games, an overall "game ranking" of ★, ★★, or ★★★ is shown next to the player's nationality flag if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups and all classes. The overall ranking can also be seen while participating in a Grand Prix. The game shows the overall ranking at the results of the last course before the overall results of the last cup are shown.

Among other gameplay mechanics is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle has a function that grants an advantage on certain courses. In other words, speed and handling alter if the player is driving through land, underwater, or in the air. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using the . Players can tilt the either up or down to fall quickly or gently, respectively. Additionally, when driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed, and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land.

This Mario Kart installment also introduces the option to race and battle in a first-person view. This function allows the player to watch the race and battle from the character's perspective and can race by the system. In first-person view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character with an emblem on it. The gyroscope, which gives the player the ability to steer the kart in first-person mode by tilting the , can be enabled or disabled by going to the Mario Kart Channel, going to the player's Mii icon on the bottom right, going to "Settings", and lastly selecting "Use" or "Don't Use" when going to "Gyro Sensor".

In a minor note, an extra track with beats is added to the course's music if the player gets ahead in first place at top speed (frontrunning). This track fades when the player slows down via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only in 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror class.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in the game. On the other hand, Tricks return, now known as "jump actions", and are now the sole way of obtaining a boost, known as "Jump Boost", when the kart jumps because of a ramp or an element of the course. The jump action can also be performed on glider ramps to receive a speed boost when gliding starts. The map is viewed in the bottom screen, but unlike in Mario Kart DS, the map does not display course hazards and obstacles such as some items and obstacles in DS Airship Fortress. The map also shows a larger area surrounding the player. The Single Player version of VS mode from the other Mario Kart games and the mission mode from Mario Kart DS are also removed.

Controls

• /: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown shows 2 before the race starts)
• : Brake / Reverse / Drop from glider
• : Steer / Auto Drift
• : Hop / Manual Drift / Perform jump actions in midair.
• /: Use item
• : Switch map view
• : Pause / Resume
• : Display HOME Menu
• : First-Person View
• : Steer / Auto Drift (First-person view only)
• (except up): Third-Person View

Modes

Grand Prix

The game's main option mode.

As usual in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 7 has the Grand Prix, where a single player has to compete against computer-controlled opponents to obtain the trophies of the eight cups in the game. The Grand Prix has three engine classes: 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. The higher the engine class, the harder the races will be against the opponents. In this mode, by beating the first cups available, the user unlocks the other cups as well as new elements such as the kart's parts (by collecting coins in each race) or a new playable character. By completing all the engine classes available at the start, the player unlocks the Mirror class.

A notable change featured in the game is the point system given to the racers after a race in Grand Prix mode. It is similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, but racers who finish a race in fourth place or lower get an extra point. Also, 4th place is not a losing place, similar to Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Wii (which has 12 racers). Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these seven games:

Point spread comparisons (Grand Prix)
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
Super Mario Kart Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart: Super Circuit	9	6	3	1	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Kart DS	10	8	6	4	3	2	1	0	—	—	—	—
Mario Kart Wii	15	12	10	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
Mario Kart 7	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
A grove-green cell signifies victory results (great clapping, characters cheering) and the best after-race music. A yellow-lime-green cell signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction) and the same music in Wi-Fi as the winner (different in Mario Kart DS GP). A normal-colored cell signifies losing results and losing music. In Super Mario Kart, and Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this poorly four times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Mario Kart 64, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race, but without the restrictions on how many times the player can retry a race. Starting with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Grand Prix normally continues.

Time Trials

Time Trials allow the player to complete all the laps of a race course in the fastest time possible. Mario Kart 7 saves the player's records, and a Ghost for the combo that they used. Through a Nintendo Network connection, the player can exchange his or her Ghosts with other players, compare their records, and even compete with their Ghosts. Up to seven Ghosts can be raced against at the same time, making it an 8-player race.

VS

In Versus Mode, players can customize the races by selecting personally the order of the racecourses and changing other settings, such as setting the computer difficulty, the requirements to win the races, and the engine class of the player's and computer players' karts. Unlike in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, this mode is no longer available in single-player mode. In Download Play, the players that do not have the Mario Kart 7 game card in their handhelds play as Shy Guy, like in Mario Kart DS, and are unable to customize their kart.

Point Spread
Number of Players	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
2 players	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 players	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
4 players	5	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
5 players	6	4	3	2	1	-	-	-
6 players	7	5	4	3	2	1	-	-
7 players	9	7	5	4	3	2	1	-
8 players	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

Battle

In Battle Mode, the player can select one of the two types of battles available in Mario Kart 7 and one of the six battle courses that appear in this mode. There are three new courses, and the remaining three are from the previous installments in the series. This version of Battle can be played with any vehicle like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, as opposed to Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, in which players could only use the Standard Kart or the Standard Bike.

Balloon Battle

Free-for-all Balloon Battle

Racers compete by popping their opponents' balloons to gain points in a time limit of two minutes. All racers start with three balloons and must use the items from the Item Boxes to take away a balloon from their opponents. Hitting a rival is worth a point. Players who lose all of their balloons will have half of their points deducted. Up to three points can be taken away, and the player re-spawns with three balloons.

Coin Runners

Team Coin Runners

In Coin Runners (Coin Battle in the British English version), racers collect the Coins scattered in the battle course within the time limit of two minutes. The racer that has the most Coins at the end wins. Racers can use the items to hit their opponents and make them drop a maximum of three coins that they have collected. Unlike in Mario Kart Wii, only up to ten coins can be held at once. Coins collected in this mode do not count toward the coin total to unlock kart parts.

Online multiplayer

With the Nintendo 3DS's online capabilities, players could look for other users for online play, local, or global range. Players could choose a worldwide competition to race against other users who are connected, race with friends that were met via StreetPass, or play in communities formed by users with customized rules for the races. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 had the Mario Kart Channel that showed updates of online activity automatically through the SpotPass and StreetPass modes. With StreetPass, the users can exchange their Miis, Ghost Data from Time Trials, players' names, and information about communities, while the user would only receive Ghost Data from other users and community recommendations via SpotPass.

VR

When players take part in online races or battles, points are added to or removed from their VR (short for VS Rating) based on their finishing position. The main purpose of VR is to determine the skill of players, to match them with players of a similar skill level. Players start with 1000 VR (rather than 5000 VR, as in Mario Kart Wii). Online play in Communities does not use the VR system. Also, a player's VR counts for both races and battles, as opposed to Mario Kart Wii with races affecting VR, and battles affecting BR (Battle Rating).

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Dutch	RP / Racepunten	Race Points
French	PC / Points course	Race Points
German	RP / Rennpunkte	Race Points
Italian	PC / Punti Corsa	Race Points
Portuguese	PO / Pontos Obtidos	Earned Points
Russian	ИР / Игровой Рейтинг IR / Igrovoy Reyting	Play Rating
Spanish	PC / Puntos de carreras	Race Points

Characters

The character select screen, with all characters unlocked.

Mario Kart 7 includes seventeen total drivers (eight starting drivers and nine unlockable drivers). New playable characters to the Mario Kart series in this game include Metal Mario, Wiggler, Honey Queen, and Lakitu (with a red shell as opposed to the Lakitu referee which wears a green shell), with Lakitu and Honey Queen also making their overall playable debuts. Additionally, this marks the first Mario Kart game where Shy Guy is a normal selectable driver, after only being available in Mario Kart DS to players who were playing in Download Play without a game card. Also, this is the first installment in the series for a handheld console where Koopa Troopa, Rosalina, and Mii are playable, after previously being playable in at least one home console installment. Each driver is categorized into any of five weight classes: Feather being the lightest, followed by Light, Medium, Cruiser, and finally Heavy. The player's Mii never appears as a CPU driver, but Miis the player has obtained via StreetPass for this game's Mario Kart Channel can occasionally appear as a CPU driver during the standard Grand Prix mode.

All of the starting characters are the same as in Super Mario Kart, but with Donkey Kong in place of Donkey Kong Jr.

Drivers

Artwork	Name	Weight	Unlocking criteria
	Mario	Medium	Starting driver
	Luigi	Medium	Starting driver
	Peach	Light	Starting driver
	Yoshi	Light	Starting driver
	Bowser	Heavy	Starting driver
	Donkey Kong	Cruiser	Starting driver
	Toad	Feather	Starting driver
	Koopa Troopa	Feather	Starting driver
	Daisy	Light	Win the 150cc Mushroom Cup
	Wario	Heavy	Win the 150cc Flower Cup
	Rosalina	Cruiser	Win the 150cc Star Cup
	Metal Mario New driver	Heavy	Win the 150cc Special Cup
	Shy Guya First time as a fully playable driver	Feather	Win the 150cc Shell Cup
	Honey Queen New driver	Heavy	Win the 150cc Banana Cup
	Wiggler New driver	Cruiser	Win the 150cc Leaf Cup
	Lakitu New driver	Feather	Win the 150cc Lightning Cup
	Mii	Medium	Successfully complete all cups in any class

^a - When playing in Download Play, players without a game card are restricted to an alternate-colored Shy Guy.

Rival order

Much like in Super Mario Kart, all playable characters have a rival order, the order CPU drivers start at the beginning of the race. However, unlike in Super Mario Kart, it is more simplified, as two characters are set instead of single characters followed by another single character, etc.

Each character's rivals will never change; for example, Bowser will always appear in a Grand Prix if the player is playing as Mario. However, if a set character is supposed to be unlockable, the set character is replaced by a default character until the unlockable character can be used. That will make the default character a third rival that occasionally appears in the race. Wario is the only character to break the rule due to both of his main rivals being default characters.

Character	Rivals	Third Rival
		N/A
Male
Female

Body frame

Depending on the character, the kart body that's chosen may appear bigger or smaller. This affects how big of a target that character's kart will be; for example, smaller body frames are harder to hit. The character's height and weight determines the body Frame size, Metal Mario being the only exception, as he's medium size despite being a heavy character, due to him being the same height as his regular counterpart Mario.

Body Frame
Size	Characters
Small
Medium
Large

Background characters

These characters appear in the background of certain stages and do not affect the racers in any way.

Birdos Boos Miis Monty Moles

Shy Guys Toads Unagi Hammer Bros.

Hazards and obstacles

These characters and features serve as hazards on tracks and can directly affect racers if hit.

Characters and elements
Character/element	Location	Description
Banzai Bill	DS Airship Fortress	Banzai Bills are fired from a cannon near the starting straightaway of the track. They fly along the straight path in different positions based on where they were fired. They disappear once they hit the road where the starting line is located.
Barrel	Wario Shipyard DK Jungle	Barrels are scattered around the track and can be broken by players. Once broken, a Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Super Star may fly out. In Time Trials, the barrels cannot be broken.
Big Wiggler	Wii Maple Treeway	Two Big Wigglers walk around the top of the tree section of the track. Racers simple bounce off of them rather than wiping out.
Board	Piranha Plant Slide	Boards can be broken by players by racing into them. There are two board shapes; Goomba shaped boards and bush shaped boards. Two bush shaped boards are located in off-road sections near the end of the track.
Boulder	Rock Rock Mountain Maka Wuhu	Boulders fall from mountain tops and roll down the track, flipping over any racer that hits them. They are destroyed upon hitting walls.
Bouncing Note	Music Park	Bouncing Notes jump at regular intervals near the end of the track. Players can do jump actions off the ground when the Bouncing Notes land. However, players can also be flattened if a Bouncing Note lands on them. During the final lap, their bouncing is faster.
Bumper	DS Waluigi Pinball	Bumpers are located on the pinball table section of the track and will bump racers back when they collide with them. Pinballs will also ricochet off of bumpers.
Car	Wuhu Loop Wii Coconut Mall	Cars travel across the road of the entire track, causing players to flip over if hit. In Coconut Mall, cars are located in the parking lot and drive back and forth along the area.
Cheep Cheep	Cheep Cheep Lagoon Wii Koopa Cape	Cheep Cheeps swim in various water sections of the track, lightly bouncing back racers who hit them.
Chomp	Rainbow Road	Chomps appear on the moon segment of the track, rolling around in circles. Two Chomps also roll off of the craters on the surface, causing them to jump off of them and float in the air for a short time. Colliding with one will flip a racer over.
Clampy	Cheep Cheep Lagoon GCN Daisy Cruiser	Clampys appear in the first underwater segment of the track, opening and closing their mouths at regular intervals. Coins and Item Boxes can appear in an open Clampy, but if a racer is caught when a Clampy is closing its mouth, they will spin out.
Crate	DS Airship Fortress	Crates are scattered inside the airship of the track and act identically to Barrels. A Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Star may fly out when broken, but will stop a racer in the process. Crates cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
Cutting torch	DS Airship Fortress	Cutting torches appear within the airship of the track, moving back and forth along the track. Racers will spin out if they drive through the fire.
Drain Pipe	Piranha Plant Slide	The water from these Warp Pipes can cancel out the glide of any player that drives under it. The Warp Pipes themselves serve as an obstruction.
Fish Bone	Wario Shipyard	Fish Bones appear near the track's beginning and swim through the first tunnel. Hitting one will simply bounce a racer back.
Flipper	DS Waluigi Pinball	Flippers appear at the pinball table section of the track, specifically at the bottom of the table. They hit any pinball back across the table and will hit racers if they get too close.
Flying Shy Guy	Shy Guy Bazaar	Shy Guys fly about on carpets at the gliding section of the track. They will block any racer who collides with them.
Frogoon	DK Jungle	Frogoons hop across the track in the jungle section before the giant temple. Colliding with one will cause the racer to spin out.
Goomba	Mario Circuit Piranha Plant Slide Wii Mushroom Gorge Wii Koopa Cape	Goombas appear on various tracks. They act in the same way they did in past installments, slowly waddling back and forth on certain parts of the track. If the player uses a Shell to destroy the Goomba, a Mushroom will spawn in its place.
Hot-air balloon	Daisy Hills	Hot-air balloons float in the air. Touching them will cause the racer to bounce off them.
Icicle	Rosalina's Ice World	Icicles behave in an identical way to crates and barrels, slowing the player's vehicle speed upon impact. Items do not fly out of icicles when they break and icicles cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
Jar	Shy Guy Bazaar	Jars function identically to Barrels and Crates, stopping racers and letting a Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Star as they break. Some jars also move around the area and do not release items if hit, instead releasing a pit of snakes for aesthetic effect. Jars cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
Lava Bubble	GBA Bowser Castle 1	Lava Bubbles jump out of the lava between the ramps near the end of the track, causing players who hit them to spin out.
Mountain Goat	Daisy Hills	Mountain Goats roam around the mountainous areas of the track, wiping out racers who collide with them.
Nossie	GCN Dino Dino Jungle	The dinosaur appears near the track's center, occupying the bridge section after the cave and the ground below the bridge. The dinosaur's feet stomp the lower section, flattening racers in a similar manner to a Thwomp. The dinosaur's head does not spin a racer out, rather blocks their path.
Oil slick	SNES Mario Circuit 2	Oil slicks appear on various parts of the track, causing racers to spin out if they race over them.
Penguin	Rosalina's Ice World Sherbet Rink	Penguins appear around the icy pond section of Rosalina's Ice World, on both the land and in the water. In both instances, players will simply bounce off of them if they collide with them. On Sherbet Rink, Penguins roam around the track as a whole.
Pinball	DS Waluigi Pinball	Pinballs roll across various sections of the track, causing racers to flip over when hit. On the pinball table, pinballs can be hit by flippers and bounce of the bumpers scattered across the table.
Pipe	Toad Circuit SNES Mario Circuit 2	Pipes appear as stationary obstacles and are usually scattered on off road sections. Players will come to a complete stop if they collide with them.
Piranha Plant	Music Park Piranha Plant Slide	Piranha Plants will attempt to bite any racer that drives near them. In Music Park, they appear on either sides of the track and occasionally swap positions. In Piranha Plant Slide, they are completely stationary and will turn back and forth regularly to attack racers.
Puddle	Neo Bowser City	Puddles appear at the end of the track and function identically to oil slicks. They can be avoided by jumping over them.
Rocky Wrench	DS Airship Fortress GBA Battle Course 1	Rocky Wrenches pop out of the ground and will flip over racers who hit them. Players can also do jump actions off of their manhole covers when they peek out from the ground.
Screaming Pillar	DK Jungle	Screaming Pillars are completely stationary obstacles and will stop a racer if they collide with them. They occasionally let out screams that will push racers back if they are in range.
Sidestepper	Cheep Cheep Lagoon N64 Koopa Beach DS Palm Shore	Sidesteppers move back and forth along parts of the track, causing any racer who hits them to spin out.
Snowball	DS DK Pass	Snowballs appear on DK Pass and function identically to Boulders or Pinballs. They roll down the mountain and fall off the track, flipping over racers who collide with them.
Snowman	DS DK Pass	Snowmen appear at the end of the track and function in the same way as they did in past installments, causing racers who hit them to flip over.
Stingby	Honeybee Hive	Several Stingbies fly around the battle stage, spinning out racers who hit them.
Super Thwomp	SNES Rainbow Road	Super Thwomps appear throughout the track, wiping out racers who hit them. When they hit the ground, they cause ripples in the track, which make the kart jump, allowing the driver to perform a jump action.
Swoop	Rock Rock Mountain	Swoops appear in the cave section of the track, slowing racers down if they hit them.
Thwomp	Bowser's Castle GBA Bowser Castle 1	Thwomps act identically as they did in past installments, stopping racers who hit them and flattening them if they fall on them.
Tiki Goon	DK Jungle	Tiki Goons move back and forth along the track, pausing at the track's edges before moving the other way. Colliding with one will cause the player to spin out.
Train	N64 Kalimari Desert	Two trains follow an oval track around the center of the race track. Players will flip over if they hit the train or their carriages.
Walking Tree	DS Luigi's Mansion	Walking Trees walk around set paths at the end of the track. They function just like normal trees and will stop a racer completely when hit.
Water Geyser	GCN Dino Dino Jungle	Water Geysers appear in both the cave section and near the end of the track, erupting at regular intervals. Racers are flipped over if they hit an erupting geyser. Players can do jump actions off of geyser spouts if they are inactive.

Vehicle parts

Mario Kart 7 introduces the option to personalize the player's vehicle before getting to the race. The player can select the body, the tires, and the glider to build the desired kart. By collecting many coins from the races in Grand Prix mode, the player can unlock a new body, a new set of tires, or a new glider to use. It is possible to acquire a maximum of ten coins in a race. As the user chooses the parts, the stats may vary according to the parts' combination, and the vehicle will work better in particular situations.

Available parts

There are 17 kart bodies, 10 tires, and 7 gliders for a grand total of 1,190 kart combinations. The following is a list of all the available parts, using the American English names. If the kart has a different name in the British English version, the British name is put in parentheses under the American name. All kart parts are sorted based on how they're ordered in-game, starting with the standard parts. The following notation is used:

^b - Changes color, depending on the character.
^c - Changes color for Daisy, Rosalina, and Honey Queen.
^d - Not used by male or gender-indeterminate CPU drivers.
^e - Not used by CPU drivers, except for Miis obtained via StreetPass from this game's Mario Kart Channel, if they are equipped.

Karts

• 

  Standard^b

• 

  Gold Standard^e
  (Gold Kart)

• 

  Birthday Girl^cd
  (Royal Ribbon)

• 

  Bumble V

• 

  Bruiser
  (Growlster)

• 

  Soda Jet

• 

  B Dasher

• 

  Egg 1

• 

  Barrel Train

• 

  Tiny Tug

• 

  Cact-X

• 

  Koopa Clown

• 

  Cloud 9

• 

  Zucchini
  (Gherkin)

• 

  Blue Seven

• 

  Bolt Buggy

• 

  Pipe Frame^b

Tires

• 

  Standard
  (Normal)

• 

  Gold Tires^e
  (Gold Wheels)
  

• 

  Roller

• 

  Slim

• 

  Slick

• 

  Sponge

• 

  Mushroom

• 

  Wood
  (Wooden)

• 

  Red Monster

• 

  Monster

Gliders

• 

  Super Glider^b

• 

  Gold Glider^e

• 

  Peach Parasol^c

• 

  Flower Glider

• 

  Beast Glider
  (Ghastly Glider)

• 

  Swooper
  (Swoop)

• 

  Paraglider
  (Parafoil)

Unlocking criteria

The only parts that are already unlocked are the Standard kart, the Standard tires, the Super Glider, Bolt Buggy, Birthday Girl, Monster tires, and Roller tires. Unlocking a different kart part requires a certain total of coins collected from every race in Grand Prix. Once the player has reached that amount, a random kart part is unlocked. The only exceptions to this rule are the gold parts and the Beast Glider.

Random parts

Players can unlock random parts by collecting the following coin values:

50 100 150 200 250 300

400 500 600 700 800 900

1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500

Special parts

Part	Standard criteria	Coin criteria
Gold Standard	Reach 10,000 VR.	Collect 20,000 coins.
Gold Tires	Obtain a minimum of one star ranking in all cups of every engine class.	Collect 15,000 coins.
Gold Glider	Reach 100 StreetPass hits.	Collect 10,000 coins.
Gold Steering Wheel	Race in 100 races using gyro-controls in at least 80% of them.	N/A
Beast Glider	N/A	Collect 5,000 coins. Its amount will decrease if players unlock kart parts via the StreetPass feature.

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

For the in-game tables from which these values were derived and for the tables to translate those values into the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart 7 in-game statistics.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen

In contrast with Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, which directly added the characters' and vehicles' physical parameters to obtain their final values, the game introduces the Points which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called Level (Lv) which is then used by a table to convert the level into various related physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:

• Speed: The top speed of the kart on land.
• Acceleration: The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.
• Weight: The weight of the kart. Karts with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
• Handling: The turning ability of the kart on land. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
• Off-Road: The grasp of the kart. Karts with higher Off-Road slip less on certain terrain and are faster, to the point of being able to charge Mini-Turbos. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding two points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.5. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:

A combination consisting of Bowser, Bolt Buggy, Monster Tires, and Paraglider.

Element	Points conferred
	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Off-Road
Bowser	4	0	8	0	0
Bolt Buggy	7	1	3	2	3
Monster Tires	7	0	8	0	15
Paraglider	0	1	0	0	0
Final Values	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Off-Road
Level	4 + 7 + 7 + 0 = 18	0 + 1 + 0 + 1 = 2	8 + 3 + 8 + 0 = 19	0 + 2 + 0 + 0 = 2	0 + 3 + 15 + 0 = 18
Value shown in the vehicle customization screen	(18 + 2) / 4 = 20 / 4 = 5	(2 + 2) / 4 = 4 / 4 = 1	(19 + 2) / 4 = 21 / 4 = 5.25	(2 + 2) / 4 = 4 / 4 = 1	(18 + 2) / 4 = 20 / 4 = 5

Drivers' statistics

The following table shows the statistics of the various drivers. In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:

• Water Speed: The top speed of the kart while driving underwater.
• Air Speed: The top speed of the kart while gliding.
• Water Handling: The turning ability of the kart while driving underwater.
• Air Handling: The turning ability of the kart while gliding.
• Mini-Turbo: The length of the kart's mini-turbo speed boosts.
• Stability: How much the tires stick to the ground and how much the kart tends to tilt sideways when turning and drifting.
• Drift: How much the kart slips when a drift begins.

The following table reports the statistics in points.

Character Stats
Weight Class		Speed			Acceleration	Weight	Handling			Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Stability	Drift
		Land	Water	Air			Land	Water	Air
Feather		0	2	0	8	0	2	2	2	2	3	1	8
Light		1	2	0	6	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	4
Medium		2	1	0	4	4	1	1	1	1	2	1	4
Cruiser		3	0	0	2	6	0	0	0	1	1	1	0
Heavy		4	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	1	1	0

Vehicle parts' statistics

The following table shows the statistics of the various parts in points.

Bodies
Body	Speed			Acceleration	Weight	Handling			Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Stability	Drift
	Land	Water	Air			Land	Water	Air
	6	4	2	3	2	3	1	1	2	2	0	2
	7	4	1	2	3	3	1	1	1	2	0	1
	4	6	4	5	1	5	2	2	1	4	0	3
	6	4	4	5	1	1	1	2	3	8	0	3
	8	2	1	2	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	1
	7	2	4	4	1	3	1	2	1	4	0	3
	8	2	2	1	2	4	1	1	1	2	0	2
	5	10	4	5	1	3	1	1	2	4	0	3
	7	1	1	3	3	1	1	1	2	8	0	1
	4	10	1	3	3	3	3	1	3	0	0	1
	5	6	1	2	2	4	1	1	3	0	0	2
	6	4	2	2	2	5	2	2	1	8	0	2
	4	8	4	4	1	5	3	2	2	4	0	3
	8	2	1	2	2	2	1	1	2	0	0	2
	8	4	1	1	3	2	1	1	2	0	0	1
	7	2	1	1	3	2	1	1	3	0	0	1
	5	8	4	4	1	3	1	1	3	4	0	3
Tires
Tire	Speed			Acceleration	Weight	Handling			Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Stability	Drift
	Land	Water	Air			Land	Water	Air
	4	4	0	3	4	5	5	4	10	4	4	4
	8	0	0	1	6	0	5	0	0	4	4	0
	1	8	4	6	0	13	10	8	5	8	8	0
	3	4	0	4	3	10	10	4	5	0	8	8
	8	0	0	2	5	0	0	4	0	4	4	8
	3	0	4	5	1	5	0	8	10	4	4	8
	5	4	0	2	2	10	5	4	5	4	4	0
	2	8	4	5	2	10	15	8	10	0	8	8
	7	0	0	1	7	0	0	0	15	5	0	0
	7	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	15	4	0	4
Gliders
Glider	Speed			Acceleration	Weight	Handling			Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Stability	Drift
	Land	Water	Air			Land	Water	Air
	0	0	12	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	8	0	1	0	0
	0	0	6	1	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	0

Items

For the probability of obtaining each item when an Item Box is opened in the various modes, see Mario Kart 7 item probability distributions.

Many classic items make a return in Mario Kart 7. The game introduces three new items – the Fire Flower, the Super Leaf, and the Lucky Seven (the last two of which do not return in Mario Kart 8). The Thunder Cloud, POW Block, and Mega Mushroom from Mario Kart Wii are absent from the game. The Fake Item Box from Mario Kart 64, Double Dash!!, DS, and Wii is also absent, along with Boo from Super Mario Kart, 64, Super Circuit, and DS. Similar to its predecessors, players receive items by driving through an Item Box found on courses. When players drive through an Item Box, the Item Roulette will select an item. In addition to Item Boxes, Coins can be found on the track. Players can collect the coins by driving through them. Picking up a coin increases a player's top speed. If players collect ten coins, their kart is at maximum speed and cannot gain additional coins. Players lose coins if they get hit by an item or fall in a pit. Collecting a certain amount of coins unlocks vehicle parts to select them in the vehicle's customization menu. Also, unlike in its predecessor, the item warning sound will only play if a Spiny Shell or a Bullet Bill is approaching.

One prominent change to the classic items is that the Spiny Shell now has been redesigned into a wingless form, similar to the one found in Mario Kart 64 and having a new sound effect. Its overall behavior is also changed as well; the shell now flies lower to the ground and is able to hit other racers on its path. In addition, the explosion is noticeably less powerful compared to previous installments.

Items found on tracks

Image	Name	Description
	Item Box	Item Boxes give players items.
	Coin	Players receive a small boost and an increase to their top speed. A maximum of 10 can be carried at one time.

Items received from Item Boxes

Image	Name	Description
	Banana	Players that run over Bananas spin out.
	Triple Bananas	Gives the player three Bananas that trail behind the kart. They can then be dropped or thrown one by one.
	Green Shell	Travels in a straight line and bounces off walls. Knocks over the player it hits.
	Triple Green Shells	Three Green Shells that protect the player from incoming attacks by rotating around its kart. They can then be thrown one by one.
	Red Shell	Chases after the closest player in front of the player and knocks it over. Throwing it backwards will make it travel in a straight line, like a Green Shell.
	Triple Red Shells	Three Red Shells that protect the player from incoming attacks by rotating around its kart. They can then be thrown one by one. CPU players can't get this item in Grand Prix and Battle modes, unless the item settings are set to Shells Only.
	Spiny Shell	Chases after the player in the lead, then explodes on it. It will also knock over anything that is on its path.
	Bob-omb	After being thrown or dropped, it explodes after a moment or when a player comes too close, knocking over anything in its blast radius. It will also chase after players that comes by.
	Mushroom	Gives the player a speed boost.
	Triple Mushrooms	Same effect as the Mushroom. It can be used three times.
	Golden Mushroom	Same effect as the Mushroom. It can be used at will, but only for a moment after the first use.
	Bullet Bill	Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, which rockets down the entire track at high speeds on auto-pilot for a time that is determined by the player's current position. The Bullet Bill is invincible and can knock over items, course hazards and other players, which makes them lose any item in their possession.
	Blooper	Sprays ink on all the players ahead of the user and reduces their visibility. The ink will go away after a moment or when the player receives a boost from a Mushroom or a Boost Pad.
	Lightning	Causes all players, except the user, to drop their item, shrink, and have their kart's top speed reduced for a moment, the effect being longer for the players that are leading the race. They can also get squashed by normal-sized players.
	Super Star	The player obtains total invincibility for a moment and is able to knock over everything in its path including items, course obstacles, and other players, making them lose their current item. In addition, the player receives a speed boost and the ability to drive off-road without losing any speed.
	Fire Flower New Item	Allows the player to throw fireballs that bounces off walls and cause other players to spin out of control on impact. Up to three fireballs are allowed at a time per player, throwing a fourth one will make the oldest one disappear. If ten fireballs are used, this item wears off immediately.
	Super Leaf New Item	Gives the player's kart a tail that can be used to deflect items, knock over opponents and collect coins. The tail will disappear after a moment or if the player is hurt.
	Lucky Seven New Item	Surrounds the player with seven items that rotates around its kart. The player receives a Mushroom, Banana, Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Bob-omb, and a Star. CPU players can't get this item, unless only one type of item is chosen in Battle Mode.

Courses

Like Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 features 32 courses that includes 16 new courses and 16 retro courses, which consists of one course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, two courses from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, three from Mario Kart 64, and four from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Only the Mushroom Cup and Shell Cup, as well as the battle courses, are available from the start, but upon unlocking them they are available for all game modes, and not just for that specific Engine Class, unlike past installments. A new feature of Mario Kart 7 is that three of the new courses – Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and Rainbow Road – have three sections each, with each section counting as one lap. The following charts show the American English names of the tracks, with the British English names in italics. Like in Mario Kart DS, the retro tracks' width have been shortened, except the DS retro courses, which have been widened.

New courses

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup
Toad Circuit	Wuhu Loop Wuhu Island Loop	Piranha Plant Slide Piranha Plant Pipeway	DK Jungle
Daisy Hills	Mario Circuit	Wario Shipyard Wario's Galleon	Rosalina's Ice World
Cheep Cheep Lagoon Cheep Cheep Cape	Music Park Melody Motorway	Neo Bowser City Koopa City	Bowser's Castle
Shy Guy Bazaar	Rock Rock Mountain Alpine Pass	Maka Wuhu Wuhu Mountain Loop	Rainbow Road

Retro courses

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup
N64 Luigi Raceway	N64 Koopa Beach N64 Koopa Troopa Beach	N64 Kalimari Desert	Wii Koopa Cape
GBA Bowser Castle 1	SNES Mario Circuit 2	DS DK Pass	GCN Dino Dino Jungle
Wii Mushroom Gorge	Wii Coconut Mall	GCN Daisy Cruiser	DS Airship Fortress
DS Luigi's Mansion	DS Waluigi Pinball	Wii Maple Treeway	SNES Rainbow Road

Battle stages

There are a total of six battle stages: three new stages and three retro ones. Similar to games prior to Mario Kart Wii, the three new battle stages all have the same music, albeit with different arrangements between stages, while the three retro stages use the Mario Kart Wii arrangement of their respective music, which was previously used in that game's version of GBA Battle Course 3, N64 Skyscraper, and DS Twilight House respectively.

New Stages	Retro Stages
Honeybee Hive Honeybee House	GBA Battle Course 1
Sherbet Rink	N64 Big Donut
Wuhu Town	DS Palm Shore

Ghosts

Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has Normal Staff Ghosts and Expert Staff Ghosts, which appear in the Time Trials game mode. The Normal Staff Ghosts are available at the start, but when the player gets a time higher than the Normal Staff Ghost of a track, the Expert Staff Ghost of the same track will be unlocked.

Normal Staff Ghosts

Course	Staff Name	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
				Body	Tires	Glider
Toad Circuit	Nin★KATIE	01:35.135	Toad	Standard	Standard	Super Glider
Daisy Hills	Nin★Terui♪	02:06.351	Daisy	Birthday Girl	Roller	Peach Parasol
Cheep Cheep Lagoon	Nin★Gonta♪	01:53.758	Peach	Birthday Girl	Roller	Peach Parasol
Shy Guy Bazaar	Ret★TEAGUE	02:31.167	Shy Guy	Standard	Roller	Super Glider
Wuhu Loop	Ret★Bryan	01:44.287	Peach	Standard	Sponge	Peach Parasol
Mario Circuit	Nin★MIKI★	02:25.001	Mario	Standard	Standard	Super Glider
Music Park	Nin★wtnbt	02:19.336	Rosalina	Birthday Girl	Roller	Super Glider
Rock Rock Mountain	Nin★Morimo	02:35.105	Wiggler	Standard	Red Monster	Super Glider
Piranha Plant Slide	Nin★tBando	02:20.186	Lakitu	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
Wario Shipyard	Nin★Miyamo	02:26.268	Wario	Bolt Buggy	Monster	Super Glider
Neo Bowser City	Ret★Chuck	02:11.032	Metal Mario	Standard	Standard	Super Glider
Maka Wuhu	Ret★Reed	01:50.607	Yoshi	Bumble V	Sponge	Paraglider
DK Jungle	Ret★Derek	02:24.040	Donkey Kong	Bolt Buggy	Red Monster	Super Glider
Rosalina's Ice World	Ret★RLingo	02:25.784	Rosalina	Standard	Sponge	Paraglider
Bowser's Castle	Ret★Matt M	02:34.815	Bowser	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
Rainbow Road	Nin★Takamu	02:10.090	Honey Queen	Birthday Girl	Slim	Peach Parasol
N64 Luigi Raceway	Nin★McCoy	02:04.317	Luigi	Standard	Slick	Super Glider
GBA Bowser Castle 1	Nin★Hayata	01:31.030	Bowser	Pipe Frame	Standard	Beast Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge	Nin★Kataok	02:02.292	Toad	Cloud 9	Mushroom	Paraglider
DS Luigi's Mansion	Nin★Konno	02:09.982	Luigi	Zucchini	Slim	Super Glider
N64 Koopa Beach	Ret★Amanda	01:54.274	Koopa Troopa	Pipe Frame	Standard	Super Glider
SNES Mario Circuit 2	Nin★ITRO-S	01:28.106	Mario	Pipe Frame	Standard	Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall	Ret★Thomas	02:30.117	Honey Queen	Standard	Slim	Super Glider
DS Waluigi Pinball	Ret★Bill	02:44.372	Wario	Standard	Slick	Swooper
N64 Kalimari Desert	Nin★Nishim	02:01.932	Shy Guy	Cact-X	Wood	Swooper
DS DK Pass	Ret★Sean	02:35.045	Donkey Kong	Barrel Train	Wood	Super Glider
GCN Daisy Cruiser	Nin★Dai8	01:49.564	Daisy	Pipe Frame	Sponge	Peach Parasol
Wii Maple Treeway	Nin★Asakaw	02:53.560	Wiggler	Standard	Wood	Super Glider
Wii Koopa Cape	Ret★Quinn	02:49.046	Koopa Troopa	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
GCN Dino Dino Jungle	Nin★iwaco	02:29.837	Yoshi	Egg 1	Roller	Paraglider
DS Airship Fortress	Nin★OBSHNN	02:23.323	Metal Mario	Zucchini	Slick	Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road	Nin★YABUKI	01:34.459	Lakitu	Pipe Frame	Slim	Super Glider

Expert Staff Ghosts

Course	Staff Name	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
				Body	Tires	Glider
Toad Circuit	Nin★ishi	01:26.632	Toad	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
Daisy Hills	Nin★SASAKI	01:51.111	Daisy	Birthday Girl	Sponge	Super Glider
Cheep Cheep Lagoon	Nin★Tkdr	01:42.011	Peach	Tiny Tug	Roller	Peach Parasol
Shy Guy Bazaar	Ret★RWO	02:14.714	Shy Guy	Pipe Frame	Monster	Paraglider
Wuhu Loop	Nin★nkm	01:32.854	Peach	Pipe Frame	Slick	Peach Parasol
Mario Circuit	Nin★raba	02:10.018	Mario	B Dasher	Slick	Super Glider
Music Park	Nin★Masa	02:07.511	Rosalina	Soda Jet	Roller	Paraglider
Rock Rock Mountain	Nin★Hiroma	02:19.149	Wiggler	Standard	Mushroom	Flower Glider
Piranha Plant Slide	Nin★JIKU	02:06.540	Lakitu	Cloud 9	Sponge	Paraglider
Wario Shipyard	Nin★syun1	02:12.313	Wario	Bruiser	Slim	Beast Glider
Neo Bowser City	Ret★Matt M	01:58.996	Metal Mario	Blue Seven	Monster	Paraglider
Maka Wuhu	Nin★Chucky	01:39.361	Yoshi	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
DK Jungle	Ret★Dupree	02:10.777	Donkey Kong	Standard	Wood	Swooper
Rosalina's Ice World	Ret★Dax	02:13.091	Rosalina	Zucchini	Red Monster	Super Glider
Bowser's Castle	Ret★Tom	02:15.244	Bowser	Bruiser	Red Monster	Beast Glider
Rainbow Road	Nin★Asakur	01:52.077	Honey Queen	Bumble V	Standard	Flower Glider
N64 Luigi Raceway	Nin★miyakw	01:52.206	Luigi	Pipe Frame	Slick	Paraglider
GBA Bowser Castle 1	Nin★hokwai	01:22.221	Bowser	Koopa Clown	Roller	Super Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge	Ret★Jay	01:50.526	Toad	Pipe Frame	Monster	Super Glider
DS Luigi's Mansion	Ret★Vince	01:58.539	Luigi	Egg 1	Monster	Paraglider
N64 Koopa Beach	Nin★ueda	01:42.909	Koopa Troopa	Soda Jet	Sponge	Paraglider
SNES Mario Circuit 2	Nin★==Kony	01:17.777	Mario	B Dasher	Slick	Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall	Ret★RyanP	02:14.167	Honey Queen	Koopa Clown	Sponge	Paraglider
DS Waluigi Pinball	Nin★Nshhr	02:27.574	Wario	Bruiser	Slim	Beast Glider
N64 Kalimari Desert	Nin★KOZ★	01:48.707	Shy Guy	Bolt Buggy	Red Monster	Beast Glider
DS DK Pass	Nin★MaTU	02:16.534	Donkey Kong	Bolt Buggy	Red Monster	Paraglider
GCN Daisy Cruiser	Ret★Carlos	01:43.341	Daisy	Tiny Tug	Sponge	Peach Parasol
Wii Maple Treeway	Ret★Bill	02:34.877	Wiggler	Egg 1	Sponge	Flower Glider
Wii Koopa Cape	Ret★Shane	02:28.585	Koopa Troopa	Cact-X	Standard	Flower Glider
GCN Dino Dino Jungle	Ret★Will	02:14.430	Yoshi	Egg 1	Monster	Paraglider
DS Airship Fortress	Ret★Shane	02:07.704	Metal Mario	Standard	Monster	Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road	Nin★SRIWtm	01:21.994	Lakitu	Cloud 9	Roller	Paraglider

Differences in multiplayer modes

When playing in multiplayer mode, both locally and online, there are several changes made to the tracks, most likely to retain a stable connection.

• One of the two Mountain Goats has been removed from Daisy Hills.
• There is only one Sidestepper in Cheep Cheep Lagoon, as opposed to two.
• In the bazaar section of Shy Guy Bazaar, one jar has been removed. Also in the gliding section, there are fewer Shy Guys on flying carpets.
• In Wuhu Loop, the first group of cars consists of only two cars instead of three. The last group of cars near the finish line were removed entirely. Also, the wind turbines near the lighthouse have no rotor blades.
• In Mario Circuit, the coin placement in the castle area is different. Also, one of the two Goombas is absent.
• In Music Park, the second of three Bouncing Notes has been removed.
• Piranha Plant Slide has no Item Boxes flowing with the water. Also in the section before the finish line, the Goomba and the boards resembling it were removed.
• The Fish Bones in the tunnel in Wario Shipyard are absent as well as the Sidesteppers before the gliding section.
• One Tiki Goon and one Frogoon were taken out of DK Jungle, reducing their number to two and one respectively.
• There are no penguins in the underwater section of Rosalina's Ice World.
• One of the two Thwomps in Bowser's Castle is absent.
• The two ceiling lights in the second room of DS Luigi's Mansion were removed.
• In N64 Koopa Beach, three of the six Sidesteppers are absent: Two underwater and one before the finish line.
• In DS Waluigi Pinball, there is only one metal ball rolling around in the open area before the finish line.
• N64 Kalimari Desert has only one train on its rails as opposed to two.
• DS DK Pass does not have any snowballs in the part that goes uphill. Also most of the snowmen are absent.
• There are no Cheep Cheeps in the underwater section of GCN Daisy Cruiser.
• One of the two Wigglers in Wii Maple Treeway is removed.
• Wii Koopa Cape has no moving Item Boxes in the area where the water flows with the track. Also, there are no Cheep Cheeps in the underwater area.
• There are fewer Rocky Wrenches in DS Airship Fortress.

Regional differences

• The Mainland China release was published by iQue. It is one of the last two games published by the company, the other being Super Mario 3D Land.
• The flag of Taiwan (ROC) was removed in the China release. Any Taiwanese locations were also hidden.
• The China release is the only Super Mario game, as well as the last Nintendo game officially released in China (PRC), to support global online multiplayer, as the next PRC release that supports online multiplayer is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, published by Tencent, which operates completely separately from the global release and offers no interactions between the two versions.
• Mario Kart 7 has more track name differences between the American English and British English versions than any other Mario Kart game, with a total of eight racetracks and one battle course.

Update history

After the first update, "Ver. 1.1" can be seen on the "Online Multiplayer" button.

Mario Kart 7 is the first Nintendo 3DS game to use the system's ability to patch games, spurred by significant shortcut exploits found on certain courses. Updating is free, with the data being categorized as 3DS Add-On Content; the patches can be deleted at any time and have no effect in offline play, but are mandatory to play online. An SD Card is required to download the patches, however.

Version 1.1 of May 15, 2012 (43 SD Card blocks)

Resolved shortcut exploits for Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and GBA Bowser Castle 1 when playing online. Does not affect offline play; the exploits remain in Single Player and Local Multiplayer, and Ghosts that used these exploits are unaffected. Starting on May 15, 2012, all players must download and install this update to access Online Multiplayer.

Version 1.2 of December 13, 2022 (46 SD Card blocks)

This update patches a vulnerability in the game's network code which enables hackers to take full, remote control of a user's (unmodified) Nintendo 3DS system during online multiplayer sessions, with one possible use case being using it to reset the user's VR. Starting on December 13, 2022, all players (excluding the iQue version) must download and install this update to access Online Multiplayer.

This update is not available for the Mainland China (iQue) version as the iQue 3DSXL lacks the Nintendo eShop to distribute the update. After December 13, 2022, the iQue version still has access to Online Multiplayer, but can no longer play together with other versions.

Nintendo eShop description

NA Version

A New Dimension of Kart Racing! The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D. For the first time, drivers explore new competitive kart possibilities, such as soaring through the skies or plunging into the depths of the sea. New courses, strategic new abilities and customizable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights.

EU Version

Mario Kart 7 brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D - and that's just the beginning, as new courses, strategic new abilities and cutomisable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights. Up to 8 players can enjoy local wireless races or race together online.

Reception

Critical reception

The game has received generally positive reviews. As of December 12, 2013, Metacritic has an average score of 85, including 64 positive reviews, and 9 mixed. GameRankings has an average score of 85.17% based on 50 reviews. Critics generally praise the new glider and underwater mechanic that the game adds, but often cite how similarly it feels to past entries of the Mario Kart series.

GameXplain has given the game's Multiplayer 4.5 stars out of 5, and Single-Player a 3.5 out of 5. Audrey Drake of IGN gave the game a 9.0/10. She criticized the character roster for being small and the potential of the Spiny Shell "screwing up" the race, but she praised the innovation and the polish the game provides. Griffin McElroy of Joystiq gave it 4.5 stars out of 5. He praised the game for being well-polished with only a few flaws, noting the Spiny Shell as "unavoidable race-ruining bullshit". Adam Biessener of Gameinformer gave it an 8.5/10. He praised the first person view, the new tracks, and the new glider and underwater features while criticizing the Battle Mode, and online modes "being a distraction rather than a destination". 1up gave it a B- grade. Tom McShea of Gamespot gave it an 8/10. He remarked that the game has "been the same as previous entries of the series, but the innovations have kept it fresh", while criticizing the online structure and lack of mission mode. Justin Towell on Gamesradar gave it a perfect 10/10. He praised the fanservice and how "anyone can pick up and enjoy" the game. However, Jim Sterling of Destructoid rated the game a 5.0/10, criticizing how this game is "practically the same as any other game in the Mario Kart series", criticizing the slow speed of the vehicles, the unpredictable item system, and the underwater and gliding's minimal impacts. They ended their review with, "Mario Kart is in need of a severe shake up. This stagnant, crawling, and indolent effort is not it".

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo 3DS	Audrey Drake, IGN	9/10	"Overall [Mario Kart 7 is] a well-polished experience that fans of the kart-racing genre - or of the Mushroom Kingdom - should not hesitate to pick up."
Nintendo 3DS	Marc Camron, EGM	9/10	"Mario and pals return to get their race on. Featuring great graphics, amazing tracks and some hilarious new power-ups, the game shows that the series is a long way away from running its course."
Nintendo 3DS	Neal Ronaghan, Nintendo World Report	8.5/10	"Mario Kart 7 isn’t a huge leap forward for the series. Instead, it’s another damn fine iteration in a proven series. You’ll still be upset when you’re “Mario Karted” by a blue shell followed up by a red shell and a bomb, but the winning online play and gameplay polish make Mario Kart 7 a must-have for all 3DS owners."
Nintendo 3DS	Griffin McElroy, Joystiq	4.5/5	"Mario Kart 7 is an exquisitely polished game with few flaws."
Nintendo 3DS	Adam Biessener, Game Informer	8/10	"Mario Kart 7 isn’t 100 percent golden, nor is it going to make believers out of anyone who wrote off the series years ago. Taken on the whole, though, this is one of the best entries in the series. As a fan, I’m thoroughly pleased."
Nintendo 3DS	Justin Towell, GamesRadar	5/5	"Mario Kart 7 is THE game the 3DS has been in dire need of. Sadly, it raises the bar so high for almost everything else, most 3DS games don't even look like they belong on the same system. Get it now."
Nintendo 3DS	Jim Sterling, Destructoid	5/10	"Mario Kart 7 is as derivative as a game can get, and while we pour scorn on so many other games for rehashing themselves, something tells me this will get a free pass from many critics and gamers. That strikes me as ironic since Mario Kart 7 is the one game I'd hold up as the least deserving of any kind of leniency. It being an unadventurous and predictable retread, however, is only half of Mario Kart 7's problem. The other half is the fact that it's a lethargic and mundane game, easily outpaced by games that could be considered knock-offs of the formula Nintendo itself perfected."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		85
GameRankings		85.17%

Sales

The game sold over 420,000 units in its first 4 days in Japan. As of March 31, 2021, Mario Kart 7 is the best selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, having sold 18.94 million copies worldwide. As of June 30, 2022, it had sold 18.97 million copies worldwide.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 staff

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed Mario Kart 7, with Retro Studios as Co-Developers and Artists. Retro Studios was also responsible for contributing to the Donkey Kong series attributes in the game, mainly the DK Jungle track. The music composition is credited to Kenta Nagata and Satomi Terui. Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata were the game's general and executive producers respectively.

Glitches

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 glitches

Some of the most well known glitches are found in Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and GBA Bowser Castle 1. If executed correctly, they allow the driver to skip sections of the track. On May 15, 2012, an update was released that made these glitches unusable in Online Multiplayer.

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 pre-release and unused content

The 7 in the original logo featured a different design than the final logo. Original demos featured many elements from Mario Kart Wii, such as menu music, Dash Panel textures and a winged Spiny Shell. Several tracks shown in early trailers lacked details shown in the final version, such as the lack of Wigglers in Wii Maple Treeway and the lack of ramps in Wuhu Loop, Mario Circuit, and Rock Rock Mountain.

• 

  The original logo, featuring the seven's different design.

• 

  An early version of Mario Circuit, with missing ramps.

• 

  An early version of N64 Kalimari Desert, featuring more cacti than the final version.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart 7.

• 

  Mario gliding in his Standard Kart

• 

  Yoshi driving his Bumble V with a Red Shell

• 

  Luigi gliding in his Standard Kart

• 

  Bowser driving his Monster Standard Kart

• 

  Peach gliding in her Birthday Girl

• 

  Donkey Kong driving his Bolt Buggy with a Spiny Shell

Media

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 media

Mario Kart 7 - The game's main theme

File infoMedia:MK7 Theme2.oga 0:30

Neo Bowser City

File infoMedia:MK7 Neo Bowser City Theme.oga 0:30

Wi-Fi menu - The first variation of the Wi-Fi menu music

File infoMedia:MK7 Wi-Fi MainMenu.oga 0:30

Credits

File infoMedia:MK7 Credits.oga 0:30

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

• Super Mario Bros.: The Fire Flower appears for the first time as a usable item that throws fireballs. The layout of the course Piranha Plant Slide greatly resembles the tile sprites from this game.
• Super Mario Bros. 2: The Shy Guy Bazaar course makes references to the elements from this game such as the addition of magic carpets (being ridden by Shy Guys) and jars in their original colors.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: The Super Leaf appears as an item, and the Angry Sun appears on a blanket in Shy Guy Bazaar.
• Super Mario Kart: The Pipe Frame returns from this game, however it uses the dual exhaust design from Mario Kart 64 instead of the single exhaust from Super Mario Kart. Mario Circuit 2 and Rainbow Road return as retro courses. Collecting coins also returns from this game.
• Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3: A small portion of Wario Shipyard's music is an arrangement of this game's main theme.
• Donkey Kong Country: DK Jungle's music is a rearrangement of the Jungle Hijinxs theme from this game.
• Mario Kart 64: Some musical pieces are arrangements from this game such as the main title screen, the results screen and Rainbow Road. A segment of the theme for the course Toad's Turnpike can be heard in the newer course, Neo Bowser City. Chomps appear in Rainbow Road similar to how they appear in Rainbow Road from that game. Luigi Raceway, Koopa Troopa Beach, and Kalimari Desert return as retro courses, plus Big Donut returns as a playable battle course.
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Bowser Castle 1 returns as a retro course, plus Battle Course 1 returns as a playable battle arena.
• Super Mario Sunshine: The possible Toad artwork can be seen on Toad Circuit on the Mario Kart banner near the starting line.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Part of the Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road themes are based on their respective themes originating from this game. Some voice clips are reused. Also, the Barrel Train returns from this game. Daisy Cruiser and Dino Dino Jungle return as retro courses, and finally, the 3-2-1 starting countdown returns with a new design.
• Mario Kart Arcade GP: The way that coins give the kart a small boost upon being collected originated from this game.
• Mario Kart DS: The Egg 1 and B Dasher return from this game as kart parts. Luigi's Mansion, Waluigi Pinball, DK Pass, and Airship Fortress return as retro courses, plus Palm Shore returns as a playable battle arena. During multiplayer with someone who doesn't have the game, Shy Guy becomes their automatic character like in this game.
• New Super Mario Bros.: The playable Lakitu's artwork in Mario Kart 7 is a color swapped version of Lakitu's artwork from this game. Koopa Troopa's artwork is also reused from the game.
• Super Mario Galaxy: The Comet Observatory, some domes, the Starshroom and the starting planet of Gateway Galaxy appear in the background in the course Rosalina's Ice World. Rosalina and Honey Queen both originate from this game.
• Mario Kart Wii: Most of the gameplay in Mario Kart 7 is based off of this game. The music used on SNES Mario Circuit 2, N64 Luigi Raceway, GBA Battle Course 1 and the first part of the Award Ceremony is from the said installment as well. Minecarts from Wario's Gold Mine can be seen on Wario Shipyard. Tricks return from this game. The menu selection music is based on said music from this game. The roster and map sprites also return from this game. Some voice clips are reused. Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, Maple Treeway, and Koopa Cape return as retro courses.
• Mario Super Sluggers: Some of Wiggler's voice clips, as well as its artwork, are taken from this game.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns: DK Jungle is based on and includes elements from this game.
• Super Mario 3D Land: The new look for the Super Leaf introduced in this game is shown as one of the newest items for the Mario Kart series and used as the logo for the Leaf Cup. Also, the bush and Goomba Boards reappear in Piranha Plant Slide.

References in later games

• Mario Kart Arcade GP DX: Gameplay elements such as the glider and underwater racing return in this game.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Donkey Kong plays this game during his idle animation. Also, he is confirmed as playing as himself.
• Mario Golf: World Tour: The countdown timer and the signal light returns in Speed Golf to signal the start of the first hole. Various voice clips of Rosalina are recycled.
• Mario Kart 8: The Wii U follow-up includes various elements from this game. DK Jungle, Music Park, and Piranha Plant Slide return as this game's retro tracks. The glider and underwater racing mechanics return. Customization returns as well. Some vehicle bodies, tires, and gliders from Mario Kart 7 return also. Neo Bowser City returns as a downloadable retro course.
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: The Koopa Clown kart body returns. Wuhu Town returns as a retro battle course. Lunar Colony has a moon section with low gravity just like Rainbow Road. Toad Circuit, Rock Rock Mountain, Rosalina's Ice World, and Rainbow Road return as downloadable courses in the Booster Course Pass.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: Various voice clips of Rosalina are recycled in these games.
  • Nintendo 3DS version: Rainbow Road appears as a stage in this game. The Rainbow Road theme music can play on the aforementioned stage, along with an arrangement of Rainbow Road themes from handheld Mario Kart games. In addition, various trophies reference content from this game.
  • Wii U version: The Rainbow Road theme, an arrangement of Rainbow Road themes from handheld Mario Kart games, and an arrangement of this game's circuit theme appear as music tracks for the Mario Circuit stage. Various trophies reference content from this game.
• Mario Kart Tour: All of the game's race courses return in this game except for Wuhu Loop, Music Park, Maka Wuhu, and DK Jungle. All of this game's classic courses also return in this game. Many of Mario Kart 7's music is also included in the game, including the local and online multiplayer menu music. Honey Queen's emblem appears on a badge. The Birthday Girl, Cloud 9, Zucchini, Blue Seven, Bolt Buggy, Bumble V, Bruiser, Soda Jet, Koopa Clown, and Gold Standard return as kart parts, along with various tires that are no longer separate pieces. The Super Glider, Parachute, Parafoil, Peach Parasol, Flower Glider, Gold Glider, and Swooper return as gliders.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	マリオカート７ Mario Kāto 7	Mario Kart 7
Chinese (simplified)	马力欧卡丁车７ Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē 7	Mario Kart 7
Chinese (traditional)	瑪利歐賽車７ Mǎlìōu Sàichē 7	Mario Racing 7
Korean	마리오 카트 ７ Mario Kateu 7	Mario Kart 7

Trivia

• The new courses use the current Mario Kart logo on their starting banners, while retro courses still use the classic logo.
• When unlocking a new kart part, if the player goes to the Mario Kart Channel to change parts, no jingle sound will play and the gift icon will not be there. However, it will still appear when going into the Grand Prix or Time Trials.
• This is the first Mario Kart game that does not have its corresponding year of release on the title screen.
• The Circle Pad can be used to manually rotate the trophy in the Grand Prix results screen, as well as move the camera in both ending screens.

External links

• Launch Trailer
• Official Japanese Website
• Official European Website
• Official Oceanian Website
• Official American Website
• Official Mexican Website
• Official Korean Website
• Official Chinese (Hong Kong) Website
• Official Chinese (Taiwan) Website
• Official Chinese (China) Website
• American English manual
• American English e-manual