Mario Kart 7
- This article is about the Nintendo 3DS game. For the digital soundtrack album on the Nintendo Music app, see Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo Music).
| Mario Kart 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Developers | Nintendo EAD Nintendo SPD Group No. 3 Retro Studios | ||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||||||||||
| Platform | Nintendo 3DS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Release dates | Retail: December 1, 2011[1] December 2, 2011[2] December 3, 2011[3] December 4, 2011[4] December 4, 2011[5] May 31, 2012[6] September 28, 2012[7] September 28, 2012[8] December 7, 2012[?] December 3, 2015 (Japanese version)[9]Nintendo eShop: October 4, 2012[?] October 4, 2012[?] October 18, 2012[?] October 18, 2012[?] November 1, 2012[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Languages | English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Portuguese (Europe) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Racing | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ratings |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Modes | Single-player, local multiplayer (up to 8 players), online multiplayer | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format |  Game Card Digital download | ||||||||||||||||||
| Input | |||||||||||||||||||
| Serial codes | CTR-AMKJ-JPN CTR-AMKP-EUR CTR-AMKE-USA CTR-AMKK-KOR CTR-AMKW-TWN CTR-AMKC-CHN | ||||||||||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- All ages
- General audience
- All ages
- Six years and older
- General
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 in Dutch, European 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 (though, unlike that game, Nintendo EAD is still included in this one).
The main new features of this installment are hang gliding and underwater driving, which allow 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 players' 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.[11][12] 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.
The game's soundtrack was added to Nintendo Music on April 30, 2025.
Gameplay[edit]
Features[edit]
, 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 classic 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 viewed during 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.
Mario Kart 7 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".
On 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. Additionally, starting from this game onward, the time display is no longer visible during regular races, and the lap signs Lakitu holds no longer read "Lap 2" and "Final Lap", instead reading "2/3" and "3/3", respectively.
Motorbikes, which debut 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[edit]
/
: 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
Game modes[edit]
Grand Prix[edit]
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 in Mario Kart 7:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| A grove-green background signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), unique finish music, and the best after-race music. A yellow-limegreen background signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction) and the same music in Wi-Fi as the winner. | ||||||||||||
Time Trials[edit]
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[edit]
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 every Mario Kart game as of Mario Kart DS, this mode is not 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.
| 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[edit]
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[edit]
In 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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[edit]
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; in addition to being playable in single player, multicolored Shy Guys retain this previous role in download multiplayer. 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, as well as the first mainline Mario Kart title since Super Circuit to not feature Waluigi as a playable character. 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.
Each driver is categorized into any of five weight classes: Feather being the lightest, followed by Light, Medium, Cruiser, and finally Heavy. There are also three kart frame sizes that generally correspond with the five weight classes, with the exception of Metal Mario due to his medium size and high density. All characters in any given weight class share the same statistic boosts, both displayed and internal.
Each character has two "rival" characters who have superior capability compared to other CPU racers; if one of the rivals is not unlocked, a default character is used as a third, "backup" rival. Wario is the only character without any "backup" rivals; both of his rivals, Luigi and Mario, are default characters.
All of the starting characters are the same as in Super Mario Kart, but with Donkey Kong in place of Donkey Kong Jr.. Unlike in Mario Kart DS, the unlockable drivers can appear in multiplayer even when not all players have them unlocked or any player is using 3DS Download Play.
| Driver | Class | Frame | Speed | Acceleration | Weight | Handling | Off-Road | Main rivals | Backup rivals | Unlock method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mario |
Medium | Medium | 2/4 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 1/2 | 1/2 | Metal Mario Bowser |
Peach | Available from the start |
 Luigi |
Medium | Medium | 2/4 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 1/2 | 1/2 | Mario Daisy |
Yoshi | Available from the start |
 Peach |
Light | Medium | 1/4 | 6/8 | 2/8 | 2/2 | 1/2 | Lakitu Donkey Kong |
Toad | Available from the start |
 Yoshi |
Light | Medium | 1/4 | 6/8 | 2/8 | 2/2 | 1/2 | Wiggler Toad |
Donkey Kong | Available from the start |
 Bowser |
Heavy | Large | 4/4 | 0/8 | 8/8 | 0/2 | 0/2 | Mario Rosalina |
Luigi | Available from the start |
 Donkey Kong |
Cruiser | Large | 3/4 | 2/8 | 6/8 | 0/2 | 1/2 | Wario Koopa Troopa |
Bowser | Available from the start |
 Toad |
Feather | Small | 0/4 | 8/8 | 0/8 | 2/2 | 2/2 | Rosalina Peach |
Koopa Troopa | Available from the start |
 Koopa Troopa |
Feather | Small | 0/4 | 8/8 | 0/8 | 2/2 | 2/2 | Yoshi Shy Guy |
Luigi | Available from the start |
 Daisy |
Light | Medium | 1/4 | 6/8 | 2/8 | 2/2 | 1/2 | Peach Wario |
Luigi | Win the 150cc Mushroom Cup |
 Wario |
Heavy | Large | 4/4 | 0/8 | 8/8 | 0/2 | 0/2 | Luigi Mario |
N/A | Win the 150cc Flower Cup |
 Rosalina |
Cruiser | Large | 3/4 | 2/8 | 6/8 | 0/2 | 1/2 | Honey Queen Peach |
Toad | Win the 150cc Star Cup |
 Metal Mario(new) |
Heavy | Medium | 4/4 | 0/8 | 8/8 | 0/2 | 0/2 | Bowser Rosalina |
Mario | Win the 150cc Special Cup |
 Shy Guy |
Feather | Small | 0/4 | 8/8 | 0/8 | 2/2 | 2/2 | Toad Lakitu |
Koopa Troopa | Win the 150cc Shell Cup |
 Honey Queen(new) |
Heavy | Large | 4/4 | 0/8 | 8/8 | 0/2 | 0/2 | Koopa Troopa Metal Mario |
Yoshi | Win the 150cc Banana Cup |
 Wiggler(new) |
Cruiser | Large | 3/4 | 2/8 | 6/8 | 0/2 | 1/2 | Shy Guy Yoshi |
Bowser | Win the 150cc Leaf Cup |
 Lakitu(new) |
Feather | Small | 0/4 | 8/8 | 0/8 | 2/2 | 2/2 | Donkey Kong Honey Queen |
Mario | Win the 150cc Lightning Cup |
 Mii |
Medium | Medium | 2/4 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 1/2 | 1/2 | Bowser (male) Metal Mario (male) Yoshi (female) Rosalina (female) |
Mario (male) Peach (female) |
Successfully complete all cups in any engine class |
Vehicle parts[edit]
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.
There are 17 kart bodies, 10 tires, and 7 gliders for a grand total of 1,190 kart combinations. Of the parts, the Standard Kart, Pipe Frame, and Super Glider have their colors vary depending on their drivers. The Birthday Girl and Peach Parasol also vary in color for the female characters, though Peach's pink versions are shared with the male and gender-indeterminate characters. The Birthday Girl also cannot be used by CPU-played male or indeterminate characters, while the "gold" parts cannot be used by CPUs in general aside from Miis obtained via StreetPass from this game's Mario Kart Channel, if they are equipped.
Additionally, the player can unlock a Gold Steering Wheel by racing in 100 races using gyro-controls in at least 80% of them.
Karts[edit]
| Kart | Speed (4-8) | Acceleration (1-5) | Weight (1-3) | Handling (1-5) | Off-Road (1-3) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard |
6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Default |
 Birthday Girl  Royal Ribbon 
|
4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | Default |
 Bolt Buggy |
7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Default |
 Bumble V |
6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Unlockable (random) |
 Bruiser Growlster
|
8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Soda Jet |
7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Unlockable (random) |
 B Dasher |
8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | Unlockable (random) |
 Egg 1 |
5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Barrel Train |
7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Tiny Tug |
4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Unlockable (random) |
 Cact-X |
5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Unlockable (random) |
 Koopa Clown |
6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | Unlockable (random) |
 Cloud 9 |
4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Zucchini Gherkin
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Blue Seven |
8 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Unlockable (random) |
 Pipe Frame |
5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Unlockable (random) |
 Gold Standard |
7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Unlockable (reach 10,000 VR or collect 20,000 coins) |
Tires[edit]
| Tire | Speed (1-8) | Acceleration (0-6) | Weight (0-8) | Handling (0-13) | Off-Road (0-15) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard Normal
|
4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | Default |
 Roller |
1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 5 | Default |
 Monster |
7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 | Default |
 Slim |
3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 5 | Unlockable (random) |
 Slick |
8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Unlockable (random) |
 Sponge |
3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 10 | Unlockable (random) |
