Cup



A cup is a representation of a certain number of courses in the Mario Kart series. In Super Mario Kart, a cup consists of five courses, whereas in the later games, the number was reduced to four (due to the single tracks being longer). When racing the Grand Prix mode, players race through all the tracks from a cup. Cups are usually named after items from the Mario franchise, e.g., the Mushroom Cup and the Star Cup. The names are not associated with the tracks in the cups, so consequently cup names reappear throughout the series, hosting different tracks. The cups in the arcade Mario Kart games contain only two courses each and are named after the playable characters, aside from the Rainbow Cup. In Mario Kart Tour, cups are named after the playable characters but contain three courses and a bonus challenge. Courses in a character's cup will be treated as a favored or favorite course for that character.

In Super Mario Strikers, a cup consists of a number of matches against varying enemies. Each cup has more enemies than the last, and thus, there are more rounds played. The table system is used. Players score three points when winning, one when losing by a Golden Goal, and zero when losing. In the end, the player with the most points wins. The Bowser Cup features semifinals and finals after the regular phase is over. The unlockable Super Cups are the same as the original cups but with no Rookie setting available and return matches.

In Super Nintendo World's Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, attendees race in a cup known as the Golden Cup which is also known as the Universal Cup.

Mario Kart Tour
Contrasting to other Mario Kart games, cups in Mario Kart Tour are not always available but rotate with every tour. Cups consist of three race courses (always different) and a bonus challenge. The corresponding character is also granted a boost and ranks higher in each race course.

Trivia

 * In Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the player can rotate the cup manually by controlling the Circle Pad/ Control Stick.