Mario Kart World's soundtrack is fantastic – here are the best songs
The music soundtrack for Mario Kart World is a masterpiece but these are the very best music tracks to keep an ear out for.
The most welcome surprise to come out of Mario Kart World has not been its open world or bizarre new roster of playable racers, but its phenomenal soundtrack.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was no slouch in that department either, but according to Nintendo itself, Mario Kart World boasts more the 200 different pieces of music.
This includes not just wholly original songs made for Mario Kart World, but a mountain of remixes of tracks from older Mario Kart games, as well as the entire Super Mario franchise in general.
Ranking all of them, like we did with the tracks, is too much of an undertaking, especially since there's no in-game jukebox or list confirming exactly which songs are included, but we can certainly tell you what our favourites are…
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
It was a wise decision to open Mario Kart World with one of its best songs. The moment you boot up the game, you are met with this incredible fusion of guitars and harmonica that gets the blood pumping for your upcoming races, but also captures the exciting vibes of a long road trip with friends, which perfectly suits the new Knockout Tours.
Madness does Mario is the best way we can describe this surprising ska rendition of the Athletic Theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. This song's been a common nostalgic throwback for years and this lively rendition shows why it keeps being brought back.
Despite being a fan favourite song, the theme for Dire Dire Docks has rarely, if ever received new arrangements from Nintendo. Possibly because it took nearly 30 years to make this version so perfect. It's so atmospheric that it has us yearning for an official big band cover of the entire Super Mario 64 entire soundtrack.
There is a concerning lack of Donkey Kong related content in Mario Kart World, that'll hopefully be rectified with post-launch updates, but he at least gets his own track and not only is it very unique, being a space station rather than a typical jungle, but it's got one of the best tunes in the game.
Since the track itself is based on the original Donkey Kong arcade game, it's only fitting it be inspired by its music. But what was a very repetitive chip tune has been transformed into a big band medley that uses different instruments for each section of the race.
As far as we can tell, this is the only other Donkey Kong related piece of music on Mario Kart World's soundtrack. Fortunately, it's a new rendition of arguably the most iconic song in DK's long history.
Sometimes known as Jungle Hijinx, this song has been synonymous with Nintendo's great ape since its debut in Donkey Kong Country and this rendition is undoubtedly its jazziest yet. We can only hope more DK music is added in the future.
Boo Cinema is one of our favourite new tracks in Mario Kart World, so how appropriate that it has one of the best songs too. Previous melodies for ghost themed Mario Kart tracks tended to prioritise being spooky, but this one manages to achieve that while also being energetic enough that you can bop your head to it.
Super Mario Galaxy's full orchestral score remains one of the best video game soundtracks ever and while the original Gusty Garden Galaxy suited the grandeur of a space odyssey, this remix makes perfect use of electric guitars and horn instruments to match the chaotic excitement of Mario Kart.
Moo Moo Meadows is already perfect as is, but we're still surprised to hear its fantastic music get even better in Mario Kart World. While it's not so drastically different to be unrecognisable, the enhanced violins breathe new life into the song so it keeps pace with the rest of the soundtrack.
Super Mario Odyssey's main theme song was already a banger and, even without the lyrics, this revised version perfectly fits racing down city roads to the finish line or just casually roaming the open world. We've heard this song during the Mushroom Cup's Crown City course in Grand Prix and those introductory notes always leave us grinning.
We're including this one almost entirely for how much of a deep cut it is. Flipnote Studio was a free app for the Nintendo DSi that's long since been defunct and let you draw digital flipbook-style animations, with this song made to promote a competition for the Super Mario Bros. franchise's 25th anniversary. More Trending
The original's a quaint little ditty with big preschool show energy that only lasts about 30 seconds, but Mario Kart World turns it into a much catchier jazz number that more than justifies its extended length.
We're cheating with this once since it's technically not part of the soundtrack, but we'd be remiss not to acknowledge one of Nintendo's longest running Easter eggs that's since been discovered by fans.
For those who don't know, Totaka's Song is a short melody by veteran Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka. This little ditty is typically hidden in games he's worked on, and fans have now found it in Mario Kart World.
It can be hard to make out, but if you hang over Yoshi on the character select screen, the dinosaur will start humming the tune. Appropriate considering Totaka has been the voice of Yoshi since the 90s.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
MORE: How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more
MORE: All 96 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks ranked from worst to best
MORE: I'm going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader's Feature
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is the worst modern video game?
The Wednesday letters page is fascinated by the awfulness of MindsEye, as one reader manages to 100% Mario Kart World with relative ease. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Worst of the Worst I'd find all this coverage of MindsEye hilarious if it wasn't probably going to end up with hundreds of people being made redundant, again. It does truly sound very bad, which got me think of whether it was the worst of this and the previous gen? That's hard to say because most people don't play a lot of really bad games but looking on Wikipedia I tried to get an idea for the front runners. I discounted some, like Warcraft 3: Reforged and Cyberpunk 2077, because they were basically just broken at launch and aren't bad games when fixed. I also discounted The Day Before because it only lasted a few days and there's only a handful of reviews. That leaves Balan Wonderworld, Babylon's Fall, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. I don't really know anything about Balan Wonderworld, other than it's by the creator of Sonic (what is it with creators of famous games going onto make complete rubbish?). Babylon's Fall I have played though, because I'm a fan of Platinum, and it really is pretty bad. But more insanely repetitive rather than completely broken. I haven't played Gollum, but I did watch (well, skipped through) a playthrough and it seems to me that best fits the description of worst modern game ever. A terrible idea, terrible graphics, and bad, repetitive gameplay. Could GC comment, since you have presumably played these. Purple Ranger GC: We'd say it was probably Gollum, out of those suggestions. Silent Hill Ascension was pretty dreadful too, as another contender. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Unholy grail It is fascinating to see a game as bad as MindsEye being released in this day and age. I thought it was practically impossible for a big budget game to be that bad, beyond having a broken launch due to technical issues. But MindsEye seems to be the real deal: a genuinely terrible game that was designed that way. The fact that the producer of the most successful video game ever is behind only makes it more fascinating. I agree that they must've been working to some kind of deadline, that forced the game to come out right now, but that has very clearly done more harm than good. Whatever Everywhere was supposed to be I don't think we're going to see it now. Cranston Spend to save If there is one good thing to come out of slogging my way through the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour 'game' it's that it taught me my poor eyesight cannot see the difference between 30fps and 120fps. The advantage of this, of course, is not feeling the need to ever upgrade to a 120Hz television, £7.99 (potentially saving me hundreds) well spent. Happy days! Now back to playing Cyberpunk 2077 and being mainly oblivious to any frame rate dips. Elliott Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Mission complete So I've just got the final Knockout Tour in mirror mode 3-starred, bringing me 'complete' in the game… I'm in the same boat as others with the open world hub part of the game, so apart from a few people that may want to play online, I'm done with the game until the inevitable 200cc comes out. I will say I had a blast, and a few sweary moments (especially in Knockout – that is more like a hardcore mode to get all three stars!) but it was far too short. I'm very glad (as the current state of the game is) I had it bundled with the console, as I would not have been impressed with the price they were asking for physical – and that includes not even using the console for two days since launch… whereas I still haven't 3-starred all cups on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet! Johngene (NN ID) 13 year sabbatical I know exactly how the player who lost 20 years of his Pokémon during a system transfer feels! In mid-2005, I had a faulty GAME GameCube Memory Card delete my save file when transferring to/from Pokémon Sapphire/Pokémon Coliseum. I, too, couldn't be bothered to start all over again, so left the franchise and got into Custom Robo: Arena. I did get into contact with GAME and Nintendo, but no one helped. I didn't play a Pokémon game again until 2020, with Let's Go, Eevee! and the others that followed. LeighDappa Retro hunter Amazing at what you can come across when you're walking outside of CeX. Only one of the rarest PlayStation 2 games to exist to this day. I've called for a remake beforehand, so I'll refrain from repeating myself. I truly wish so much that this game was better reviewed. It has the narrative to push through the game, but it lacks the gameplay to match it. I actually count myself quite lucky, in some accord. I've also come across copies of Forbidden Siren 2, which if you ask anyone who's a child or a millennial, they most likely have never heard of this game or even know the original had a sequel. I also found Haunting Ground from Capcom, which I deeply pray is remade. We don't need Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, we need Haunting Ground in Unreal Engine 5. I've also found Silent Hill for PlayStation 1, which is due to be remade in just time, and now Rule Of Rose for PlayStation 2. I always thought, due to the rarity of these games, I'd never come across or gaze upon a single copy of these titles. I've seen a fair few now. That's just some luck. Not many can say that. The craziest thing is, in my honest opinion, I've come across Rule Of Rose before. I've even seen a copy of Project Zero 3: The Tormented in person. That's truly crazy. Especially when Rule Of Rose is rarer, more heavily priced, and more of an addition to a retro gaming collection. Funny how life works. Shahzaib Sadiq Transfer error To restore Pokémon save files from a Nintendo Switch to a Nintendo Switch 2, you'll need to perform a system transfer or use Pokémon Home. System transfer will move your user profile, game data (including Pokémon save data for some games), and other settings. Pokémon Home, a separate service, allows you to transfer Pokémon between compatible games and store them in the cloud. Anthony GC: The person in question didn't seem to use Pokémon Home and the whole problem occurred because of a fault in the system transfer. Games of the year Although I won't pretend that I don't use it from time to time, I do think Metacritic is useless for comparisons between games. It's fine for seeing what the overall response for a game is, and getting all the reviews in one place, but the second you start making lists or comparing one game to the next it all falls apart. I'm sure they do their best to compensate but there's just no point comparing one game that got 150 reviews with another that got six. But that happens time and again with indie games, and a lot of these new Switch 2 games that people haven't had time to review yet. Zelda is a bad example, because of course they're 10/10 classics, but it's still pointless, from a mathematic point of view, trying to compare their score to anything else with a normal amount of reviews. I also agree with GC's rules for its Top 20 of the year, where they automatically discount remasters and remakes and ports. These aren't supposed to be lists of the best games ever, they're the best of the year and we should be celebrating new blood and exciting new IP. Zelda doesn't need the extra promotion or the sales but indie games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince do. So yeah, they're my games of the year, not something that came out eight years ago. Casper Inbox also-ransI've just received an email about a digital game I have downloaded, called Dark and Darker, which is being removed from my game library! This is why I like to buy physical versions on disc, with the whole game on the disc. Andrew J. Nobody is going to buy that rebranded ROG Ally handheld. Practically nobody bought the original, so I cannot even begin to understand what Xbox is thinking right now. Or, as others have pointed out, since the Xbox 360 era. Johnson More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: What is the second best Nintendo Switch 2 game? MORE: Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass? MORE: Games Inbox: Is Nintendo the best video game company ever?
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Mario Kart World's soundtrack is fantastic – here are the best songs
The music soundtrack for Mario Kart World is a masterpiece but these are the very best music tracks to keep an ear out for. The most welcome surprise to come out of Mario Kart World has not been its open world or bizarre new roster of playable racers, but its phenomenal soundtrack. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was no slouch in that department either, but according to Nintendo itself, Mario Kart World boasts more the 200 different pieces of music. This includes not just wholly original songs made for Mario Kart World, but a mountain of remixes of tracks from older Mario Kart games, as well as the entire Super Mario franchise in general. Ranking all of them, like we did with the tracks, is too much of an undertaking, especially since there's no in-game jukebox or list confirming exactly which songs are included, but we can certainly tell you what our favourites are… Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. It was a wise decision to open Mario Kart World with one of its best songs. The moment you boot up the game, you are met with this incredible fusion of guitars and harmonica that gets the blood pumping for your upcoming races, but also captures the exciting vibes of a long road trip with friends, which perfectly suits the new Knockout Tours. Madness does Mario is the best way we can describe this surprising ska rendition of the Athletic Theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. This song's been a common nostalgic throwback for years and this lively rendition shows why it keeps being brought back. Despite being a fan favourite song, the theme for Dire Dire Docks has rarely, if ever received new arrangements from Nintendo. Possibly because it took nearly 30 years to make this version so perfect. It's so atmospheric that it has us yearning for an official big band cover of the entire Super Mario 64 entire soundtrack. There is a concerning lack of Donkey Kong related content in Mario Kart World, that'll hopefully be rectified with post-launch updates, but he at least gets his own track and not only is it very unique, being a space station rather than a typical jungle, but it's got one of the best tunes in the game. Since the track itself is based on the original Donkey Kong arcade game, it's only fitting it be inspired by its music. But what was a very repetitive chip tune has been transformed into a big band medley that uses different instruments for each section of the race. As far as we can tell, this is the only other Donkey Kong related piece of music on Mario Kart World's soundtrack. Fortunately, it's a new rendition of arguably the most iconic song in DK's long history. Sometimes known as Jungle Hijinx, this song has been synonymous with Nintendo's great ape since its debut in Donkey Kong Country and this rendition is undoubtedly its jazziest yet. We can only hope more DK music is added in the future. Boo Cinema is one of our favourite new tracks in Mario Kart World, so how appropriate that it has one of the best songs too. Previous melodies for ghost themed Mario Kart tracks tended to prioritise being spooky, but this one manages to achieve that while also being energetic enough that you can bop your head to it. Super Mario Galaxy's full orchestral score remains one of the best video game soundtracks ever and while the original Gusty Garden Galaxy suited the grandeur of a space odyssey, this remix makes perfect use of electric guitars and horn instruments to match the chaotic excitement of Mario Kart. Moo Moo Meadows is already perfect as is, but we're still surprised to hear its fantastic music get even better in Mario Kart World. While it's not so drastically different to be unrecognisable, the enhanced violins breathe new life into the song so it keeps pace with the rest of the soundtrack. Super Mario Odyssey's main theme song was already a banger and, even without the lyrics, this revised version perfectly fits racing down city roads to the finish line or just casually roaming the open world. We've heard this song during the Mushroom Cup's Crown City course in Grand Prix and those introductory notes always leave us grinning. We're including this one almost entirely for how much of a deep cut it is. Flipnote Studio was a free app for the Nintendo DSi that's long since been defunct and let you draw digital flipbook-style animations, with this song made to promote a competition for the Super Mario Bros. franchise's 25th anniversary. More Trending The original's a quaint little ditty with big preschool show energy that only lasts about 30 seconds, but Mario Kart World turns it into a much catchier jazz number that more than justifies its extended length. We're cheating with this once since it's technically not part of the soundtrack, but we'd be remiss not to acknowledge one of Nintendo's longest running Easter eggs that's since been discovered by fans. For those who don't know, Totaka's Song is a short melody by veteran Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka. This little ditty is typically hidden in games he's worked on, and fans have now found it in Mario Kart World. It can be hard to make out, but if you hang over Yoshi on the character select screen, the dinosaur will start humming the tune. Appropriate considering Totaka has been the voice of Yoshi since the 90s. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more MORE: All 96 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks ranked from worst to best MORE: I'm going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader's Feature
Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
Bungie delays Marathon to next year - developers only found out today
The makers of Destiny have announced that beleaguered online shooter Marathon is to be delayed beyond this autumn, in Sony's latest live service disaster. It's been predicted for some time now, given the poor response to its various playtests, but developer Bungie has now confirmed that Marathon will miss its previously announced release date of September 23. The extraction shooter has been widely criticised for not being as challenging as leading genre titles such as Escape From Tarkov but at the same time being too much for casual fans, effectively pleasing no one. Bungie has acknowledged this, saying: 'We know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion.' There's no new release date but with no more news updates planned until the autumn, it seems to have missed its chance to launch in 2025. 'The Alpha test created an opportunity for us to calibrate and focus the game on what will make it uniquely compelling – survival under pressure, mystery and lore around every corner, raid-like endgame challenges, and Bungie's genre-defining FPS [first person shooter] combat,' reads the official annoucement. 'We're using this time to empower the team to create the intense, high-stakes experience that a title like Marathon is built around. This means deepening the relationship between the developers and the game's most important voices: our players.' More closed tests are planned 'over the next few months', with Bungie focusing on 'upping the survival game' with new loot and more challenging AI encounters, in an attempt to make combat 'more tense and strategic'. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. They're also promising a better experience for solo and duo players, as well as proximity chat. The visuals will also be improved, with a darker tone that 'delivers on the themes of the original trilogy.' The original three Marathon games were Mac exclusives, released in the mid-90s, before Bungie hit it big with Halo. Although there's no formal connection with the Xbox games, the gameplay and multiplayer modes are similar, with the concept of AI rampancy shared between both series. At the moment, there's little obvious connection between the new Marathon and the old ones, while there's been considerable controversy over Bungie plagiarising an online artist for the game's distinctive art style. Although Bungie is currently owned by Sony the game is intended to be released simultaneously on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. More Trending Marathon is the latest in a long line of live service failures for Sony, who once claimed they would release at least 10 such titles by 2026. The only success they've ever had is Helldivers 2, with everything else either being delayed or cancelled – with Concord being the most infamous failure. Despite so many disasters, Sony has repeatedly insisted that live service titles will remain a major focus, at the continuing costs of its single-player output. Since Sony acquired Bungie to not only make its own live service games, but to help advise on other studios' titles, the continued problems have raised concerns about the future of Bungie itself. Poor management has consistently been blamed for the problems at Bungie, with Forbes contributor Paul Tassi suggesting that many Bungie developers only found out about the Marathon delay at the same time as fans. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Xbox AMD deal confirms next gen home and portable consoles are coming soon MORE: Xbox ROG Ally handheld prices could be as high as £800 claims leaker MORE: The highest rated Metacritic game of 2025 actually came out in 2023
