Overview

Mario Kart DS arrived on November 14, 2005 in North America and became an immediate landmark in the series. It was the first Mario Kart — and one of the first major Nintendo games — to feature online multiplayer through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, letting players race each other across the world from their DS handhelds.

The game introduced the Retro Grand Prix: four additional cups containing 16 courses remade from previous Mario Kart games (Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!). This format has appeared in every Mario Kart game since, making MKDS the origin of one of the series’ defining features.

The DS’s top screen shows the full 3D race while the bottom touchscreen acts as a map displaying all racers’ positions. The game runs at 60fps and the technical achievement on DS hardware drew widespread praise at launch. It was later re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in April 2015.

Gameplay

Mario Kart DS plays standard kart racing rules: 8 racers, 3 laps per course, items from item boxes. The classic difficulty modes of 50cc, 100cc and 150cc all return, along with Mirror Mode (unlockable). Grand Prix consists of 8 cups of 4 courses each.

Drifting and Mini-Turbos: Holding the drift button while turning builds a charge — release it at the right moment for a Mini-Turbo boost. Skilled use of drifting is central to fast lap times, especially on twisting courses like Waluigi Pinball and Rainbow Road.

Slipstreaming: Following closely behind another racer for a set duration triggers a speed boost — rewarding aggressive close racing.

Rocket Start: Pressing the accelerator at exactly the right moment during the countdown gives a rocket-powered launch from the starting grid.

Kart stats: Every kart has six rated stats — Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling, Drift and Items. The Items stat is unique to MKDS: karts with a higher Items rating are more likely to receive rare or powerful items from item boxes. This stat was removed from later games in the series.

Battle Mode offers Balloon Battle (pop opponents’ balloons) and Shine Runners (collect Shine Sprites) across 6 battle stages — 4 new stages plus Block Fort and Pipe Plaza from Mario Kart 64.

Characters

The game has 12 playable characters — 8 default and 4 unlockable. The starting 8 are the exact same lineup as Mario Kart 64 and Super Circuit. Two unlockables (Daisy and Waluigi) return from Double Dash!!, while Dry Bones and R.O.B. make their Mario Kart debuts. Shy Guy is also playable but only in DS Download Play matches.

Default Characters

MarioMediumB Dasher

LuigiMediumPoltergust 4000

PeachMediumRoyale

YoshiLightEgg 1

ToadLightMushmellow

DKHeavyRambi Rider

WarioHeavyBrute

BowserHeavyTyrant

Unlockable Characters

DaisyLightLight Tripper

Dry BonesLightDry Bomber

WaluigiMediumGold Mantis

R.O.B.HeavyROB-BLS

Shy Guy is playable only in DS Download Play mode, sharing Yoshi’s stats.

Courses

Mario Kart DS has 32 courses across 8 cups. The first 4 cups (Nitro Grand Prix) are all-new tracks; the final 4 (Retro Grand Prix) bring back 16 courses from previous Mario Kart games — a feature the series has included in every game since. Courses marked ◉ Wi-Fi were available for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online play.

Nitro Grand Prix — New Courses

🍄 Mushroom Cup

1. Figure-8 Circuit ◉
2. Yoshi Falls
3. Cheep Cheep Beach ◉
4. Luigi’s Mansion

🌸 Flower Cup

1. Desert Hills
2. Delfino Square ◉
3. Waluigi Pinball ◉
4. Shroom Ridge

⭐ Star Cup

1. DK Pass
2. Tick-Tock Clock
3. Mario Circuit ◉
4. Airship Fortress

👑 Special Cup

1. Wario Stadium ◉
2. Peach Gardens
3. Bowser Castle
4. Rainbow Road

Retro Grand Prix — Classic Courses New to series

🐚 Shell Cup

1. SNES Mario Circuit 1 ◉
2. N64 Moo Moo Farm ◉
3. GBA Peach Circuit
4. GCN Luigi Circuit ◉

🍌 Banana Cup

1. SNES Donut Plains 1
2. N64 Frappe Snowland ◉
3. GBA Bowser Castle 2
4. GCN Baby Park

🍃 Leaf Cup

1. SNES Koopa Beach 2
2. N64 Choco Mountain
3. GBA Luigi Circuit
4. GCN Mushroom Bridge

⚡ Lightning Cup

1. SNES Choco Island 2 ◉
2. N64 Banshee Boardwalk
3. GBA Sky Garden
4. GCN Yoshi Circuit

Battle Stages

Battle mode — one of 6 stages

The 6 battle stages are: Nintendo DS (new), Twilight House (new), Palm Shore (new), Tart Top (new), Block Fort (from MK64), and Pipe Plaza (from MK64).

Items

Mario Kart DS returns the classic item roster and introduces three new items. Each kart has an Items stat that affects the probability of receiving rare items — a mechanic unique to this game in the series.

Bullet Bill ⭐ NEWTransforms the player into a Bullet Bill — the computer takes control and automatically blasts through opponents, catching up with the pack. One of the most dramatic items in Mario Kart history.

Blooper ⭐ NEWSprays ink across the screens of all racers ahead of you, partially obscuring their view. Difficult to drive through — one of the most devious items in the game.

MushroomA single speed boost. Triple Mushrooms give three. Mega Mushroom (also new to MKDS) briefly enlarges your kart, letting you squash opponents flat.

The full item roster also includes: Green Shell, Red Shell, Triple Green Shells, Triple Red Shells, Banana, Triple Bananas, Bob-omb (returning from classic Mario), Blue Spiny Shell, Lightning, Star, Fake Item Box, and POW Block.

Mission Mode

Mission Mode is a brand-new addition to the Mario Kart series, absent from all previous games. It presents a series of specific challenges with time limits — tasks such as driving a course backwards, hitting a certain number of item boxes, collecting coins, driving through gates in order, or performing tricks. There are 7 levels of missions, each containing 7 tasks plus a boss fight at the end.

The boss fights are one-on-one races against a specific character that must be beaten before progressing to the next level. Bosses include Big Bully, King Boo, Eyerok, Goomboss, Chief Chilly and Bowser (fought twice at different difficulty levels). Completing all missions on all levels with high grades unlocks additional content.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection — Online Play

Mario Kart DS was a flagship launch game for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection — Nintendo’s first major online service. It allowed up to 4 players worldwide to race simultaneously, a first for the Mario Kart series and a landmark moment for Nintendo’s online ambitions.

Sixteen specific courses were available for Wi-Fi play (marked in the course list above). Online matches did have some limitations compared to local play: only up to 4 players rather than 8, no multi-item holding, items couldn’t be dragged behind the kart, and the item roulette couldn’t be stopped early.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was shut down globally in May 2014, ending official online play for the game. The service ran for nearly 9 years, making it one of the longest-lived console online services of its era.

Local wireless play supports up to 8 players simultaneously, and DS Download Play allows players without the game card to join using only a downloaded version — with Shy Guy available as their character.

Reception

Mario Kart DS received widespread critical acclaim on release. Reviewers praised the course variety, the Retro Grand Prix concept, the technical achievement of running at 60fps on the DS, and the online multiplayer as a genuine step forward for Nintendo. The main criticisms centred on minor limitations in the online mode — small player counts and occasional disconnection issues. Despite those caveats, multiple publications declared it the best game in the series to that point.

Merchandise & Collectibles

Mario Kart DS inspired a significant range of physical merchandise, particularly in Japan and Europe. Here’s what was produced:

Remote Control Car

Licensed Nintendo Mario Kart DS remote-controlled cars featuring the game’s characters and karts. These were widely available in toy shops across Europe and North America following the game’s 2005 release.

Carrera GO!!! Slot Car Sets

German toy manufacturer Carrera produced full Mario Kart DS–branded electric slot car racing sets (1:43 scale). Sets #62038, #62185 and #62206 featured Mario’s B Dasher and Wario’s Brute on full figure-8 track layouts with two controllers and a power supply.

Carrera Pull & Speed Die-Cast

Carrera also produced standalone 1:43 scale pull-back die-cast cars — the B Dasher (Mario), Royale (Peach) and Brute (Wario) were available individually. Wind up and release for a burst across the floor. Widely available in European toy shops.

NKOK Super Race Set

American toy brand NKOK produced licensed Mario Kart DS racing sets and remote-controlled cars in 2008. These targeted the mainstream toy market with Mario Kart DS branding and featured multiple characters from the game.

Beyond these dedicated merchandise lines, Mario Kart DS characters and karts appeared in various other collectible series including Yujin gashapon pull-back capsule toys (2005), McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, trading card sets, and official Club Nintendo promotional items.

Trivia & Facts

• Mario Kart DS is the first Mario Kart game with online multiplayer — and one of the first major Nintendo games online at all, via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
• It introduced the Retro Grand Prix — 4 cups of remade classic courses — which has appeared in every Mario Kart game since.
• The 8 default characters are the same as in Mario Kart 64 (1996) and Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001), in the same order.
• R.O.B. (the Robot Operating Buddy peripheral from the 1985 NES launch) makes his Mario Kart debut as a playable character — the only appearance of an actual Nintendo hardware accessory as a racer.
• Dry Bones also makes his Mario Kart debut here, going on to appear in several later games.
• The Bullet Bill item — which transforms the player into an auto-piloted Bullet Bill — is unique to this game. It was not brought back in later entries.
• The Items kart stat (affecting which items you receive) is unique to Mario Kart DS and was never carried forward to another game in the series.
• Mission Mode — where players complete specific timed tasks and boss fights — was introduced here and has never returned in any later Mario Kart game.
• Tick-Tock Clock is based on the level of the same name from Super Mario 64. Airship Fortress is based on the airship levels from Super Mario Bros. 3. Desert Hills recreates World 2 of SMB3 complete with Angry Sun.
• Waluigi Pinball is widely considered one of the best tracks in Mario Kart history — a giant pinball machine complete with bumpers, flippers and rolling pinballs.
• Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for Mario Kart DS officially ended in May 2014 after nearly 9 years of service.
• The game was the highest-rated DS game on Gamestats with a 9.2 average as of December 2006.

Videos

Links

On Super Luigi Bros

External Resources