Here are all the guides, tips, and strategies to enjoy playing Super Mario Kart with unlockables and cheats.
Unlockables
Special Cup Tracks
Win the Gold Cup in the Mushroom, Flower, and Star Cups in 100cc difficulty.
150cc
Obtain the Gold Cup in the Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups on 100cc difficulty.
Cheats
The game is enjoyable by itself, but cheating makes it even better.
Special Cup
In Time Trial mode or 2P Match Race mode, place the cursor on the Mushroom Cup, then press the following button combinations:
- L, R, L, R, L, L, R, R, A
Continue After Losing (Battle Mode)
When you’re at your last balloon, hop over a banana peel. After the screen darkens and the music changes, you’ll still be able to drive your kart. You can even use items. However, the glitch stops working if you stop your kart.
Skip Laps Glitch
The ability to skip laps only works on courses with walls of blocks to the left or the right of the starting line. When a race begins, start driving to the right of the line and ram it with your kart, on the same line that the start/finish is.
This lets you warp ahead multiple laps at random speed depending on where you ram the wall. It helps to hop while ramming the wall and aim for the center of the segment in line with the wall.
Ghost Valley course
When the race begins, drive a bit forward from the starting line, then make a U-turn and head back. As you approach the starting line, hop off to the right side (from your perspective), fall, and “die” behind the starting line.
Lakitu will grab you back up, and drag you forward past the finish line. This results in the game glitching and thinking you have done a whole lap. You can only do this every other lap.
Bowser’s Castle course
Obtain a Feather item, then drive slightly ahead of the starting line and make a U-turn. Once you reach the line, back up to the side of the track, somewhat in front of the starting line.
Make sure to drive and leap over the lava at the edge of the track onto the stony area that lay beyond it using the Feather. Of course, make sure you land behind the starting line.
Lakitu will grab you back up and drag you to the track. This results in the game glitching and thinking you have done a whole lap.
Vanilla Island course
Obtain a Feather item, then drive around the course like usual. As you pass the starting line, begin a hard drift toward the out-of-bounds area on the outer edge of the course.
As you approach the wall bounding course, use the Feather. With tight enough drifting, you will leap up over the wall to the out-of-bounds area and back in without Lakitu needing to drag you back to the course. Cross the finish line once again to get the extra lap.
Rainbow Road course
Obtain a Feather item, and drive around the course like usual. As you get close to the finish line, drift hard toward the left so that you almost fall off and are nearly perpendicular to the course when completing the lap.
Immediately use the Feather to hop into the air and back behind the finish line before “dying.” Lakitu will then pick you up and drag you back to the course, giving you an extra lap count.
Unlimited Mushroom Boosts
When you receive a Mushroom item, approach a wall on any track, preferably one with corners and juts. As you start moving towards it, release B to decelerate, press A to use the Mushroom, then use L/R to hop “into” the wall.
Once you bump the wall, hold L/R to maintain the boost. It will go on indefinitely as long as you don’t hit anything else throughout the course.
Small Racer
In the Character Select screen, on racing mode, hold Y and push A to make your character become small. This has no effect on speed and will make it so your opponents can run you over to slow you down. If you want to reset your size, hold Y and push A once again.
Ghost Sprites in Battle Courses
When playing Battle Mode with other players, obtain the Feather item. Once earned, use it to jump off the course. If you fall far enough, Lakitu will drag you back to the course but you will remain invisible on your opponent’s screen, with only your balloons in view. This makes it far more difficult to find you.
Tips & Tricks
Speed Boost
At the start of a race, press and hold the acceleration button just before the second light glows to receive a boost of speed. It has a good chance of putting you in 1st place right from the get-go.
Extra Continue
Finish three races in the same place.
Swap Screens
With a second controller, hold L and R, then select 1 player. Keep holding L and R until you reach the character select screen. When you enter a race, the screens will be swapped.
Camera Pan (Time Trial mode)
In Time Trial mode, finish the race without any mistakes. When the replay clip that reviews your race starts playing, press L or R to make the camera pan around your character.
Race Ghost Driver (Time Trial mode)
In Time Trial mode, select 1P, then on the character select screen, press START on the 2nd controller. This will open a character select window for COM. Pick the racer for the COM, and you will start racing a ghost driver.
Super Mario Kart is a kart racing game developed by Nintendo and released exclusively for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992.