Best Of
10 Best Karting Games in (2026)
Karting, or kart racing games, are easily the best ways to pump adrenaline in real life, just as much as in gaming. Nowadays, you’ll find karting simulators that look and play so close to real-life kart racing. Still, kart racers remain the entry point for casual gamers into the racing world.
Their driving physics are easy to master, while their racetrack designs aren’t usually afraid to color outside the lines of what’s deemed normal.
You’ll often dodge obstacles and even fight enemies on track, all while discovering an immersive, most often high-fantasy world. Among the karting games we could find, here are the best karting games you won’t want to miss out on this year.
10. LittleBigPlanet Karting
In LittleBigPlanet Karting, you’re not just racing to grab first place. The Craftworld universe is at stake, and beating the racing challenges is the key to saving it. Many of the environments you’ll race in are drawn from the LittleBigPlanet franchise, as are the characters Sackboy, Sackgirl, and more.
However, the karting spin-off has its perks. It allows you to battle in stunning karting arenas, racing to pick up powerful items that give you an edge. Races are competitive, and the player who nabs the top spot takes home hefty rewards and bragging rights.
9. Disney Speedstorm
Karting games are often violent racers. You’re not just aiming to be the first to cross the finish line but also must avoid massive pits and incoming attacks from opponents. This action-packed thrill couldn’t be any truer than in Disney Speedstorm.
Racing tracks are drawn from Disney and Pixar films, as are the characters. You’ll hop into TRON’s light cycles and skid down snowy, rollercoaster, and horror-themed terrains. Above all, every race feels intense, fun-filled, and satisfying.
8. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
For a long time, Mario and Crash Bandicoot spin-offs dominated the kart racing sub-genre. The two mascots offered the best karting games and adventures. However, the entries died down in later years. However, you can check out 2019’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, which is still relevant today.
It brings back the old Crash Bandicoot karting days but with a fresh coat of paint. The original game modes return, as do the characters, power-ups, weapons, and controls. However, the new entry is bigger and better, adding new karts and tracks. Moreover, you can race against other players, with a global leaderboard keeping track of performance.
7. Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure
When you grow tired of on-track racing, you can check out Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure. It takes racing competitions off-road, and not just the usual murram tracks, but stretching circuits beyond wild imagination. You can race aboard a ship, for instance. Or even in a melting volcano.
From dragon-infested castles to ancient temples and post-apocalyptic ice cream stands, Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure constantly surprises with its crazy, far-fetched ideas.
6. Team Sonic Racing
Besides Mario and Crash Bandicoot, another mascot quite popular in the kart racing scene is Sonic. And, by far, the best Sonic karting is Team Sonic Racing. It’s just as imaginative as Disney Speedstorm. However, it focuses more on teaming up with friends.
You’re tasked with managing your power-ups and speed boosts with friends. While you can choose from three distinct characters with unique skills and abilities, ultimately, it’s how you coordinate on the race tracks that determines whether you win.
5. Shrek Smash N’ Crash Racing
The karting racing sub-genre often dabbles in the fantasy worlds of franchises you know of. Take Shrek Smash N’ Crash Racing, for instance, drawing inspiration from Shrek. However, this option is more for old souls looking to take a trip down memory lane.
In a unique take on the genre, though, rather than hop into karts, Shrek Smash N’ Crash Racing uses mounts. You can knock opponents off their mounts. Or you can use power-ups to close the distance between your fairy-tale character and those far ahead.
It’s definitely a hilarious racing game that will have you belly-laughing. So, even though the game is a bit outdated, it still retains flavor and charm for gamers looking for a good time.
4. KartRider: Drift
Only KartRider: Drift offers a free-to-play, cross-platform, online multiplayer karting gaming experience. It’s a sweet deal that you can consider if you’re curious to see what the sub-genre has to offer.
Not only does KartRider: Drift have an in-depth customization system for your karts and characters, but it also offers varied challenges for picking up the best items and drifting.
3. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
The best karting games this year are incomplete without Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. This upcoming Sonic kart racer takes the intense races to the sea, air, space, and across time. You’ll weave in and out of fantasy worlds via Travel Rings, racing past gigantic dinosaurs and capsizing ships.
It’s a huge feat, of course, for Sonic Team and SEGA to pull off. Yet, we absolutely cannot wait to see the boundaries they manage to break by the launch date scheduled for sometime in 2025.
2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been the dominant force in the modern-day kart racing space. It’s the breadth and wealth of the content on offer that is the most attractive quality about this entry. The Mushroom Kingdom is far more expansive, stretching into the deep seas, into the sky, upside down, and more.
Game modes are deeply varied, too, while the item power-ups never cease to give you flashy ways to beat the competition.
1. Kart Evolution
You can play with up to 39 friends in Kart Evolution, a game that describes itself as the first-ever true MMO kart racer. It’ll launch in the second quarter of 2025 and promises to capture 150 years of racing in a game in one gaming session.
The expectations are high. I mean, being able to race in machines as old as the 1970s is tantalizing. Gradually, you’ll work your way up, unlocking more advanced machines that propel you to the top of the leaderboards.
