The latest game in the series, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, was released on the Nintendo Switch in October 2020.

Players can perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts, slipstreaming, drifting and mini-turbos.

These power-ups vary across games in the series, but generally include Mushrooms to give players a speed boost, Red/Green Shells to be thrown at opponents, Banana Peels and hazards such as Fake Item Boxes.

The game selects an item based on the player's current position in the race, utilising a mechanism known as rubber banding.

Nintendo Power named it one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes and the entertainment value.

Guinness World Records ranked Super Mario Kart number 1 of the top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.

[17] Mario Kart: Double Dash is the second-best-selling GameCube game (next to Super Smash Bros. Melee) with 6.96 million copies sold.

[29] It is the highest-selling Nintendo Switch game[30] with a total of 67.35 million copies worldwide, outperforming the Wii U version.

[33] MariCar's English website warned customers not to throw "banana peels" or "red turtle shells".

[33] Nintendo argued that the MariCar name was "intended to be mistaken for or confused with" Mario Kart, citing games commonly known by abbreviations in Japan, such as Pokémon (for Pocket Monsters) and Sumabura (Super Smash Bros.).

In January 2017, the Japan Patent Office dismissed the objection, ruling that MariCar was not widely recognized as an abbreviation of Mario Kart.

Utilizing innovative augmented reality technology and dark ride set design, guests travel through several environments from Mario Kart 8, including Rainbow Road.

[35] The Bowser's Challenge ride is also expected to be built in Epic Universe's version of Super Nintendo World.

[36] Starting with its 2018–19 season, electric open wheel racing series Formula E added a so-called "attack mode", which allows a driver to gain a temporary speed boost if they take an alternate lane (highlighted on television via augmented reality computer graphics).

The concept has been described by members of the press and by series CEO Alejandro Agag as inspired by Mario Kart.