Super Mario Kart received positive reviews and was praised for its presentation, innovation and use of Mode 7 graphics.

Several sequels to Super Mario Kart have been released, for consoles, handhelds and in arcades, each enjoying critical and commercial success.

[4][5] The goal of the game is to either finish a race ahead of other racers, who are controlled by the computer and other players, or complete a circuit in the fastest time.

Power-ups, such as the ability to throw shells and bananas, allow racers to hit others with the objects, causing them to spin and lose control.

If a player finishes in the fifth to eighth position, they are "ranked out" and the race must be replayed – at the cost of one of a limited number of lives – until a placing of fourth or above is achieved.

[5] These powers are specific to each character; for example, Yoshi drops eggs which cause players who hit them to lose coins and spin, while Donkey Kong Jr. throws bananas.

[6] In 2005, Nintendojo called the sprites "not-so-pretty" when they are rendered at a distance, and IGN has commented on the dated look of the game.

[3][16] The course outlines are marked out by impassable barriers and feature a variety of bends ranging from sharp hairpins to wide curves which players can power slide around.

[3] Other features include off-road sections which slow down the karts such as the mud bogs in the Choco Island tracks.

[3] The tracks have received positive commentary, with GameSpy describing them as wonderfully designed and IGN calling them perfect.

All twenty of the original tracks are unlockable as an extra feature in the Game Boy Advance title Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

[27] First seen in F-Zero, Mode 7 is a form of texture mapping available on the SNES which allows a plane to be rotated and scaled freely, achieving a pseudo-three-dimensional appearance.

[28] Retrospective reflection on the Mode 7 visuals was mixed, with IGN stating that the once revolutionary technology now looks "crude and flickery".

[7] Super Mario Kart featured a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) chip; DSPs were used in SNES games as they provided a better handling of floating point calculations to assist with three-dimensional maths.

[46] In Europe, it was the top-selling game during the first quarter of 1993, above the Sega Mega Drive titles Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Streets of Rage 2 during the same period.

[9] Another aspect of the game to have been praised is its gameplay, which Thunderbolt has described as the "deepest [and] most addictive... to be found on the SNES console".

"[52] GamePro said the game "does an excellent job of capturing the thrill of Go-cart racing, and wraps it up in the familiar, fun, Mario-land atmosphere."

"[54] In 1996, Next Generation listed it as number 37 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", commenting that the controls are elegantly designed to offer "supreme fun".

[56] In 1999, Next Generation listed Super Mario Kart as number 7 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "Imitated a thousand times, but never, ever, equalled, Mario Kart changed the rules for the driving game and gave the world one of the most engrossing and addictive two-player experiences ever".

[63] Guinness World Records ranked it at number 1 on a list of the top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.

[66] In 2019, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted Super Mario Kart to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.

[71] The Mario characters have appeared in many sports games including those relating to basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, and association football (soccer).

[72] Super Mario Kart was re-released on the Japanese Virtual Console on June 9, 2009, and later in North America on November 23, 2009.

[73] Previously, when naming it as one of the most wanted games for the platform in November 2008, Eurogamer stated that problems emulating the Mode 7 graphics were responsible for its absence.

Super Mario Odyssey has a remix, when racing an RC car around a track in New Donk City in the Metro Kingdom.

The most recent entry, Mario Kart 8, has remakes of the Donut Plains 3 and Rainbow Road courses, though the latter is only available as downloadable content in the original release.

[84] Although reviewers including IGN and GameSpot felt that the single-player gameplay was lacking compared to its predecessor, the simultaneous four-person multiplayer modes – a first for the Nintendo 64 – were praised.

Like Mario Kart DS, it includes online play; it allows racers to play as user-created Miis (after unlocking the Mii character)[87] as well as Mario series characters and comes packaged with the Wii Wheel peripheral, which can act as the game's primary control mechanism when coupled with a Wii Remote.

The port received universal critical acclaim, and has sold over 61 million copies as of March 2024, becoming the best selling game for the console.

These include the "superpowers" of the computer characters, the feather power-up which allows players to jump high into the air and having a restricted number of lives.