Rainbow Road

The final race where few survive without a fall.

Rainbow Road is a fictional race track that frequently appears in various unique incarnations as a level in the Mario Kart series of kart racing games by Nintendo. It usually serves as the last track in each game and acts as the final race of the Special Cup. This course is customarily among the most difficult to complete because it often features little to no guardrails, leaving players vulnerable to falling off the edges. The track typically includes tight curves, steep slopes, and wavy grounds that challenge even the most skilled drivers across every generation of the franchise.

Quick Facts

Series: Mario Kart
First: Super Mario Kart (1992)
Creator: Nintendo EAD, Nintendo EPD
Genre: Kart racing
Located in: Mushroom Kingdom, Outer space

Lore & Background

Across the Mario Kart series, Rainbow Road has appeared in distinct settings, often set in outer space or high above Earth's atmosphere. In Super Mario Kart, it was the fifth and final course of the Special Cup. The Mario Kart 64 version is inhabited by Chain Chomps and spans an extreme, "tedious" length where guardrails exist but do not prevent falls near tight corners or shortcuts. By Mario Kart DS, the track included a vertical loop and a twisting corkscrew lined with boost pads.

In Mario Kart Wii, racers burn down toward Earth if they fall, featuring Star Bits and a Launch Star climax inspired by Super Mario Galaxy. The Mario Kart 8 version introduced gliding upon solar panels on a space station, explaining the rainbow-colored track suspended in space, with Toads watching from a spacecraft at the start/finish line. The Super Mario Bros. Movie depicted it as a celestial highway where Mario and Donkey Kong were thrown off by a Koopa General's blue shell kamikaze attack.

Reader's Guide

To conquer Rainbow Road, players must master its lack of guardrails, tight curves, steep slopes, and wavy grounds. In Super Mario Kart, it was the closing course; in Mario Kart 64, it allowed a significant shortcut near the starting line despite long length. Mario Kart DS introduced unique vertical loops and corkscrews with boost pads. The Wii version required navigating anti-gravity elements and Launch Stars to avoid burning down to Earth. Mario Kart 8 utilized gliding on solar panels and anti-gravity features across three whole laps, with distant track parts visible ahead. Mario Kart Tour offers "RMX courses" based on the original layout but with new mechanics like bouncy mushroom platforms. For Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Nintendo 64 version was remade to be raced in only one lap due to its size, while the 3DS version from Mario Kart 7 was also adapted.

Did You Know?

According to producer Kosuke Yabuki, the development team's goal for the Mario Kart 8 version was to create a "near-future" aesthetic when anti-gravity controls were added.
A Tesla car's instrument cluster transforms into a colorful path resembling Rainbow Road with a cowbell tune if its autopilot mode is activated four times in quick succession.