With all this hype around Mario Kart World, I can’t help but reflect on some great kart racers we’ve gotten over the years.

As if go-karts weren’t already fun, the revolutionary Mario Kart franchise married karting with gaming, adding silly and imaginative elements, high-stakes competition, all from the comfort of your couch or local arcade. No gas necessary!

While the Nintendo Switch’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best quirky kart racer yet, the genre’s been around for decades. Feeling nostalgic? Take a walk (or drive) down memory lane and revisit the classic kart racers of yore.

Motor Toon Grand Prix (1996; PS1)

This deep cut is among the first video games I ever played. Despite its impact on my life, I’ve met few others who are even aware of its existence.

At the risk of “but actually”-ing, 1996’s Motor Toon Grand Prix is the second game in the franchise; the first entry was released in Japan only.

Eventually, game director Kazunori Yamauchi applied lessons learned from Motor Toon to pitch and subsequently launch his magnum opus, Gran Turismo.

CTR: Crash Team Racing (1999; PS1)

Fan or not, millennials know Crash Bandicoot walked so modern platformers could run — literally.

After the success of the first three games, the dextrous marsupial dusted off his (fingerless) driving gloves, challenging recognizable franchise antagonists to some high-stakes world-saving races.

Satisfying power slides, the return of familiar obstacles like TNT crates, challenging maps, and Mario Kart-like replayability make this a racing game for the ages.

Looney Tunes: Space Race (2000; Dreamcast)

In this Sega Dreamcast exclusive, players dodge ACME-branded obstacles and clear crashes as one of eight playable Looney Tunes characters.

The game incorporates Mario Kart-like power-ups and weapons that characters can use to take the lead, but keeps the classic cartoon’s zany charm. Instead of nanner peels and mushrooms, drivers swerve around anvils and grand pianos.

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Diddy Kong Racing (1997; N64)

If any racing game can challenge Mario Kart for the throne, it’s Diddy Kong Racing.

The masterpiece Rare release brings quirky vehicles (the hovercraft is the best, you can’t change my mind!) into a vivid, explorable world.

Despite being one of the Nintendo 64’s bestselling games, Nintendo never revisited Diddy Kong Racing. Maybe someday…

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012; Xbox 360/Wii U/PS3)

A direct sequel to Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed brought 24 Sega characters to some very familiar locales.

Dr. Eggman racing against Bayonetta? Sure! B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi going toe-to-toe with unlockable character Danica Patrick? Believe it or not, yeah.

Along with time trials, solo races, and other standard kart-racer fare, gamers get to tackle a mission-based World Tour mode.

Mickey’s Speedway USA (2000; N64)

Mickey’s Speedway USA fuels nostalgia in this underrated kart racer for the Nintendo 64, the console that, in retrospect, dominated the racing game market.

Take classic Disney characters like Mickey, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy through beloved U.S. landmarks like the Grand Canyon as they work to rescue kidnapped pup Pluto from the nefarious (and aptly-named) Weasels.

Kirby Air Ride (2003; GameCube)

Now that we’ve got Kirby Air Riders to look forward to, there’s really no better time than now to revisit Kirby Air Ride.

Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai directed this kart (or star) racer, adding traditional Kirby elements like ability-copying and inhaling.

While our pink protagonist has some special moves at the ready, so do challengers like King Dedede and Meta Knight.

LEGO Racers (1999; PC)

Click your C-shaped hands on that steering wheel and race to No. 1 in LEGO Racers.

Before you zip your way to the podium in Circuit Races, head to Build Mode to customize your own LEGO minifigure racer and craft an equally blocky car to match.

Like many other cartoony kart racers, LEGO Racers throws multiple ante-upping hazards, projectiles, and boosts into the mix.

Banjo-Pilot (2005; GBA)

Despite little fanfare, this relatively unknown Game Boy Advance exclusive is actually the fourth Banjo-Kazooie franchise entry. Rare rocks it, bringing the charm of Diddy Kong Racing to a new IP.

Franchise fans can lead familiar faces like Gruntilda, purple Jinjo, and Mumbo Jumbo through challenging cup races while relishing nostalgic Easter eggs and true-to-franchise Jiggy hunts.

Konami Krazy Racers (2001; GBA)

Krazy Racers, another Game Boy Advance exclusive, pits Konami characters against one another in a series of challenging and quirky courses.

Collect coins as Castlevania‘s Dracula, master maddening maps as Metal Gear Solid‘s Cyborg Ninja, and launch missiles as Mystical Ninja‘s Goemon. Drivers can also uncover hidden courses and unlock new characters.

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