Mario Kart DS is a Nintendo DS game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the fifth installment of the Mario Kart series and the second game for a handheld console, featuring for the first time an online multiplayer mode employing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, as well as including a mission mode. It also features a map that displays the objects and characters present throughout the courses, making use of the DS's bottom screen.

Mario Kart DS has been generally well received, especially because of innovations such as the online mode. As such, Mario Kart DS has earned various awards and acknowledgments.

Drivers

A total of twelve characters (thirteen including Shy Guy) take part in the fifth installment of the Mario Kart series. Eight can be chosen at the beginning, but the player must win gold trophies in Grand Prix mode to unlock more characters:(Daisy, Dry Bones, Walugi, R.O.B.)

Starting drivers

Unlockable drivers

Unlock Criteria

Download Play Only

• 
  Shy Guy
  Light
  Weight: 30
  Off-Road: 98
  New Driver

  

Supporting Characters

Other characters play supporting roles in Mario Kart DS. Lakitu makes his return and follows the same rules except for counting down to the start of the race. Piantas cheer for the racers during gameplay as well.

Controls

Menu Controls

•  - Move
•  - Make Selection
•  - Go Back One Screen
•  - Tap Selection

Race Controls

•  - Accelerate/Rocket Start (hold at 2 during the countdown before the race starts)
•  - Brake/Reverse
• / - Use current Item/Stop Item Roulette
•  - Steer
•  - Throw items backward or forward.
•  - Hop/Powerslide/Drift (Hold)/Mini-Turbo (Release)
• / - Change Map View (does not work in Mission Mode)
•  - Pause/Resume Game
•  - Blow Balloon (Balloon Battle), Toggle arrows/mushrooms on/off (Time Trial)
•  - Blow Balloon (Balloon Battle)

Game Modes

As in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, sixteen new courses were added in the game for the four main cups: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup. However, the game includes sixteen courses that appeared in former Mario Kart games, each one referring the game console where debuted, The Super Mario Kart tracks for SNES; the Mario Kart 64 tracks for Nintendo 64; the Mario Kart: Super Circuit tracks for GBA, and the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! tracks for GCN.

These classic courses make up four new cups called the Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup. There are a total of thirty-two courses in eight cups. In addition, four new battle courses appeared, while N64 Block Fort and GCN Pipe Plaza appeared in this game as Retro Battle Courses.

Grand Prix

In Grand Prix mode (single-player only), a player competes in each cup in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror 150cc engine classes, with ascending speed and difficulty. The game takes the point system of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! by awarding 10/8/6/4/3/2/1/0 points for first to eighth place respectively. Also, a rating of how well a player performed is shown after the trophy presentation: ***, **, *, A, B, C, D and E (E, being the lowest ranking and *** as the highest). An overall "game ranking" of *, **, or *** is shown in the Records area if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups and all classes.

Time Trial

In Time Trial mode (single-player only), a player goes for the fastest time on a course. The item rating of a kart determines how many mushrooms a player can have when the race starts. Vehicles with low item rate can only use one Mushroom; the ones with average item rate use two and the ones with high item rate use three. Players can choose to race against their best time as a ghost, the staff ghost (raced by a Japanese Nintendo staff player with a * game ranking), or no ghost. The game is also able to download records from other players and let the player race against their ghosts.

VS

In VS mode (single or multiplayer), player(s) choose their Karts and head out on the race track. The player can also choose what course they race on (only if they unlocked it). Up to eight players can play locally via wireless - simple mode only uses one game card but is limited. The essential requirement is that everyone has a game card. In single-player mode, the player can choose the engine class, the CPU's difficulty level, the way the courses will be chosen - by the player, in order or random; the rules to win races (either free - never-ending races; number of wins, which only the first racer earns points, or the number of races raced (going up to thirty-two creates the "All-Cup" mode); and team race mode.

It is possible to have up to eight players play using just one Mario Kart DS game card - using the DS Download Play locally. Here, the tracks are limited, the disabilities for the Wi-Fi connection apply, and everyone must be a random color of Shy Guy, in which he becomes playable then. If everyone has a game card, all tracks are available and there are no disabilities. Battle Mode is also available. It is the same as the battle modes in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, but Shine Thief is changed into Shine Runners. The rules are different for this mode, in which players gather the most Shine Sprites on a course.

Courses Table

The following is a table that shows all courses featured in Mario Kart DS, organized by cup.

• A * signifies that the course is playable via Wi-Fi.
• A - signifies that the course isn't playable via Wi-Fi.
• Another column shows the staff ghost time in time trial.
• Last column shows the staff ghost character and kart combo in time trial.

Nitro Grand Prix
Mushroom Cup				Flower Cup
Figure-8 Circuit	*	1:36:481	Mario/Standard MR	Desert Hills	*	1:31:262	ROB/ROB-LGS
Yoshi Falls	*	0:57:677	Yoshi/Egg 1	Delfino Square	*	1:54:601	Peach/Royale
Cheep Cheep Beach	*	1:43:654	DK/Standard DK	Waluigi Pinball	-	2:23:288	Waluigi/Gold Mantis
Luigi's Mansion	*	1:59:357	Luigi/Streamliner	Shroom Ridge	-	2:05:123	Toad/Mushmellow
Star Cup				Special Cup
DK Pass	*	2:14:607	DK/Wildlife	Wario Stadium	*	2:14:868	Wario/Brute
Tick-Tock Clock	-	1:54:903	Daisy/Light Dancer	Peach Gardens	-	1:52:989	Peach/Royale
Mario Circuit	*	1:56:533	Mario/Shooting Star	Bowser Castle	-	2:19:661	Bowser/Hurricane
Airship Fortress	-	2:07:748	Bowser/Hurricane	Rainbow Road	*	2:16:246	ROB/ROB-BLS
Retro Grand Prix
Shell Cup				Banana Cup
SNES Mario Circuit 1	*	0:50:688	Mario/Standard MR	SNES Donut Plains 1	-	1:08:027	Dry Bones/Dry Bomber
N64 Moo Moo Farm	*	1:17:751	DK/Wildlife	N64 Frappe Snowland	*	2:08:781	Wario/Brute
GBA Peach Circuit	*	1:12:011	Peach/Royale	GBA Bowser Castle 2	-	1:52:258	Bowser/Standard BW
GCN Luigi Circuit	*	1:29:759	Luigi/Poltergust 4000	GCN Baby Park	*	0:50:920	Toad/Mushmellow
Leaf Cup				Lightning Cup
SNES Koopa Beach 2	-	0:54:847	Yoshi/Egg 1	SNES Choco Island 2	*	1:01:620	Waluigi/Zipper
N64 Choco Mountain	*	2:15:571	Wario/Dragonfly	N64 Banshee Boardwalk	-	2:14:403	Dry Bones/Dry Bomber
GBA Luigi Circuit	-	1:46:581	Luigi/Poltergust 4000	GBA Sky Garden	*	1:44:400	Daisy/Power Flower
GCN Mushroom Bridge	-	1:30:600	Toad/Mushmellow	GCN Yoshi Circuit	*	1:48:793	Yoshi/Standard YS

Battle

In Battle mode, players play a different aspect of kart racing that was born from Super Mario Kart on one of six courses, two of them from past Mario Kart games. The courses are:

• Nintendo DS
• Twilight House
• Palm Shore
• Tart Top
• N64 Block Fort
• GCN Pipe Plaza

In single player mode, the user faces CPU controlled racers, whose difficulty can be set in the battle's setup menu. All racers drive their respective standard Kart only within this mode. Additionally, other players can join a battle locally. However, Battle Mode is unavailable on the wireless connection. Like in versus, battles can also be played in teams.

Balloon Battle

Main article: Balloon Battle

The classic battle mode seen in all Mario Kart mainstream, gets a new twist in Mario Kart DS. From previous games, racers begin a match with three balloons. In this game, however, all players begin with a single balloon, though they can get more by blowing up their balloons using the microphone feature on the DS, or just holding the  button. Each player has four balloons in stock (five in total) and racers can hold up to three balloons in battle. On the other hand, the less balloons a player has, the more powerful items will obtain from the Item Boxes. Racers may also take possession of a balloon from their opponents if the thief has used a mushroom and made contact to the opponent's kart. If the player loses all their balloons they are eliminated.

The following is what the game describes this mode as:

Burst your opponents' balloons with items! If all your inflated balloons burst, you lose! Blow into the mic or press  to inflate your balloons!