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- Artwork of Mario Kart 8. Courtesy of Nintendo.

Top 4 Fantastic Kart Racing Games With The Most Packed Character Rosters

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming
By Dakota Robinson | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 10:43 PM ET

The kart racing genre has amassed numerous titles over the years, particularly in the go-kart formula. Starting with Super Mario Kart, competition has comeemerged that attempts to recapture its experience— or just to cash in on the current trend.

While many mascots have tried it, some have tried being more ambitious than others. One aspect that diversifies any game is the cast of characters to choose from. Who can I race with? Is there someone that I will enjoy, and do they have suitable stats? What game has given the most quantity of characters all in one game?

What is eligible for the list?

There have been many attempts to rival the cast of Mario behind the wheel–though some do it with little success. With so many that exist, this will cover a few that truly stand out with their character rosters. While also not counting a certain honorable mention, Mario Kart Tour, which features well over 200 characters–though as a gacha-style entry in the Mario Kart series, you will not be able to play as all of them on one account.

#1. The Karters 2

A new release onto the scene, releasing July 17, 2025, it is a PC released title that aims to bring the Crash Team Racing style of gameplay to new horizons. While the starting roster may seem rather small, The Karters 2 features an already expansive modding community–seemingly making the roster infinite!

This could be deemed cheating; however, it cannot be understated how awesome it is to theoretically have anyone you could imagine playable. Though with a lot of it not being officially sanctioned, many may be hard-pressed to count it even then.

#2. Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled

Image of Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled, Courtesy of Beenox

A remake of the classic kart racing title for the Sony Playstation, Crash Team Racing, with all-new content on to of rebuilding the original game from scratch. It comes jam-packed with 56 characters across Crash Bandicoot’s big cast of characters–including a guest appearance of Spyro the Dragon for fans of that, too. It is one of the most content-rich games of its kind, sporting a similar large list of tracks to race on–only to be rivaled by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass.

Featuring a wide range of Crash’s friends and foes, even an Iron Checkpoint Crate for all the funny people out there. There is surely a character you will grow to enjoy during your time in this hectic and skill-based kart racer.

#3. Sonic Racing Crossworlds

Although this may seem somewhat deceptive, as it will only launch with around 24 characters across the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was announced early on that it would receive a bunch of post-launch content, totaling up to over 50 racers to play with. Open Network Test later on September 1, 2025, giving players a quick peek into what’s to come after the release, as the game will allow fans of Persona 5‘s Joker to take the Phantom Thief for a spin.

Besides Joker, other characters being released for free will include Hatsune Miku, Ichiban from the Like A Dragon series, along with future additions to be announced later. Along with downloadable content packs featuring characters from Spongebob Squarepants, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Minecraft, as well as PAC-MAN to name a few already announced. If that wasn’t enough, characters from Sonic Prime and Sonic Unleashed’s Werehog Sonic will also be selectable to those interested in pre-ordering or purchasing the Digital Deluxe version.

#4. Mario Kart World

Screenshot of Mario Kart World, Courtesy of Nintendo

The kart racer to cause many to shift focus to when evaluating what makes a quality kart racing title. Boasting what looks to be an even bigger roster, Mario Kart World still makes way with around 50 characters to play around with–more if you wanna count the costumes as well! Featuring all your favorites, unless you love Diddy Kong, as well as a bunch of familiar and even not-so-familiar enemies across the Super Mario franchise.

Though it is an exciting number, a good portion of what can be considered “new” to the series is a lot of the enemies. This may seem very underwhelming to fans of more notable characters–especially those brought in thanks to the release of Donkey Kong Bananza. Unlike the rest of the list, this may be subject to change as the game has yet to announce if it will release post-launch content like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s case. Only time will tell!

Fintal Thoughts

While there are other kart racers that have very notably big character rosters, some featuring very interesting additions like Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph–these are just a small handful of exciting and well-regarded titles in the kart racing formula.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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