The original Super Mario Kart was released in 1992.
Nintendo launched the game first in Japan on August 27, 1992, followed by North America on September 1, 1992. Europe received it on January 21, 1993, but the game is still correctly classified as a 1992 release because its initial Japanese and North American launches occurred in that year.
Super Mario Kart was developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and became the first entry in Nintendo’s Mario Kart series. Its design grew from an F-Zero-inspired multiplayer prototype, with the developers eventually adding Mario characters to give the racers a distinctive identity.
The game helped establish kart racing as a major genre. It featured eight playable characters, four cups, 20 tracks, and the split-screen Battle Mode that became a signature of the series. Its Mode 7 graphics also created a convincing pseudo-three-dimensional racing surface on the SNES.