Mario Kart DS
| Mario Kart DS | |
|---|---|
North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Hideki Konno |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Haruhana |
| Programmer(s) | Katsuhisa Sato |
| Composer(s) | Shinobu Tanaka |
| Series | Mario Kart |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Kart racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario Kart DS is a 2005 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in November 2005 in North America, Europe, and Australia, and on December 8, 2005, in Japan. The game was re-released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in North America and PAL regions in April 2015 and in Japan in May 2016.
The game is the fifth main entry in the Mario Kart series, and the first to be playable via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service. Like other games in the series, Mario Kart DS features characters from the Mario series and pits them against each other as they race in karts on tracks based on locations in the Mario series.
Mario Kart DS was critically acclaimed upon release, being widely praised for its refined gameplay, robust single-player content, and innovative multiplayer features, particularly its pioneering online Wi-Fi functionality. Reviewers consistently highlighted its blend of accessibility, depth, and nostalgic appeal, though some noted limitations in the online mode and frustration with the rubberband AI. The game received several awards, including Editors' Choice Awards from GameSpot and IGN, G-Phoria's Best Handheld Game award, and IGN's Best Racing/Driving Game.
Mario Kart DS was the best-selling game in its first month of release and held that position the following month. Overall, Mario Kart DS is the third best-selling game for the Nintendo DS as of March 2016 and the third best-selling Mario Kart game, behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Wii, with 23.6 million units sold worldwide.