Drive your first Mushroom Cup
Learn the controls, pick a calm first race and understand cup progress.
Original Nintendo 64 game, first released in Japan in 1996 and internationally in 1997. Guides use the original kart roster, courses and N64 controls.
Choose a gentle first session
Start with one-player Mario GP at 50cc, or try Time Trials if you want an empty road. A accelerates, B brakes, the Control Stick steers and Z uses an item. Drive a few corners before trying a perfectly timed start. Early attempts should establish where the road bends and how far the kart travels when you steer.
Use the road as a lesson
Luigi Raceway is the first Mushroom Cup course, with broad bends and a tunnel. Follow the road rather than cutting into the grass. Pick a landmark before each turn and begin steering there on successive laps. If you repeatedly hit the same wall, adjust that one corner instead of changing your entire driving style.
Finish a cup consistently
A Grand Prix cup contains four races. Finishing in the top four advances you; a lower finish offers a retry. Think about the combined cup result rather than one dramatic overtake. Approaching Kalimari Desert's railway crossings, check for the train before committing. Avoiding a major interruption is often more useful than squeezing through an uncertain gap.
Learn the four Mushroom Cup routes at 50cc before moving up to 100cc.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.