Mario Kart DS Unlockables: Racers, Karts & Mirror Mode
Everything you can unlock and exactly what to win for it. Rewards come from gold trophies in whole sets of cups: all four Nitro cups, all four Retro cups or all eight.
- Racers
- 4
- Kart unlocks
- 3 stages
- Mirror
- 150cc, all 8 cups
- Staff ghosts
- 32
Grand Prix rewards
| Reward | Class | Win gold in |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Bones | 50cc | all four Nitro cups |
| Daisy | 50cc | all four Retro cups |
| Third kart for every character | 100cc | all four Nitro cups |
| Waluigi | 100cc | all four Retro cups |
| Four borrowed karts for every character | 150cc | all four Nitro cups or all four Retro cups |
| Mirror class | 150cc | all eight cups |
| R.O.B. | Mirror | all four Nitro cups or all four Retro cups |
| Every kart for every character | Mirror | all eight cups |
Checklist by class
50cc
- Dry Bones (Nitro cups)
- Daisy (Retro cups)
100cc
- Third kart for every character (Nitro cups)
- Waluigi (Retro cups)
150cc
- Four borrowed karts for every character (Nitro cups or all four Retro cups)
- Mirror class (all 8 cups)
Mirror
- R.O.B. (Nitro cups or all four Retro cups)
- Every kart for every character (all 8 cups)
Other unlocks
- Staff ghosts
- Set a Time Trial record within 108% of the staff ghost’s time on a course to race that ghost.
- New title screen
- Win gold trophies in every cup in every class, Mirror included, and the title screen changes to show the full roster.
- Mission Mode Level 7
- Earn at least a one-star (★) rank on every mission and boss in Levels 1–6.
- Star game ranking
- A ★, ★★ or ★★★ overall ranking appears in Records once you earn that rank in every cup and class.
- Star, Special, Leaf and Lightning Cups
- Only the Mushroom, Flower, Shell and Banana Cups are open at first. Take a trophy in the Mushroom and Flower Cups to open the Star Cup, then in the Star Cup to open the Special Cup; the Leaf and Lightning Cups open the same way. Each engine class unlocks separately.
Tips for 100%
- Do 50cc first: it unlocks Dry Bones and Daisy quickly.
- Rank and trophy are separate: you need gold, not a star rank, for unlocks.
- R.O.B. needs only one set of Mirror cups, Nitro or Retro.
- Staff ghosts unlock one course at a time in Time Trial.
FAQ
How do you unlock Mirror mode in Mario Kart DS?
Win gold trophies in all eight cups in 150cc.
How do you unlock all karts for every character?
Win gold trophies in all eight cups in Mirror.
How do you unlock R.O.B.?
Win gold in all four Mirror Nitro cups or all four Mirror Retro cups.
What do you get for 100cc Nitro?
A third kart for every racer.
Sources & picture credits
Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against the Super Mario Wiki and the Mario Kart Racing Wiki. Kart statistics, staff ghost times and item odds are the values from the game data as transcribed by the Super Mario Wiki. Screenshots, renders and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Super Mario Wiki file pages (listed on the image gallery).