Editing Mario Kart (section)

===Modes===
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Each game has a variety of modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series:
* [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] – Players compete in various "cups" of four courses each (five in ''Super Mario Kart'') with [[difficulty levels]] based on the size of the engine, larger engines meaning faster speeds. Before ''Mario Kart 8'' there were four difficulties: 50[[Cubic centimeter|cc]], 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode, where all tracks were flipped horizontally. In ''Mario Kart 8'', a fifth difficulty level: 200cc, was added.{{efn|name=fn1}} Players earn points according to their finishing position in each race and the placement order gets carried over to the next race as the new starting grid. At the end of the cup, the top three players with the most points overall will receive a [[trophy]] in bronze, silver, and gold. In ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' and every game from ''Mario Kart DS'' onward, players are also ranked based on how well they raced (three to one stars, A, B, C, D, and E). Three stars is the best rank, while E is the worst.
* [[Time trial#Video games|Time Trials]] – The player races alone in order to finish any course in the fastest time possible. The best time is then saved as a [[Ghost (video gaming)|ghost]], which the player can race against in later trials. ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' introduced Staff Ghosts, which are ghosts set by members of the Nintendo development team.
* Match Race (or VS.) – Multiple human players race on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency.
* Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items (shells, etc.) to battle each other in a closed arena. In the most common battle type, balloon battle, each player starts with three [[balloons]] and loses one per hit; the last player with at least one balloon wins. Various battle types have been added to the series, and single-player battles with CPU controlled players.
* Online Multiplayer – Players compete in races and battles through online services, such as [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]], [[Nintendo Network]], and [[Nintendo Switch Online]]. Players can share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in [[tournament]]s. In races and battles, players are matched by VR (VS Rating) and BR (Battle Rating) respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999 (9,999 in ''Mario Kart Wii''). Players gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}