Update [Wed 30th Sep 2026, 10am]: After years of development, the ambitious Super Mario Kart SNES ROM hack finally has a release date: December 25th, 2026.

In a new video published yesterday, ScouBsmk and MrL314 unveiled the exciting news to Mario Kart fans, while also giving a few more details on what players can expect from the hack in its description.

Some of the standout features listed include the addition of 8 new characters (Wario, Daisy, Bowser Jr., Kamek, Waluigi, Birdo, Dixie Kong, and Toadette), 6 additional cups (with unique podium scenes), a mission mode (with custom bosses), new items, fresh music & sound effects, and a bunch of fun new multiplayer modes (Shine Thief, Gate Battle, Battle Race, and more).

There's also the ability to play each track in mirror mode (a feature not present in the original SNES) and the option to race with up to 6 Speed Classes: 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, 200cc, 250cc, and 300cc.

It really is shaping up to be one of the most impressive Mario Kart hacks we've seen, and is reportedly compatible with real hardware as well as SNES emulators, with the team reportedly eyeing different versions for PAL & NTSC setups (though their work is on NTSC for now).

Are you as excited about it as we are? Let us know in the comments!

Original Story [Tue 8th Jul 2025, 2:35pm]: SMKDX (also known as Super Mario Kart Deluxe) is undoubtedly one of our most eagerly awaited SNES ROM hacks.

Initially announced back in 2021, the ambitious ROM hack is being designed as a new "Deluxe" version of the original Super Mario Kart, and is set to introduce a whole host of new features to the classic kart race: everything from new characters, tracks, and cups to weapons, items, music, and even a story mode (complete with bosses).

It is being created by a small team of developers, including MrL314 and ScouBsmk, with the latter having just shared an exciting glimpse at the game's brand new "Endurance" mode over on social media.

This is a new type of Mario Kart experience that is set to make an appearance in the upcoming hack that sees players racing against a time limit to complete as many laps as possible, as consistently as possible.

According to ScouBsmk, how this new mode will work is that all players will originally start out with 30 seconds on the clock and will have to reach the finish line before that counter reaches zero. Then, once they've crossed the line, they'll be given a new time to beat, which will be based on their last lap time plus a margin that can be configured in the settings. This basically means you'll want to aim for finishing a lap at a pace you can regularly repeat, as opposed to setting a great lap time and screwing yourself over on the next run of the course.

The number of laps you do is counted in the bottom left corner of the screen, with this counter apparently producing a 1Up sound once you've gone past 99 laps and reset this figure back to zero.

Unfortunately, there's still no estimate on when people will be able to play the hack, with the attitude essentially being that it'll be ready when it's ready, but you can keep up to date with any announcements as they are made by following its creators at the links provided.