List of Mario Kart Wii glitches

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This is a list of glitches in Mario Kart Wii. Unless otherwise noted, all names are conjectural.

Glitches

Bowser's Castle shortcut

The glitch in action

On the split paths in Bowser's Castle, it is possible to boost up the sides of the half-pipes and clip through a wall to the higher road as a shortcut. This is easiest with a Mushroom on the right of the right path.

Coconut Mall lap glitch

Daisy in the parking lot

In Coconut Mall, if the player jumps off a ramp in a specific way, they will fly out-of-bounds. They can then travel into the parking lot, where, if they drive in a specific way, they can complete laps. There are six known ways to perform this glitch. This was later fixed in Mario Kart 7.

DK Mountain half-pipe clipping

In GCN DK Mountain, the player should drive to the area near the base of the volcano and use a Mushroom to clip through the edge of the fence and the half-pipe. If done correctly, the player will fly through the half-pipe and land on the other side. Stunting in the half-pipe during the glitch usually results in the player entering a black area out-of-bounds.

Ghost Valley 2 shortcut

The glitch in action

In SNES Ghost Valley 2, if the player boosts into the left side of the pole to the right of the finish line, they can clip through it and fly over the pit, skipping part of the course.

Grumble Volcano lap glitch

The glitch being performed

On the large rock to the left of the starting line in Grumble Volcano, if the player drives around it, they will complete a lap. This was later fixed in Mario Kart 8 by changing the rock's shape.

Incorrect music glitch

In Dry Dry Ruins, if the player is hit by a Spiny Shell when they leave the ruins, the music from the ruins will play throughout the entire course until they exit the ruins again, enters the final lap, or finishes the race. This also occurs with the tunnel in Koopa Cape.

Incorrect number of players

Rarely, when the player finishes an online race, if the next race has 12 players, the game will say it has 13 players instead.

Lap counter overflow

If the player drives backwards for 32,768 laps, the lap counter will go above the 3-lap limit, causing Lakitu to show normally unused lap graphics.

Maple Treeway out-of-bounds glitch

The glitch being performed

In Maple Treeway, the player can jump over the fence left of the finish line and land on the grass out-of-bounds. If they drive too far on the grass, they will fall into the abyss, as there is no collision. However, they can use a Mushroom to boost over the cliff to clip another wall to return to the course.

Mario Circuit tree clip

In Mario Circuit, if the player uses a Mushroom while facing the second tree behind the finish line, they will clip through it and land just after the tunnel. To make the lap count, the player must drive to the middle of the tunnel before heading to the finish line.

Miscolored Item Box glitch

The glitch in action

To perform the glitch, the player needs to start a team race on the blue team. If the player starts a solo race, some racers' Fake Item Boxes will be blue instead of red.

Mushroom Gorge lap glitch

The glitch being performed

In Mushroom Gorge, if the player stunts off one of the Mushroom Trampolines at the beginning of the course, they can grind around the mountain while alternating the control stick down-left and down-right if using a controller other than a Wii Remote to complete a lap. This glitch was removed in Mario Kart 7, with the trampolines used to perform the glitch being removed. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the first shortcut returns, but attempting the glitch will result in Lakitu returning the player.

Mushroom Gorge off-road glitch

In Mushroom Gorge, there are ramps leading up to the Mushroom Trampolines that lock the player's speed, which is removed after bouncing off a trampoline. However, this speed lock can be preserved by using a Mushroom or Bullet Bill to avoid touching a trampoline after using one of these ramps, allowing the player to not be slowed when driving off-road.

Opponent icon enlargement glitch

A map of Cookie Land before playing Time Trials (left) and after (right)

Normally, opponent icons are smaller than the player's icon. However, after playing time trials, they are the same size. This is due these icons being enlarged in time trials due the Ghost being the only opponent, but not reset afterwards. The only way to fix the glitch is to restart the game.

Peach Beach tree clip

Near the end of GCN Peach Beach, the player can clip through one of the trees and drive to the other side of the course near the Cataquacks, counting the lap.

Rainbow Road skip

The glitch in action

Before the slope after the finish line in Rainbow Road, if the player use a Mushroom, the player will fly over the slope. The player can land on the track below and skip some of the course. However, the lap will not count. This can also be performed by Slipstreaming at the correct time, most easily at the start and in the bottom six so all the players are lined up.

Same character selection glitch

The glitch in action

The second player's invisible kart

In multiplayer, each player has to select a character, then move the cursor away. Then, the players should go back to the mode screen. When returning to the characters screen, the ring around the selected character will be flashing multiple colors, allowing it to be selected by more than one player.

Wrong clothing glitch

To perform this glitch, two players need to select Peach, Daisy, or Rosalina. One player should select a kart, while the other selects a bike. One player has to get 3rd place or above, while the other takes 4th place or below. At the ceremony, the princesses will be wearing each other's clothing.

Shaking Topman glitch

During the second Spiky Topmen tournament, if the player pushes a Topman while it stopped on a gap separating an outer ring and angled towards its side, it will shake rapidly. This also occurs if one Topman pushes another.

Stuck Pokey glitch

The glitch in action

Occasionally, during the Thwomp Desert tournament, when the Pokey head rolls around, it may become stuck between cacti.

Upside-down in DK Summit

At the pit before the second 180° turn in DK Summit, they must drive to the pit, making sure not to fall. Then, the player must accelerate slowly, ending up near the fence at the right of the turn. Occasionally, the player will flip up, losing control of their vehicle as they fall into the pit, returning normal in the process. The glitch has only been known to occur while using Bowser in the Piranha Prowler.

Volume reduction glitch

During a Wi-Fi match, if a Wii Remote's batteries are removed after a course is selected and reinserted before the countdown, the music's volume will decrease. This also occurs with the GameCube controller if is unplugged after course selection and plugged back in before the countdown.

Wario's Gold Mine lap skip

In Wario's Gold Mine, the player must drive to the right just after the starting line. Then, they should face the pipe below the bridge at the end of the track and use a Mushroom. The player must bounce off the pipe below, then pass through the wooden bridge just to the right of the metal fence. They must then drive into the tunnel, then turn back around to complete a lap. The first part of the skip can also be done by respawning due to touching the pipe.

Wrong animation glitch

Occasionally, when the player watches a live Wi-Fi race, the first place player who is already past the finish line will perform the sixth place and below animation, or racers in sixth place or below will perform the fifth place and above animation. However, it is more likely for the first place player to perform the wrong animation.