List of Mario Kart 64 glitches

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This is a list of glitches in Mario Kart 64. Unless otherwise noted, all names are conjectural.

Glitches

1st place music in 2nd place

If the racer in second place ends up touching the racer in first place and finishes the race while doing so, the first-place music should be played, though the game will still say the player is in second place, and thus, they will only receive six points instead of nine points for first place.

20 second lap in Frappe Snowland

This glitch will work in any game mode with any character. Once the race starts, the player must turn around onto the bridge, and turn back around onto the snow (without touching the track) and off the course (though past the starting line) so Lakitu comes. When the player drives over the starting line, the screen will say Second Lap. The player can keep doing this until the end of the race, resulting in being able to finish the race around 1 minute.

5th place win

This glitch can only be performed in Grand Prix mode. If the player gets very close to an opponent in fifth place and crosses the finish line, there is a random chance that they may still pass the race and be able to move onto the next course. In fact, the second through fourth place music will still play, but the game will count it as a fifth-place win, and therefore the player will not receive any points.

A similar glitch has been recorded that allows the player to continue the race in 6th place after tying with 5th place, though its causes are currently unknown.

Alternate results theme

If the player finishes a Time Trial race or Grand Prix race in 1st-4th and leaves the results theme on for 50 minutes, the music will change to an alternate results theme. This is a binary counter glitch, as it takes 64 loops (or 2⁶) before the alternate results theme can play (each loop is about 47 seconds long), in which case it plays twice and then return to the normal results theme.

Bounce over wall

This glitch works in any mode with any player on Wario Stadium. On the first hill after the start of the race, the player should drive into the wall and bounce over it. Next, they should do a 180° turn and aim for the starting pole (the player is over the wall so it may be hard to see it depending on how well the Nintendo 64 or Wii works). The player should hop over the wall again and make sure to land to the left of the starting line. Once the player crosses the starting line after they regain control of their kart, Lakitu should hold the second or Final lap sign, depending on which lap the player was on previously, or he will wave the checkered flag if the race is finished.

Falling through bridge

The glitch in Frappe Snowland

This glitch occurs only in Frappe Snowland in the bridge part before the finish with a second player. The second player must drive off the bridge and into the water at a certain point so that Lakitu picks the player up and drops them onto the bridge. If the area Lakitu is dropping off seems to be the last line on the bridge closest to the finish line, Lakitu drops the player directly through the bridge and into the water. If the second player happens to spin out while trying to accelerate, the player still falls into the water. This glitch will happen continuously until the player is helped out of this situation. This glitch does not work on other player slots.

Fast lap under DK's Jungle Parkway

This is a fairly easy glitch that can be performed in any mode with any player on DK's Jungle Parkway. When the race starts, the player needs to turn around and go into the tunnel, pass two of the flames on the wall and turn around again, now going in the right direction. Just as the tunnel is about to end, the player has to drive in between the end of the tunnel on the left and the drop to the bottom. The racer should fall below the course and land in the water. Lakitu will place the player back in the tunnel, after which the player can drive across the finish line normally.

Freeze glitch

To perform this glitch, the player should start a battle on Double Deck. They must then park one of the characters over an Item Box and make sure that the character does not receive a Boo or Star. They then must have the other character(s) lose their balloons. On the Battle Ranking screen, they should keep pressing for the character that is on the item box. Eventually, the game will freeze with the music still playing.

Glitched texture

In Royal Raceway, there is a glitched green texture behind the grandstand that looks different depending on the angle it is viewed at.

Hidden Item Boxes

Hidden underneath Big Donut are two inaccessible Item Boxes which appear randomly. The Item Boxes can be seen if the player gets the camera behind the green bars.

Infinite Banana

The player must place a banana right when the player gets hurt and pushed back into it. The player will get hurt by the banana, but it will not disappear. The player will constantly get hurt and will be unable to move until the banana disappears.

Infinite Star music

The player must be on the second lap and have a Star ready to use. The player must be under the effects of the Star and cross the finish line. With perfect timing after the final lap jingle plays, the Star must run out as soon as the course's music should play, and instead, the Star music will continue playing. The glitch will end after the race is finished.

Into Peach's Castle

If the player goes off the trail in Royal Raceway and drives to Peach's Castle at an angle towards the right side of the bridge and hits the middle at a 40-60 speed, the player will jump over the bridge and dive into the wall of Peach's Castle, and fall in invisible water. The player will then be taken back to the actual road. This glitch needs to be performed right when the bridge appears to go down near the middle of the bridge.

Middle of Koopa Troopa Beach

Yoshi performing the Middle of Koopa Troopa Beach glitch

This will work with any character. On Koopa Troopa Beach, when the character comes to the big turtle-shaped stone, hang a left. There should be some moss growing on the top of the back wall. The player needs to find the crease in the wall where that moss begins. The player must make the character they chose runs straight into that crease. When the character starts to move up the wall the player must then make sure they are moving up that crease and not starting to move onto other parts of the wall. If this is all done correctly, the character should move off the other side of the wall and fall into the water in the middle of the island.

Out of time animation

If a player runs into an item on the road, they sometimes spin out a second later, making out-of-time animations. A banana or a shell on the road is required for this glitch.

Rainbow Road skip

This will work with any character on any mode without any items. After starting, the player must drift left and jump before they hit the barriers. If jumped at the right time, the player will land on the other side of the track.

Royal Raceway skip

This is a difficult glitch that can be performed on any mode with any player on Royal Raceway, excluding extra mode. After passing under the jet ramp that goes across the river, players should make a sharp left turn about halfway through that straightaway section and aim for the corner of a brown bank across the river on the side closest to the player. Then, the player should brake just before it appears. The player will go across the river and then use a Mushroom speed boost. If "Poomp!" appears on the screen when the kart hits the bank, the glitch has been performed correctly. Lakitu should put the racer back on the ramp right before the speed boost that takes the player across the river near the castle.

Sticking out of the ground

This glitch can only happen in Double Deck. The player must drive to the top floor and then fall onto the middle floor. When they hit the floor they have to immediately Drift. If performed correctly, they will be sticking out of the ground and spinning in circles.

Stuck in palm tree

This will work with any character. On Koopa Troopa Beach, when the character comes to the two palm trees next to the rocks, the player must keep jumping up on the rocks so the player is behind the tree, then stop jumping. If done correctly, the player will crash, but be stuck in between the palms trees and the rocks. After a while, the player will fall through the ground and land in invisible water. Lakitu will then pick the player up, and put the player back on the ground.

Under the train

In Kalimari Desert, it is possible to drive under the train by driving through the wheels.

Wall clip

The glitch in action

To perform this glitch, the players must go to the Block Fort on two-player Battle Mode (both should be the same weight), make one player do nothing at all, and make the other player get a turbo boost between the second and third lights then just keep holding down the A Button. While the first player is bouncing between the wall and the second player, the racer needs to let go of A. The first Player should go right through the wall.

Wall jump glitch

This glitch works in any mode with any player on Mario Raceway, excluding Extra Mode. Just before the 180° left turn around the mushroom tree, the player should use a Mushroom speed boost and go over the wall. However, this glitch is difficult to perform since the angle has to be exactly right or else it will fail.

Yoshi Valley skip

This is a glitch that can be performed in any mode with any player on Yoshi Valley, excluding Extra Mode. This glitch can only be performed with a Mushroom item. Immediately after crossing the finish line, the racer has to make a 90° left turn and use a Mushroom boost to hop the fence. If the racer hits a certain part of the wall across the canyon and then plummets to the bottom, Lakitu should put the racer back on the starting line and it will either be the second lap (Time Trials only), the final lap (if performed on the second lap in any mode), or the race should be finished (if performed on the final lap).