KartRider: The Drift-and-Item Racer That Became Korea's Game
The story of Nexon's 2004 Crazyracing KartRider, its drift and item-race gameplay, why it's a classic, and the Rush+ and Drift sequels that followed.
KartRider (officially Crazyracing KartRider) is an online kart racing game that Nexon launched in 2004. Characters from Crazy Arcade ride small karts around tracks, competing for position by trading items or showing off their drifting skills.
Thanks to short races and easy controls, KartRider drew in even people who didn't usually play games. According to English Wikipedia, about 25% of South Koreans had played the game at least once by 2007, and as of 2020 the PC version had more than 380 million registered users worldwide.
In this post, we cover how KartRider started, how it's played, why it's considered a classic, and its sequels and how to play it today.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | Open beta June 1, 2004; official launch August 18, 2004 (Korea) |
| Developer | Nitro Studio (Nexon) |
| Platform | PC |
| Genre | Online casual kart racing |
Origins
KartRider was made as part of Nexon's popular casual game series Crazy Arcade. It took familiar Crazy Arcade characters such as Dao and Bazzi and turned the game into a race in karts instead of water balloons.
According to the timeline on Korean Wikipedia, the game went through a closed beta test on April 2, 2004, launched its open beta on June 1, and began official service on August 18. The game was free to play and made money by selling virtual items such as karts and paint in the in-game shop. Together with Nexon's MapleStory from the same period, it played a major role in establishing the free-to-play (partial payment) model in Korean online games.
It was well received from its first year. In September 2004 it was selected as Game of the Month by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and that December it won the Popularity Award at the Korea Game Awards.
It's widely known that KartRider was influenced by Nintendo's Mario Kart series. Early on, it was criticized for copying Mario Kart, but Nintendo said that, as with other Korean game companies, it wanted to maintain a constructive relationship with Nexon.
Gameplay
Item Races and Speed Races
KartRider races fall broadly into two types.
- Item race: You collect items on the track and use them to hinder opponents or speed yourself up. Comebacks happen often even when skill levels differ, so beginners can join in and have fun.
- Speed race: Players compete purely on driving skill, with no items. The technique of earning boosters through drifts and chaining them together decides the winner.
Drifting
KartRider's core control is the drift. By sliding your kart through corners, you earn booster items, which you use to get a burst of speed. Since your time varies greatly depending on when and how long you drift, the game looked simple but clearly revealed differences in skill.
Karts and Customization
The game featured not only imaginary karts but also karts modeled on real cars. It even released models based on real vehicles in collaboration with companies such as BMW Korea. Players could collect karts and paint them to show off their own personality.
Why It's a Classic
Racing Anyone Can Play
KartRider was called a "national game" because its barrier to entry was low. You could start racing right away with a few arrow keys, and a race was over in a few minutes. It was a great game for creating a room with friends and playing a quick round. English Wikipedia notes that as of 2020, its registered users included more than half of South Korea's population and more than 45% of Taiwan's.
Easy to Start, Deep to Master
Item races gave even beginners a chance to win, while speed races gave experienced players the endless goal of shaving down their times. Holding on to these two different layers of players at the same time was the secret to its long-lasting popularity.
Growing into an Esport
KartRider also established itself as an esport. Its first regular league was held in May 2005, and leagues continued steadily after that. In December 2011, it won Game of the Year at the Korea Esports Awards. It showed that a casual game could also become a competitive event that audiences enjoy watching.
Commercial Success
According to English Wikipedia, the KartRider franchise grossed more than $700 million worldwide by 2020 and more than $1 billion by 2021.
Series and Influence
KartRider spread to many countries and platforms. It launched in China on March 18, 2006, under the name Paopao Kadingche (跑跑卡丁车), and in Taiwan in January 2007. It also entered the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, and Japan, but all of those services have since shut down.
| Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| KartRider Rush | March 11, 2011 | Nexon America's mobile version for iOS (discontinued) |
| KartRider Rush+ | May 2020 | Mobile game for iOS and Android |
| KartRider: Drift | January 12, 2023 | Official successor; service ended October 16, 2025 |
The mobile version, KartRider Rush+, passed 10 million downloads worldwide within two weeks of launch and reached No. 1 on Google Play in Korea.
The original's fate was dramatic. Ahead of the launch of its successor KartRider: Drift, Nexon announced in December 2022 that the original's Korean service would end, and it closed on March 31, 2023. The Taiwanese service had ended even earlier, on January 31, 2023, leaving only the Chinese service for the original. Players pushed back strongly, seeing the decision as pressure to move to the new game. However, Drift was not commercially successful and shut down on October 16, 2025.
Then, on June 23, 2026, it was announced that the original KartRider's Korean service would reopen. It became a rare case of a game that had once closed coming back on the strength of its players' memories.
How to Play Today
As of October 2026, there are three ways to play KartRider.
- KartRider Rush+: The easiest option, which you can download right away on your smartphone (iOS and Android). You can find news and events on the official website.
- The reopened original in Korea: The official KartRider website is taking sign-ups for updates with the message "The race begins again." It's best to check the exact schedule in the news section of the official site.
- Chinese service: The original is still running in China, but there are many practical barriers for Korean players to access it.
If you're new, we recommend starting with item races to get a feel for the game, then taking on speed races once you're comfortable with drifting and chaining boosters.