After a track is completed, the player must insert additional credits to continue the game, even if first place is achieved. The cups are Mario Cup, Wario Cup, Pac-Man Cup, DK Cup, Bowser Cup, and the unlockable Rainbow Cup. There are a total of six cups, with four tracks in each, totalling twenty-four. Originally designed for the Triforce arcade board (also used for F-Zero AX) by Namco, players can race as one of eleven characters on twenty-four tracks. Mario Kart Arcade GP is the initial installment in the series. The game has been followed by three sequels: Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007), Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013), and Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017).

The Mario Kart Arcade GP sub-series started in 2005 with the release of Mario Kart Arcade GP. Its sequel features Mametchi, a character from the Tamagotchi games, and the third installment includes Don from the Taiko no Tatsujin franchise. Pac-Man, and Blinky, which all are from the Pac-Man games. The initial game, Mario Kart Arcade GP, is the first Mario Kart to feature playable crossover characters: Namco's Pac-Man, Ms. The photo can be customized and displayed above the player's character during multiplayer races.

It has a camera to photograph the player's face. Nintendo had a limited role in development, mainly for quality control purposes. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records.

Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's Mario Kart series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo.

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