If the player presses & at the same time, the selected character will be small until the player presses the buttons together again.
Racers ranked fifth to last are 'RANKED OUT' and are forced to either use a continue to try again if applicable (Thus so losing a kart), or retire and end the game. Each cup consists of five tracks, and the player must finish the race in fourth place or better to advance to the next track. The Special Cup must be unlocked by winning gold in the other three Cups, in 100cc mode. There are four cups to select: the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, and the Special Cup. Larger engines result in faster vehicles and as such a greater level of difficulty. Engine classes of 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc are available, but 150cc must be unlocked by beating the game in 100cc difficulty. The first single-player mode is Mario GP (later known as Grand Prix), in which one player races seven computer-controlled drivers. In multiplayer, the bottom screen is assigned to the second player's view. In single-player mode, the top part of the screen displays the course in behind-kart view, while the bottom half of the screen can either display a rear-view mirror perspective, or an overhead view of the whole track, displaying where all the racers are at the moment. All gameplay uses a forced split-screen view.
Super Mario Kart can be played by one or two players.
