With a helmet, you are the kart.
Mario Kart 64 expertly translated Nintendo’s racing series into 3D when it was released in 1997, but what if you could get even closer to its polygonal tracks and karts? A new VR mod for the game, spotted by user X BeardoBenjo, appears to do this by effectively placing you in the game.
BeardoBenjo’s post includes a snippet of the game’s Koopa Troopa Beach track and a (fairly nauseating) first-person, head-tracked view of its tunnel shortcut. The game’s simplistic visuals have a certain added charm in VR, but more importantly, seeing everything in first person gives a sense of speed Mario Kart 64The original third-person view just can’t capture. In VR, it literally feels like you’re racing headfirst down the beach, rather than in your go-kart.
I can now use my favorite shortcut in Mario Kart 64 in first person VR 😂
What’s happening with VR modding this year 🔥 pic.twitter.com/onx6DzJlg6
— Beardo Benjo (@BeardoBenjoYT) August 5, 2026
The mod project was created by developer RaYRoD TV, who has created several mods for bringing classic games into virtual reality, including Banjo-Kazooie And Fox Star 64. THE Mario Kart 64 The mod is based on an existing PC port of the racing game called SpaghettiKart. It is available for free to download and install from GitHub, provided you already have one Mario Kart 64 ROM or are ready to dump one from a physical cartridge. In addition to making the game work on PC VR headsets, the mod also adds a VR options menu that lets you adjust things like stereo depth, your eye height, and the location of the game’s HUD.
Nintendo hasn’t shown much interest in virtual reality outside of the rudimentary stereoscopic visuals of the Virtual Boy and a unique Nintendo Labo kit. If you’re nostalgic for the Nintendo 64 and have a VR headset that’s gathering dust, there are definitely worse ways to spend a weekend. Don’t eat before.
