If you’re tired of serious racing sims and looking for something that prioritizes fun over realism, Go Kart Island just skidded onto Steam on November 10, 2025, with a 20% launch discount. This open-world kart racer from solo developer Ewan McKenzie under the Grumpy Pizza Games banner brings charm, chaos, and a fully honkable horn to the racing genre.
You play as Lachlan, a highland cow with big dreams of becoming Go Kart Champion. Standing between you and racing glory is a corrupt mayor demanding a 1,000-coin entry fee for the BIG RACE. The solution? Complete 34 different events across an open island filled with animal characters, collectibles, and racing challenges that blend multiple gameplay styles into one package.
What Makes Go Kart Island Different
The kart racing genre isn’t exactly hurting for options. Mario Kart dominates the space. Crash Team Racing has its dedicated fanbase. Newer entries like Sonic Racing and various indie attempts have tried to carve out their niches. So what makes Go Kart Island worth your attention?
The answer is the open-world structure combined with story-driven progression. Instead of selecting races from a menu, you drive around the island discovering events, talking to animal NPCs, and choosing which challenges to tackle. Think Forza Horizon but with cartoon animals, items like homing pizzas, and significantly less concern for realistic physics.
This structure gives the game a different feel from traditional kart racers. You’re not just winning races – you’re exploring an environment, finding secrets, smashing the mayor’s advertising boards out of spite, and gradually unlocking new content as you raise funds for that big championship race. It adds context and motivation beyond simply being the fastest racer.
Event Variety Keeps Things Fresh
Go Kart Island doesn’t rely solely on traditional racing. The 34 story mode events span six different types of challenges, each requiring different skills and strategies.
Races follow classic karting rules with items, drifting, and the goal of crossing the finish line first. Six different race types offer variations on the formula. Time Trials task you with delivering impatient islanders to their destinations as quickly as possible while avoiding obstacles. Collect events have you hunting down lost items and running them over with your kart under time pressure.
Chase missions flip between offense and defense – either hunt down a target or escape from pursuers. Deliver events turn your kart into a taxi service where you pick up customers and race them to their destinations for high scores. This variety prevents the gameplay from becoming repetitive, which is crucial for a game built around completing dozens of events.
Once you complete the story mode, the game unlocks 84 additional challenges. These are remixed versions of events you’ve already beaten with new twists and objectives. For completionists chasing gold trophies in every challenge, there’s substantial post-game content to tackle.
Items and Weapons
No kart racer is complete without absurd items to use on opponents, and Go Kart Island delivers some creative options. The homing pizza promises delivery in three seconds or less and tracks down whoever’s unfortunate enough to be targeted. The splatula (get it? Because it splats) does exactly what the name suggests.
Then there’s the Squish-E-Boi Cube, which has a name so ridiculous it’s actually perfect for a game featuring racing giraffes and turtles. The items aren’t trying to revolutionize kart racing mechanics – they’re leaning into the genre’s established playbook while adding personality through naming and presentation.
Beyond offensive items, you’ll need to navigate various obstacles scattered across the island. Drifting and boosting remain core mechanics for maintaining speed through corners and straightaways. The game aims for accessible controls that feel good without requiring extensive practice to master.
32 Animals and Counting
One of Go Kart Island’s most charming aspects is its cast of animal characters. The island hosts 32 different animals to chat with, race against, and eventually unlock as playable characters. We’re talking giraffes, turtles, sheep, and plenty more variety.
Lachlan the highland cow serves as your protagonist, but as you progress through events, you unlock additional characters with their own personalities. This gives you incentive to keep playing beyond just completing challenges – you want to see what weird animal NPC you’ll encounter next and add them to your roster.
The writing embraces the absurdity of its premise. You’re a highland cow racing against sheep and giraffes while a corrupt mayor tries to fund his election campaign through predatory racing fees. It’s silly, it knows it’s silly, and it leans into that tone rather than trying to justify its world through elaborate lore.
Solo Developer Achievement
What makes Go Kart Island particularly impressive is that it’s the debut title from solo developer Ewan McKenzie working under the Grumpy Pizza Games banner. Creating a full open-world racing game with 34 events, 32 characters, multiple game modes, and over 150 collectibles as a one-person team is genuinely impressive.
The game launched first on Nintendo Switch in January 2025 published by Ant Workshop, where it found an audience appreciating its family-friendly approach and accessible gameplay. The Steam version arriving in November 2025 brings the experience to PC players, with Linux and Steam Deck compatibility confirmed and working well according to early reports.
Exploration and Collectibles
The open-world structure isn’t just about finding event markers. Over 150 collectibles are scattered across Go Kart Island for players who enjoy exploration. Coins are your primary currency for reaching that 1,000-coin entry fee, though you’ll earn most through completing events rather than just collecting loose change.
Gems add another layer of collectibles to hunt down. The mayor’s advertising boards become satisfying targets to smash as you cruise around the island, turning vandalism into gameplay. New karts can be discovered and unlocked through exploration, giving you different vehicles to race with once you’ve found them.
The island itself is designed to be navigable and fun to drive through rather than realistic. Expect bright colors, clear pathways, and environmental variety that makes different sections of the map visually distinct. It’s meant to be a playground for karting chaos rather than a serious racing circuit.
The Fully Honkable Horn
This deserves its own section because the developers clearly understood something fundamental about fun – every racing game is better when you can honk at people. Go Kart Island features a fully honkable kart horn, and the marketing materials proudly announce this feature in all caps: HONK!
It’s a small detail that speaks to the game’s overall philosophy. This isn’t trying to be a serious racing simulator. It’s trying to recapture the joy of playing Mario Kart 64 with friends, where half the fun came from the chaos, trash talk, and absurd situations rather than precise racing lines and optimal drift angles.
Being able to honk at turtle NPCs as you drift past them at top speed adds nothing mechanically but everything tonally. It’s the kind of feature that reminds you games are supposed to be fun first and everything else second.
Launch Pricing and Reception
Go Kart Island launched on Steam at $9.99 with a 20% launch discount bringing it down to $7.99. Regional pricing puts it at approximately €7.19 or £6.39. For an indie game with a full story mode, 34 events, 84 challenges, and substantial replay value, that’s competitive pricing.
A free demo is available on Steam featuring the first five events and access to roughly a quarter of the island. This is smart from the developer – letting players try before they buy removes risk and builds confidence in the purchase. If you’re unsure whether the gameplay appeals to you, the demo provides enough content to make an informed decision.
Early Steam reviews have been solidly positive. Players appreciate the charm, variety, and accessible gameplay. Some criticism has focused on the challenge level being somewhat easy, particularly in early events, though the game reportedly ramps up difficulty as you progress. Minor bugs were reported around restart functionality and occasional AI pathfinding issues, though nothing game-breaking.
FAQs
What is Go Kart Island?
Go Kart Island is an open-world kart racing game developed by solo developer Ewan McKenzie under Grumpy Pizza Games. You play as Lachlan the highland cow trying to raise 1,000 coins to enter the BIG RACE by completing various racing events across an island populated by 32 different animal characters.
When did Go Kart Island release on Steam?
Go Kart Island launched on Steam on November 10, 2025, with a 20% launch discount. The game previously released on Nintendo Switch in January 2025.
How much does Go Kart Island cost?
The regular price is $9.99, though it launched with a 20% discount bringing it to $7.99. Regional pricing is approximately €7.19 or £6.39. A free demo with the first five events is available on Steam.
What types of events are in Go Kart Island?
The game features six types of events including traditional races, time trials where you deliver NPCs to destinations quickly, collect missions hunting down items, chase sequences where you pursue or escape targets, and delivery events where you taxi customers for high scores.
How many characters can you play as?
There are 32 different animal characters in the game that you can unlock as playable racers. You start as Lachlan the highland cow and unlock others by progressing through the story mode.
Does Go Kart Island work on Steam Deck?
Yes, Go Kart Island has confirmed Steam Deck compatibility and runs well according to early reports. The game also works on Linux through Proton.
How long is the game?
The story mode features 34 different events to complete, with 84 additional challenges unlocking after finishing the main story. Over 150 collectibles are scattered across the island for completionists. Expect 10-15 hours for the main story with significantly more time if you’re pursuing gold trophies in all challenges.
Is there multiplayer?
Based on available information, Go Kart Island appears to be a single-player experience focused on the story mode and solo challenges. There’s no mention of local or online multiplayer in the game’s description or features.
Worth Your Time?
Go Kart Island fills a specific niche for players who want the fun of kart racing without the competitive pressure of online multiplayer. It’s a game you can play at your own pace, exploring when you feel like it and tackling events when you’re ready. The story mode provides structure and motivation, while the open-world format gives you freedom in how you approach progression.
For families or younger players, the animal characters, accessible controls, and lack of violence make it an appealing option. For adults who grew up on kart racers, it offers nostalgia with modern conveniences and quality-of-life improvements. The price point is low enough that trying it doesn’t require major financial commitment.
What it’s not is a hardcore racing experience with deep mechanics and steep learning curves. The drift physics are forgiving, the items are silly rather than strategic, and the overall vibe prioritizes fun over competition. If you’re looking for the next esports racing phenomenon, this isn’t it. If you want to honk at a giraffe while delivering a homing pizza to a turtle’s face, Go Kart Island has you covered.
The fact that one person built this entire experience makes it even more impressive. Solo indie developers creating complete open-world games with this much content deserve recognition and support. At under $10 with a demo available, there’s little reason not to at least give it a shot if the concept appeals to you at all. Worst case, you spend 30 minutes with the demo and decide it’s not your thing. Best case, you find a charming racer that keeps you entertained for dozens of hours while you work toward that championship glory Lachlan the highland cow dreams about.