# DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing
**DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing** is a kart racing video game developed by Bamtang Games and published by GameMill Entertainment, released on November 3, 2023 for [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5), Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), Nintendo Switch, and PC.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [2](https://www.gematsu.com/2023/07/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-switch-and-pc) It features characters and tracks drawn from [DreamWorks Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamworks-animation) films, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls, Madagascar, The Boss Baby, The Bad Guys, and Megamind.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) It was the first DreamWorks karting game in twelve years, following Activision's DreamWorks Super Star Kartz of 2011.[3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 3, 2023; PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [2](https://www.gematsu.com/2023/07/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-switch-and-pc) |
| Developer / publisher | Bamtang Games / GameMill Entertainment, the team behind the Nickelodeon Kart Racers series[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [4](https://waytoomany.games/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/) |
| Roster | 20 DreamWorks characters, 8 available from the start; Shrek has six racers[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) |
| Tracks | 20 DreamWorks-themed courses, including Shrek's Swamp, Far Far Away, Bergen Town, Baby Corp, and the New York City Zoo[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) |
| Signature mechanic | Trolls characters act as race hosts, granting "Troll Surprise" power-ups fueled by music notes[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [5](https://www.gamesasylum.com/2023/11/03/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/) |
| Multiplayer | Local split-screen for 1 to 4 players on one system; online for 2 to 8 players[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) |
| Reception | Metacritic PS5 Metascore of 63, "mixed or average"[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/) |
## Gameplay
The core racing follows the standard kart-racer formula: drifting around corners for a boost, boost pads, ramps with midair stunts, and item pickups.[7](https://gazettely.com/2023/11/games/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/) Reviewers noted how closely it mirrors [Mario Kart](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-kart), down to the cup structure of four races with a star rating, the user interface, the camera angles, and the post-race animations.[8](https://playday.one/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/)
**Troll hosts and music notes.** The game's most distinctive system puts Poppy, Branch, Barb, Cooper, and other Trolls characters in the role of race host. Each host adds special power-ups to an event, and collecting music notes scattered across the track, or drifting on marked strips, fills a note bar that unlocks a bonus "Troll Surprise" item drawn from a pool of eight; the number of notes required depends on the chosen character's charisma stat.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [5](https://www.gamesasylum.com/2023/11/03/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/) The host also appears as the figurehead of the track itself.[9](https://www.analogstickgaming.com/game-reviews/2023/11/3/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
**Other mechanics.** Hitting magical switches on a track uncovers hidden shortcuts, and hitting further switches in series extends these magic paths.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) The starting-grid boost is presented as a rhythm minigame: the player must press buttons in time to charge the boost, then hit the accelerator at the right moment.[10](https://fingerguns.net/reviews/2023/11/25/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review-ps5-swamp-swamp/) Each character has a distinct kart and stats covering speed, turbo, handling, and charisma.[7](https://gazettely.com/2023/11/games/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/) Karts can be customized with hundreds of parts and accessory combinations.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/)
## Characters and tracks
The roster of 20 characters spans the major DreamWorks franchises: Shrek, Po, Tigress, Puss in Boots, Hiccup, Astrid, Boss Baby, and others.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) Eight characters are available from the start and the rest are unlocked through play; Shrek's franchise is the most represented, with six racers: Shrek, [Donkey](https://www.edgepedia.org/donkey-shrek), Fiona, [Puss in Boots](https://www.edgepedia.org/puss-in-boots-shrek), Lord Farquaad, and Kitty Softpaws.[3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) Franchises such as [The Croods](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-croods), Rise of the Guardians, Antz, Monsters vs Aliens, and Over the Hedge are not represented.[3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
The 20 tracks adapt locations from the films, including Shrek's Swamp, the Kingdom of Far Far Away, Bergen Town and Pop Village from Trolls, the Baby Corp building from [The Boss Baby](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-boss-baby), the New York City Zoo from [Madagascar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madagascar), and the Isle of Berk.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/) • [3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) Track design drew some of the game's better notices: WayTooManyGames called the level designs fantastic, and Video Chums credited the track designs as the star of the show.[4](https://waytoomany.games/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/)
## Voice acting
The game does not use the original film voice actors. The tutorial is narrated by a Shrek soundalike, and performances range from serviceable impressions to widely criticized ones; Nintendo Life called the voicework some of the worst soundalikes it had heard in a game, with Shrek the worst of the bunch.[11](https://www.filmjuice.com/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-game-review/) • [3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) Reviewers singled out one clever touch: each racer has character-specific lines spoken when passing a rival, so Po says "Look out, Alex" when he overtakes the Madagascar lion, even though the delivery does not resemble [Jack Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-black).[3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
## Reception
On Metacritic the PlayStation 5 version holds a Metascore of 63, labeled "mixed or average", with 2 positive, 5 mixed, and 1 negative review out of 8 counted.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/) Scores ranged from 80 (Video Chums) to 40 (Finger Guns and Nintendo Life).[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/) • [3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
**Praise** centered on the track designs, the authentic use of DreamWorks locations and references, and the accessible racing, which Gazettely judged especially suitable for younger audiences.[4](https://waytoomany.games/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/) • [7](https://gazettely.com/2023/11/games/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/) **Criticism** focused on the voice acting, severe rubber-banding that keeps the pack close together, dirt patches that instantly kill an in-progress drift and can fling the player off the track, underwhelming power-ups, unstable frame rate around a 30 fps target, and a blurry image on Switch.[3](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing) Gaming Nexus found the game low-resolution and grainy on both Xbox Series S and Series X.[12](https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/13944/DreamWorks-All-Star-Kart-Racing/) Several reviewers judged it serviceable for DreamWorks fans but hard to recommend over established kart racers.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/)
## Editions and downloadable content
A Rally Edition bundles the full game with the Rally Pack, a downloadable content release of November 3, 2023 that adds exclusive playable characters and content; the pack's regular price on the [Nintendo eShop](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-eshop) is $14.99.[13](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-rally-edition-switch/) The deluxe digital release adds Master Oogway from [Kung Fu Panda](https://www.edgepedia.org/kung-fu-panda) and the Wolf from [Puss in Boots: The Last Wish](https://www.edgepedia.org/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish) as racers.[14](https://brakdansnadast.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/8/6/148698825/street-racing-syndicatefree-pc-gamefull-version-control.pdf) On the Switch the base game occupies 4.6 GB and carries an ESRB rating of Mild Fantasy Violence.[1](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/)
## References
1. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Official Site](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-switch/)
2. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, Gematsu](https://www.gematsu.com/2023/07/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-switch-and-pc)
3. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review (Switch), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
4. [Review: DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing, WayTooManyGames](https://waytoomany.games/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/)
5. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing review, Games Asylum](https://www.gamesasylum.com/2023/11/03/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/)
6. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/critic-reviews/)
7. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review: Shrek, Po and Pals Crash the Kart Racing Party, Gazettely](https://gazettely.com/2023/11/games/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review/)
8. [Review: DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing, DayOne](https://playday.one/2023/11/03/review-dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing/)
9. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review, Analog Stick Gaming](https://www.analogstickgaming.com/game-reviews/2023/11/3/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing)
10. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review (PS5), Finger Guns](https://fingerguns.net/reviews/2023/11/25/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-review-ps5-swamp-swamp/)
11. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Game Review, FilmJuice](https://www.filmjuice.com/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-game-review/)
12. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review, Gaming Nexus](https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/13944/DreamWorks-All-Star-Kart-Racing/)
13. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Official Site](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dreamworks-all-star-kart-racing-rally-edition-switch/)
14. [DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing overview (developer, roster, DLC details)](https://brakdansnadast.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/8/6/148698825/street-racing-syndicatefree-pc-gamefull-version-control.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Licensed and media tie-in game titles › Film, television, and anime adaptations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license