How to Get Started with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mods on mkdd.org

Updated

The Custom Mario Kart: Double Dash Wiki (mkdd.org) splits getting started into two paths: installing and playing mods and creating your own custom content. The wiki's "Mario Kart Double Dash!! Tutorials and Reference" section is the entry point for both, with dedicated tutorial pages for installing/playing mods, creating custom tracks, and creating custom characters, plus reference material on the filesystem, file formats, and software. If your goal is to contribute to the wiki itself rather than mod the game, the wiki also hosts a MediaWiki user's guide, FAQ, and a sandbox for practice editing.

Installing and playing mods

The wiki's tutorial index lists Installing/Playing Mods as its own category, alongside the content directories where finished mods live.

Where the mods are

Content type Where to find it on the wiki
Custom tracks (original) Mod Directory → Original Custom Tracks
Retro tracks Mod Directory → Retro Tracks
Imported tracks Mod Directory → Imported Tracks
Track edits Mod Directory → Track Edits
Texture-hacked tracks and battle arenas Mod Directory → Texture Hacked Tracks / Battle Arenas
Custom battle arenas Mod Directory → Custom Battle Arenas
Custom characters and vehicles Mod Directory → Custom Characters and Vehicles
Custom items Mod Directory → Custom Items
Codes and distributions List of Custom Codes / List of Distributions

The Mod Directory is the hub; each listing links to the individual release. The wiki's news feed shows what's actively being updated — for example, retro track releases such as Wii Dry Dry Ruins and N64 Yoshi Valley, custom tracks like Moonlight City, and larger distributions such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Tournament Edition and LAN Edition.

The practical sequence

  1. Read the Rules and Published Works Policy first. The wiki states that by posting on it you agree to everything in those links, and they also govern how published works are shared.
  2. Open the Installing/Playing Mods tutorial from the Tutorials and Reference section — this is the wiki's own step-by-step for getting mods running.
  3. Pick a release from the Mod Directory that matches what you want (a single track, a character, or a full distribution).
  4. Check the release's own page for its version and requirements before installing; the news entries show that releases are versioned (v0.9, v1.0, v2.0), so confirm you have the current one.

The wiki does not document pricing or account requirements for mods in the material available here, so treat each release page as the authority on what you need.

Creating custom tracks or characters

Creation is treated as a separate track from installation, with its own tutorial series and reference set.

Tutorials

  • Creating Custom Tracks — the wiki's dedicated track-creation tutorial series.
  • Creating Custom Characters — the parallel series for characters and vehicles.

Reference material you'll need alongside them

  • Filesystem — how the game's files are laid out.
  • File Formats — the formats you'll be working with.
  • Software — the tools the wiki points to for the job.
  • All Tutorials — the full index, useful once you move past the basics.

Publishing your work

Once something is finished, the wiki provides page templates so it fits the directory structure:

  • Making a New Page — general page creation.
  • Make a Custom Track page — the track listing template.
  • Make a Custom Character page — the character listing template.
  • Make a User Link template — for linking your author profile.

Authors are collected in the Author Directory (User Links), so creating that link template early makes your releases easier to find.

Contributing to the wiki itself

If you want to edit pages rather than mod the game, the wiki runs on MediaWiki and offers:

  • Getting Started With MediaWiki and the Wiki User's Guide for editing basics.
  • MediaWiki FAQ and Wiki FAQ for common questions.
  • A Sandbox for trying out edits before publishing.

Note that the wiki requires an account to edit: the navigation shows Log in and Request account, so plan on requesting an account rather than editing anonymously.

Community and troubleshooting

The wiki links several community spaces where you can ask questions when a tutorial step doesn't work:

  • Double Crew Discord Server
  • MKDD Time Trialing Server
  • Tockdom Discord Server (explicitly noted as not affiliated with the wiki)
  • A full page of community links, also marked as not affiliated with the wiki

A sensible order of operations: read the Rules and Published Works Policy, follow the Installing/Playing Mods tutorial to get a first mod running, then move to the Creating Custom Tracks or Creating Custom Characters series if you want to build your own — using the Filesystem, File Formats, and Software references as you go, and the page templates when you're ready to publish.