GoKartingA Format That Barely Existed Five Years Ago
Most karting comparisons rank circuits by length or speed. This one covers a category where neither number applies, because at several of these venues there is no circuit to measure.
Battle karting covers two genuinely different things, and they get conflated constantly. At one end are venues with no physical track at all, where the circuit is projected onto the floor and changes between games. At the other are ordinary indoor circuits that add an interactive power-up mode to a conventional layout. Both are fun. They are not the same experience, and if you book the wrong one for your group you will be disappointed.
Below we have split them honestly, and added a third list of venues that get called immersive but are not.
Venues With No Physical Track
At these five the circuit is software. Projectors put the track and its obstacles on the floor of an open hall, sensors on the electric karts react to what is projected, and the layout changes when you switch game. There is no barrier, no racing line and no lap time.
| Venue | Location | Age & height | Session | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BattleKart Gateshead | Gateshead, Tyne & Wear | No minimum age · 145cm | 15 min, 2-12 players | Not published |
| BattleKart Sheffield | Sheffield, S Yorkshire | No minimum age · 145cm | 15 min, 2-12 players | From £19 weekday / £23 weekend |
| BattleKart Sittingbourne | Borden, Kent | No minimum age · 145cm | 15 min, 2-12 players | From £17.95 weekday / £19.95 weekend |
| BattleKart London-St Albans | St Albans, Herts | 11+ · 145cm | 15 min, 2-12 players | From £20 weekday / £25 weekend |
| Chaos Karts Manchester | Manchester city centre | 8+ · 130cm | approx 20 min on track | Not published |
The height rule is the one to check. All four BattleKart sites require 145cm, and three of them set no minimum age at all — so height, not birthday, decides whether a child can race. Chaos Karts Manchester is the outlier at 8 years and 130cm, which makes it the most realistic of the five for a younger family group.
BattleKart runs six modes at every site: BattleRace, BattleVirus, BattleFoot, BattlePool, BattleSnake and BattleColor. Alongside straight racing you get a football variant, a pool variant and a version of Snake played in a kart, which is the part that tends to win over people who thought they did not like karting.
Real Circuits With Power-Ups
These keep a conventional indoor track and add an interactive layer — pick-ups on track that give you a boost or slow a rival. You still get a proper racing line and a measurable lap, which is the key difference from the venues above.
| Venue | Location | Circuit | Interactive format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level X Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | 250m multi-level | Interactive e-karting with power-ups |
| TeamSport Docklands | East London | 800m | Combat Karts mode |
| TeamSport Newcastle | Newcastle | 500m | Combat Karts mode, plus VR |
| TeamSport Liverpool | Liverpool | 475m | Combat Karts mode |
| TeamSport Reading | Reading | 450m | Combat Karts mode |
TeamSport's Combat Karts is a mode rather than a venue type — it runs at four of their sites and is booked as a specific session, so check it is running on your date rather than assuming. Level X Middlesbrough is the one venue here built around the interactive format rather than adding it, on a 250m multi-level track.
Often Called Immersive, But Isn't
Three venues get filed under this heading and should not be. They are good venues — they are simply conventional karting.
- F1 DRIVE London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the official Formula 1-branded venue, on a real 500-metre circuit with 17 turns and two DRS zones. New, indoors and heavily branded — but a proper circuit with a racing line and no game layer.
- Gravity MAX Liverpool and Gravity MAX Castleford are multi-level indoor e-karting inside shopping and leisure complexes. Electric and modern, but conventional racing.
The distinction matters when you are booking for a group who have been told they are going to do "the Mario Kart one". If that is the expectation, you want the first table on this page, not this one.
Which One Should You Book?
- A mixed-ability group where some have never karted: the projected venues. The game modes flatten the gap between a confident driver and a nervous one far more than a conventional circuit does.
- Children under 11: Chaos Karts Manchester at 8 years and 130cm, or check the height of any child against the 145cm BattleKart rule before you book anything.
- People who actually want to race: the power-up circuits, or a conventional track. A projected circuit will frustrate anyone chasing a lap time.
- More than twelve people: expect consecutive sessions rather than one race. Tell the venue your total headcount when you enquire.
- An evening rather than an afternoon: BattleKart St Albans keeps the latest hours of any of them, to midnight on Saturdays.
How We Compiled This
Every age, height, session length and price on this page comes from the venue's own website, checked on 30 July 2026. Where a venue does not publish a figure — BattleKart Gateshead and Chaos Karts Manchester do not publish prices, and Chaos Karts publishes no phone number — we have said so rather than filling the gap from a third-party listing.
Prices and opening hours in this category change more often than at conventional circuits, several of these venues having opened recently. Confirm both when you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is battle karting?
Battle karting is go karting with a game layer on top. In its purest form, at the four UK BattleKart venues, there is no physical circuit at all: ceiling projectors put the track onto the floor of an open hall and sensors on the electric karts react to what is projected, so the layout changes between game modes. Other venues keep a conventional circuit and add interactive power-ups, which is what TeamSport's Combat Karts and Level X Middlesbrough do.
Where can you do BattleKart in the UK?
There are four UK BattleKart venues: Gateshead, Sheffield, Sittingbourne in Kent, and London-St Albans in Hertfordshire. All four run the same six game modes and 15-minute sessions for 2 to 12 players, but their age rules and prices differ — St Albans is the only one with a minimum age, and Sittingbourne is the cheapest.
Is battle karting suitable for children?
It depends on the venue, and height matters more than age. Three of the four BattleKart sites publish no minimum age but require every player to be at least 145cm tall, so a tall nine-year-old can race while a short thirteen-year-old cannot. St Albans requires age 11 as well. Chaos Karts Manchester is the most accommodating for younger families at 8 years and 130cm.
Is it real go karting?
The karts are real electric karts and you really drive them. What is not real is the circuit — at BattleKart and Chaos Karts there are no barriers, no fixed racing line and no lap record to chase. If you want to measure yourself against a lap time, a conventional circuit is the better choice. If you want something a mixed-ability group will all enjoy, the game formats level the field considerably.
How big a group can go battle karting?
BattleKart runs 2 to 12 players per session, which is the practical constraint. A group larger than twelve means booking consecutive sessions rather than one big race, so it is worth telling the venue your total headcount when you enquire rather than booking online in blocks.
Is F1 DRIVE London battle karting?
No. F1 DRIVE London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is conventional karting on a real 500-metre circuit with 17 turns and two DRS zones. It is frequently grouped with the immersive venues because it is new, indoors and heavily branded, but there is no game layer — it is a proper circuit with a racing line.