After Nexon's phenomenal success with online kart racer KartRider in Asia, the company's local American division is hoping to emulate the Korean MMORPG's success in the West as it finally announced the open beta for the game going live.

Anyone who's played any fast-paced multiplayer kart racer will know just how addicting these kind of games can get. Put in the fact that you can also customize your cutesy little kart with a near endless number of possible modifications and you have a racing game that can occupy hardcore gamers attention for a long time.

Once you sign up, you have your choice of enjoying either the single or team race modes. If you're looking of a bit of a challenge you can also try either the item mode or the speed mode races. Through speed mode you can test just how good you are at drifting at the many courses offered in the game.

Item mode, furthermore, gives you a more laid back form of racing in a Mario Kart-esque type of competition. However way you want to enjoy the game, it's all free for download on the KartRider website and registrations are still open (via the Read link below).

In an official press release made available just recently, American subsidiary of Korea-based Nexon had announced that the popular and highly-acclaimed Korean MMO KartRider is now heading to U.S. shores. Based off on most of Nexon's free to play games, KartRider will be free for download and play, bringing U.S. gamers to join 160 million others.

The Closed Beta test has already launched (May 1) and some early applicants have already got the chance to race against others in a cutesy and hilarious world of kart racing.

Players only spend money when they want unique designs and custom accessories to pimp out their kart, giving gamers an option to shell out the bucks when they really want to.

For now, Nexon is only accepting a limited amount of subscribers for the Closed Beta period, but they do plan to continue resizing the application circle as time goes on. Head on over to the KartRider section (via our read link below) at the Nexon website to get more details on that.