Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
	; For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EPD; BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
Publisher	Nintendo; Tencent Games (China)
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release date	April 28, 2017 ; April 28, 2017 ; April 28, 2017 ; April 28, 2017 ; April 28, 2017 ; April 28, 2017 ; December 15, 2017 ; December 15, 2017 ; March 16, 2020 ;
Language(s)	Deutsch; English (United Kingdom); English (United States); Español (España); Español (Latinoamérica); Français (Canada); Français (France); Italiano; Nederlands; Português (Portugal); Русский; 한국어; 日本語; 简体中文1; 繁體中文 ; 1 - The global and domestic versions have slightly different localizations.;
Genre	Racing
ESRB:	- Everyone
PEGI:	- Three years and older
CERO:	- All ages
ACB:	- General
USK:	- All ages
DEJUS:	- General audience
RARS:	- All ages
GRAC:	- All ages
CADPA:	- Eight years and older
GSRR:	- Six years and older
FPB:	- Parental guidance
GCAM:	- Three years and older
NMC:	- Seven years and older
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer, Online Play, Wireless Play, LAN Play
Media	Nintendo Switch: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

This article is about the Nintendo Switch port of the Mario Kart 8 game. For the game's original version, see Mario Kart 8.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a racing game in the Mario Kart series released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2017. It is an enhanced port of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U and is the first Super Mario game overall to be released for the Nintendo Switch. The base game contains additional content such as several new characters and an overhauled Battle Mode with new courses and modes. First teased in the Switch's announcement video on October 20, 2016, the game was formally announced as part of the Nintendo Switch presentation on January 13, 2017.

Throughout 2022 and 2023, new race courses and returning characters were added to the game via the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass paid DLC. An edition of the game that has the Booster Course Pass activated from the start, titled the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle (Game + Booster Course Pass), is available for purchase digitally.^[6]

Controls

Dual Joy-Con / Pro Controller

or / or tilt: Steer
or up or or auto-accelerate: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown hits 2)
or down: Brake/reverse
/: Use horn/item
/: Hop/drift/trick
or / or tilt + or up or or auto-accelerate + /: Drift
: Rear view

Joy-Con (sideways)

or tilt: Steer
or or auto-accelerate: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown hits 2)
: Brake/reverse
: Use horn/item
: Hop/drift/trick
or tilt + or or auto-accelerate + : Drift
: Rear view

Toy-Con Motorbike

Tilt: Steer
forward tilt or auto-accelerate: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown hits 2)
: Brake / reverse
: Use horn/item
: Hop / trick
Tilt + forward tilt or auto-accelerate + : Drift
: Switch view

Toy-Con Car

Tilt: Steer
Pedal half press or auto-accelerate: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown hits 2)
: Use horn/item
Pedal full press: Hop / trick
Tilt + pedal full press: Drift
: Switch view

Differences from the original

Mario driving with Smart Steering activated, indicated by the antenna at the back of the kart

The game features most of the base and DLC content of Mario Kart 8. Content excluded includes Miiverse compatibility, stamps, and the ability to upload Highlight Reels on YouTube - all of which were discontinued on the Wii U version when Miiverse was terminated on November 7, 2017. Battle Mode has been significantly altered.

Characters that were originally unlockable or exclusive to downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 are available from the start in this game, marking the largest starting roster of any Mario Kart game.

Characters can now carry up to two items at once, even if they do not equip the first item, and the game features the return of the Double Item Box from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The game also introduces Smart Steering and Auto-Accelerate for beginners; the former makes staying on the track easier by automatically steering the vehicle away from edges on the track, while the latter makes the vehicle automatically accelerate (though this is not available in Battle Mode). If the Smart Steering mode is on, the player's vehicle will have a black antenna sticking out of its rear end; this antenna blinks yellow and bends when Smart Steering is in effect. Smart Steering and Auto-Accelerate can be toggled on and off individually for each player in the vehicle part selection menu and in the pause menu. There is also an additional level of Mini-Turbo, called Ultra Mini-Turbo, denoted by purple sparks (referred to as pink in the British English version) that appear after the orange sparks. This new level of Mini-Turbo can only be used if Smart Steering is off.

200cc engine class for Time Trials has been added (separately recorded from the 150cc Time Trials). There are new staff ghosts for 200cc, while some of the 150cc staff ghosts have slightly different times compared to the original.

The game features an in-game guide, directly accessible from the game's menu; this guide explains various techniques, Battle Mode, and the functions of each item.

The vehicle parts that are exclusive to downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 (i.e. parts included within the Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8, and Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 add-on packs) are now accessible in the base game and are randomly unlocked by collecting coins during gameplay.

There are more individual character weight classes when compared to the Wii U game, with several returning characters having different statistics, thus resulting in fewer characters having the same stats as each other. Similarly, the statistics of some vehicle parts have been altered, and certain physics elements, such as the speed increase per stat and the acceleration tiers, have been adjusted.

Red Shells and Spiny Shells are now slower when they lock onto their target, meaning players are able to outrun them in 200cc when they have any kind of speed boost.

The overall game difficulty has been reduced, as CPUs slow down closer to the player when compared to the original version and do not charge Mini Turbos or Super Mini Turbos as quickly. The default speed of the CPUs in the Normal and Easy difficulties is also reduced. CPU players now have a chance to obtain Triple Red Shells from Item Boxes, but this primarily only happens in the Shells Only item setting.

Online lobbies have been changed in that players playing Worldwide or Regional VS Races between 1000 VR and 3000 VR will be randomized either a 100cc or 150cc race, and starting at over 3000 VR, players will now be randomized a 150cc, Mirror, or 200cc race. The engine class for the upcoming race in a race lobby is now shown in the lobby as the course is selected, via a "50", "100", "150", mirrored "150" (for Mirror), or "200" icon in the bottom right of the selected course icon. This extends to online battle lobbies, which will display a symbol of a yellow balloon (for Balloon Battle), a potted Piranha Plant (for Renegade Roundup), a coin (for Coin Runners), a Shine Sprite (for Shine Thief), or a Bob-omb (for Bob-omb Blast) to denote which battle mode is about to be played. There is also an option to change character and vehicle combinations in an online lobby without having to leave; this is done by pressing ( when playing with a single Joy-Con) during the course selection of an online lobby. The Mii characters that represent the players in online lobbies wear racing suits, unlike in the original version in which they wore their regular outfits. The Mii of the previous race or battle's winner will also wear a crown identical to the one worn by the first-place player in Battle Mode. The newly added wireless and LAN modes use a very similar lobby to the online lobby, albeit visually set in a garage rather than on a globe.

Players can now see the lap count or timer when spectating an online race or battle respectively. However, it is no longer possible to see the lap count when crossing the finish line nor the full results in multiplayer (including online lobbies) at the end of the race while watching Highlight Reels via Mario Kart TV.

The game now mostly renders in native 1920x1080 resolution in TV mode (sometimes switching to native 1728x972), and always renders at native 1280x720 resolution in Tabletop and Handheld Mode, instead of the dynamic 1280x720/1152x648 rendering resolution used in the original Wii U version. Motion blur when boosting is present in LAN and online mode, and in earlier builds, it was also present in splitscreen multiplayer.^[7] The shadows present in the game are of higher quality in multiplayer.

If a Blooper is about to ink the player as they cross the finish line, the player will now still get inked.^[8] This is unlike the Wii U version, where the Blooper or the ink disappeared instead. Characters also no longer vocally react when they are inked by a Blooper.

The course map color for the race courses is now white instead of blue, including the maps of all three Rainbow Roads and GCN Baby Park, which originally had multiple colors. However, the battle courses have color-shaded areas and lines on their maps to make it easier for players to determine where they are. The character icons on the course map are now slightly larger, more detailed, and of a higher resolution. In a race, the first place player no longer has a crown on their map icon, though they still do in battles. When a Bob-omb or Spiny Shell explodes, its explosion is now shown on the course map. When playing with the map enabled in local splitscreen multiplayer, there will only be one map in the center of the screen, rather than each player having their own copy of the map like in the Wii U version.

All courses that feature confetti flying around the finish line, such as Mario Circuit, now also have confetti on the ground of the course near it.^[9]

When using the rearview mirror, the character will now move their eyes slightly to the left to look back, like how they do in Mario Kart Wii; however, their eyes will stay looking to the left as long as the rearview is active, rather than switching back after a second like in Mario Kart Wii.

Inkling Girl, Isabelle, and Link now appear on the loading screen, and the game also has reduced loading times when compared to the Wii U game; as a result, the second set of characters that originally appeared on the loading screen is almost never seen before the game finishes loading.

When playing with teams, flags colored to correspond to the teams are added behind the vehicles. If Smart Steering is on, then the Smart Steering antenna serves as the pole of the flag. These flags do not appear in Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast, as the colors of the balloons represent the teams in these modes.

Battle Mode

Inkling Girl, Link, Mario, and Isabelle in Battle Stadium.

The biggest change made between Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the original release of Mario Kart 8 is the Battle Mode. Battle Mode now returns to the arena-based battle and unlike previous games, each player starts with five balloons, as opposed to three. Another addition to Battle Mode is that the character in the lead now wears a crown, unlike in Mario Kart 8 where the crown is displayed only on the HUD map. Additionally, players now start out with zero points instead of Mario Kart 8's default three points, and their balloons do not serve as the remaining three points. Returning from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 is the ability to respawn after all balloons are popped; this causes the player's total score to halve and the player respawns with three balloons instead of five. A new addition to this mode is the feature to tell exactly which character hit whom, which appears on the bottom of the screen. Furthermore, after getting hit, players now have about 1.5 seconds of invincibility frames, unlike in Mario Kart 8. The item options also appear to have been updated; alongside the "Frantic Items" option, which chooses powerful items more frequently, a "Skilled Items" option is also available for selection; in this option, powerful items appear less frequently, similar to Mario Kart Wii's "Strategic" ("Basic" in the British English version) item option.

There are five different Battle Mode types:

Balloon Battle: The classic mode where players use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. This mode now uses the point-based set-up seen in Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, rather than the survival set-up of Mario Kart 8 and earlier installments prior to Mario Kart Wii.
Renegade Roundup: A new mode in the vein of "cops and robbers", with the racers being divided into two teams. One team, known as "The Authorities", has to use Piranha Plant items (which are permanently attached to the front of their vehicle and only serve to capture the opposing team; they do not operate like the regular item) in order to capture players from the other team, known as "The Renegades". Captured Renegades are placed into one of several jail cells floating above various points on the stage. Remaining Renegades can free their teammates by driving over a key switch placed below the jail cells. The Renegades win if at least one member is still running free when time runs out, and the Authorities win if all of the Renegades get captured. All Authority team members also temporarily lose their ability to capture after being hit by an item and Renegades receive a speed boost and temporary immunity when they are freed from the cells.
Bob-omb Blast: A returning mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, in which players attack one another using Bob-ombs to score points and can carry up to 10 Bob-ombs. This version follows nearly all of the same rules as Balloon Battle, the differences being these: the only items are Bob-ombs, players cannot be hurt by their own Bob-ombs exploding, and Bob-ombs thrown forward explode instantly.
Coin Runners: Originating in Mario Kart Wii, this mode was last seen in Mario Kart 7. Players must collect Coins scattered across the course in order to have the most by the end of the match. Plays more akin to the Mario Kart Wii version of the mode, with players having no limit to the amount of coins they can collect, as opposed to the 10-coin limit in the Mario Kart 7 version.
Shine Thief: Another returning mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, one player must retrieve a Shine Sprite and keep hold of it for about 20 seconds, while the opponents use items against whoever has the Shine to force that player to drop it. The driver holding the shine sprite has a slightly reduced top speed. In Team play, one team must collectively manage to hold on to the Shine for about 30 seconds.

There is also the option to randomly select one of the five available modes by choosing "Random Battle".

Characters

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

Excluding character variants, there are a total of 48 playable characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, including 40 in the base game and eight as DLC. All base and DLC characters from Mario Kart 8 are present in the base roster of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and are now available from the start, while more characters that were not present in Mario Kart 8 are also added. The base game includes returning characters Bowser Jr., King Boo, and Dry Bones, who were last playable in Mario Kart Wii, and Gold Mario (as a variant of Metal Mario), who was previously playable in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. It also introduces a new non-Mario character, being the Inkling from Splatoon. Players can choose either the Inkling Girl or Inkling Boy, and they include three selectable colors each. At the game's launch, the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy took up separate character slots on the character selection screen, as did the two Villagers, after originally being present in the same character slot (with the female Villager being a variant of the male one) in Mario Kart 8. However, as of the version 3.0.0 update, the Inkling Boy and female Villager now share the same slot and are considered variants of Inkling Girl and the male Villager respectively.^[10]

Eight additional characters were added as downloadable content via the Booster Course Pass, starting with its fourth wave. Characters added include Birdo, who was added in Wave 4 with nine selectable colors, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek, who were added in Wave 5 (with Wiggler being playable in the series for the first time since Mario Kart 7), and Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Pauline, and Peachette, who were added in Wave 6.^[11] Wiggler, Gold Mario, Kamek, Pauline, Peachette, and all Birdo variants are playable for the first time in a home console Mario Kart installment. Kamek, Pauline, Peachette, and almost all Birdo variants were originally introduced in Mario Kart Tour, which released after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

There is only one unlockable character in this game, that being Gold Mario. He is unlocked by clearing all cups of the 200cc Grand Prix. Additionally, the version 1.6.0 update added a new variant for Link, Champion's Tunic Link,^[12] based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When Gold Mario is unlocked and Champion's Tunic Link is downloaded, they become the default variations of their character, while Metal Mario and the version of Link based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword are relegated to alternate costumes. As of the 3.0.0 update, however, the character select screen now remembers the last costume used for characters with alternate costumes.

Characters, variants, and Mii Racing Suits playable in this game that are not playable in the original Mario Kart 8 are listed in italics.

Character select screen at launch
Character select screen with Gold Mario unlocked and all DLC characters downloaded

Character variants

With the exceptions of Link and the Villager, the displayed name of the character changes based on the variant that is selected. From version 3.0.0 onwards, the last used variant will have their icon shown on the character selection screen. Unlike in Mario Kart 8, the sub-menu for the two Villagers does not use a unique Animal Crossing-inspired color scheme, instead using the same gray color as the others.

Character	Variant(s)
Birdo	Birdo (Light-Blue) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Black) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Red) ^(new) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Yellow) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (White) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Blue) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Green) ^(new) DLC, Wave 4	Birdo (Orange) DLC, Wave 4
Yoshi	Light-blue Yoshi	Black Yoshi	Red Yoshi	Yellow Yoshi	White Yoshi	Blue Yoshi	Pink Yoshi	Orange Yoshi
Shy Guy	Light-blue Shy Guy	Black Shy Guy	Green Shy Guy	Yellow Shy Guy	White Shy Guy	Blue Shy Guy	Pink Shy Guy	Orange Shy Guy
Metal Mario	Gold Mario¹
Inkling	Inkling Girl	Inkling Girl	Inkling Boy²	Inkling Boy	Inkling Boy
Villager	Villager²
Link	Link³

¹ - This costume is used as the select icon for the base character on the main select screen once it is available.
² - Originally a separate character slot before becoming relegated to a costume in the version 3.0.0 update.
³ - Originally the only variant of the character before becoming relegated to a costume in the version 1.6.0 update

Mii Racing Suits

All 20 Mii Racing Suits return from Mario Kart 8, and, like in that game, the color of the standard suit matches the favorite color of the selected Mii. There are also two additional Mii Racing Suits tied to scanning amiibo - the new Splatoon Suit, which is unlocked either by scanning an amiibo from the Splatoon series or by scanning the Super Smash Bros. Inkling amiibo, and the Daisy Suit, returning from Mario Kart Tour, which can be unlocked by scanning any Daisy amiibo after installing version 3.0.0. In addition, the Animal Crossing Suit can now be unlocked with any Animal Crossing character amiibo, and the Pikmin Suit can be unlocked with the Pikmin series Pikmin amiibo. In version 3.0.0, scanning any amiibo of characters in The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby series unlocks the respective series' Mii Racing Suits.

Standard Suits
Normal Suit (Red)	Normal Suit (Orange)	Normal Suit (Yellow)	Normal Suit (Light-green)	Normal Suit (Green)	Normal Suit (Blue)

Normal Suit (Light-blue)	Normal Suit (Pink)	Normal Suit (Purple)	Normal Suit (Brown)	Normal Suit (White)	Normal Suit (Black)

amiibo Suits
Mario Suit	Luigi Suit	Peach Suit	Yoshi Suit	Donkey Kong Suit	Hylian Suit	Captain Falcon Suit

Kirby Suit	Varia Suit	Fox Suit	Toad Suit	Bowser Suit	Wario Suit	Rosalina Suit

Pikmin Suit	Animal Crossing Suit	Mega Man Suit	PAC-MAN Suit	Sonic Suit	Inkling Suit	Daisy Suit (ver 3.0.0)

As part of the sixth wave of the Booster Course Pass, 17 additional Mii Racing Suits from Mario Kart Tour were added. These costumes can be unlocked via purchasing the DLC.^[13] Some Jump Boost animations from these suits are different from those of the Mii Racing Suits in the base game and the Daisy Suit.

DLC Suits (added in ver. 3.0.0)
? Block Suit	Castle Suit	Toadette Suit	Dry Bowser Suit	Chain Chomp Suit	Cheep Cheep Suit

Dolphin Suit	Pokey Suit	Blooper Suit	Koopa Clown Car Suit	Para-Biddybud Suit	Ice Cream Suit

Birdo Suit	Petey Piranha Suit	Wiggler Suit	Goomba Suit	Moo Moo Suit

Rival order

Like in Mario Kart 8, characters have set rivals that consistently appear when racing in Grand Prix races. They are once again restricted to Grand Prix only, not appearing in single player versus or battle mode. Unlike the previous game, more characters have rivals: the twelve characters from the previous game who had rivals retain their rivals in this game, while other characters range from having one to two rivals each, or even none at all.

Column 1		Column 2		Column 3		Column 4
Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)





							None
Column 5		Column 6		Column 7		Column 8
Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)

	None



							None
Variants

Vehicle parts

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features six additional vehicle body parts. One is the Koopa Clown, returning from Mario Kart 7. Two new vehicles are Splatoon-based ATVs; the Splat Buggy and Inkstriker. These three change their colors for certain characters: the former for the Koopalings, and the latter two for all Inkling variations. Version 1.6.0 adds the Master Cycle Zero, Ancient Tires, and Paraglider. In total, there are 41 vehicle bodies, 22 tires, and 15 gliders, resulting in up to 13,530 different combinations.

Computer-controlled characters now choose from a wider variety of kart parts than in the original version, such as the Flame Rider and the Sports Coupe. However, they are still restricted to a set amount of body parts per character. A CPU Baby Daisy has the tendency to use the Wild Wiggler with Wood tires, for example.

Available parts

The parts available are listed here in the order shown in the vehicle customization screen, with the following notation:

Bold = Part is available at the start.
* = Changes color, depending on the character.
** = Changes color for the Koopalings.
*** = Changes color for Daisy, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, Baby Rosalina, Wiggler, Kamek and Funky Kong.
**** = Changes color for the Inklings.
(DX) = Part is not available in the original Mario Kart 8.
(NEW) = Part is introduced in this game.

The "8" logos on the parts are replaced with the driver's emblem, except on the Gold Standard and Gold Glider.

Karts

Standard bikes

Sport bikes

ATVs

Standard ATV*
Standard Quad
Wild Wiggler
Teddy Buggy
Bone Rattler
Splat Buggy**** (NEW)
Inkstriker**** (NEW)

Tires

Standard
Normal
Monster
Roller
Slim
Slick
Metal
Button
Off-Road
Sponge
Wood
Wooden
Cushion
Blue Standard
Normal Blue
Hot Monster
Funky Monster
Azure Roller
Crimson Slim
Cyber Slick
Retro Off-Road
Gold Tires
Gold Wheels
GLA Tires
GLA Wheels
Triforce Tires
Triforce Tyres
Ancient Tires (NEW)
Ancient Tyres
Leaf Tires
Leaf Tyres

Gliders

CPU combinations

All characters in the game except for variants (besides Champion's Tunic Link) and Miis can be used by CPUs. Each of these characters have four different combinations of vehicle parts that they can use as CPUs. These combinations are listed below.

AI Combinations
Player	Combination 1	Combination 2	Combination 3	Combination 4

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

For the in-game tables from which these values were derived and for the tables to translate those values into the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in-game statistics.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features different statistics with respect to Mario Kart 8.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen

Just like Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, the game uses "points" ("PT") which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts to determine the final values of the game's statistics. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called "Level" ("Lv") which is then used by a table to convert the level into appropriate physical parameters used by the game. There are a total of 8,064 different stat combinations. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:

Speed: The top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
Acceleration: How fast the speed increases when holding the acceleration button until top speed has been reached.
Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper, and will continue turning normally for longer before automatically initiating a drift.
Traction (Grip in the British English version): The grasp of the vehicle to the ground while off-road. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding three points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.75. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:

A combination consisting of Dry Bones, Flame Rider, Standard Tires, and Super Glider.

Element	Points conferred
Element	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction
Dry Bones	2	5	1	8	4
Flame Rider	2	5	1	4	5
Standard Tires	2	4	2	3	5
Super Glider	1	1	1	1	1
Final values	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction
Level	2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 7	5 + 5 + 4 + 1 = 15	1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 5	8 + 4 + 3 + 1 = 16	4 + 5 + 5 + 1 = 15
Value shown in the vehicle customization screen	(7 + 3) / 4 = 10 / 4 = 2.5	(15 + 3) / 4 = 18 / 4 = 4.5	(5 + 3) / 4 = 8 / 4 = 2	(16 + 3) / 4 = 19 / 4 = 4.75	(15 + 3) / 4 = 18 / 4 = 4.5

The values actually shown in the vehicle customization screen, matching the values calculated.

Drivers' statistics

Drivers are still grouped into small groups of characters sharing the same statistics, the number of groups has been increased with respect to Mario Kart 8.

In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:

Water Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while driving underwater.
Air Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while gliding.
Anti-Gravity Speed: The top speed of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
Water Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while driving underwater.
Air Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while gliding.
Anti-Gravity Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
Mini-Turbo: The length of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts and how fast mini-turbos can be charged. Also affects the length of jump boosts from tricks.
Invincibility: The length of time the vehicle is invincible after spinning out. Added in v2.2.0.^[14]

Just like in Mario Kart 8, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight.

The statistics are shown in points.

Drivers' Statistics
Vehicle size	Character	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo	Invincibility
Vehicle size	Character	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Acceleration	Weight	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Traction	Mini-Turbo	Invincibility
Small		1	1	1	1	4	0	10	10	10	10	5	5	6
		1	1	1	1	5	0	9	9	9	9	3	5	6
		2	2	2	2	5	1	8	8	8	8	4	5	5
		3	3	3	3	4	2	8	8	8	8	5	4	4
		3	3	3	3	5	2	7	7	7	7	2	4	3
		4	4	4	4	4	3	7	7	7	7	4	4	3
Medium		5	5	5	5	4	3	6	6	6	6	3	4	3
		6	6	6	6	3	4	5	5	5	5	3	4	1
		6	6	6	6	3	5	5	5	5	5	1	4	1
		7	7	7	7	2	6	5	5	5	5	1	3	3
		7	7	7	7	2	6	4	4	4	4	2	3	3
		8	8	8	8	1	10	3	3	3	3	1	1	3
		9	9	9	9	1	8	2	2	2	2	0	1	4
Large		8	8	8	8	1	7	3	3	3	3	3	2	4
		8	8	8	8	1	10	3	3	3	3	1	1	6
		9	9	9	9	1	8	2	2	2	2	0	1	4
		10	10	10	10	0	9	1	1	1	1	1	0	5
		10	10	10	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	6

Parts' statistics

The number of groups of vehicle parts sharing the same statistics has increased as well when compared with Mario Kart 8.

The statistics are reported in points. The invincibility statistic cells for vehicle bodies and tires are split up according to each part inside that row, from left to right. There is an unused stat for on-road traction, which can be viewed here.

Bodies' Statistics
Body *sport bike	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo	Invincibility
Body *sport bike	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Acceleration	Weight	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Traction	Mini-Turbo
	0	1	1	2	7	0	5	4	4	5	4	7	0		0
	2	5	2	0	6	0	4	5	3	2	6	6	3		2
	2	3	1	1	6	1	5	4	2	4	4	6	3	2	2
**	2	2	4	3	5	2	4	2	4	3	3	6	3	2	2	1
	2	2	3	4	5	1	4	3	3	4	5	5	4	4	4	4
	3	3	4	5	3	3	2	2	2	4	4	5	3	3	1
	3	4	3	3	2	3	4	4	3	3	7	5	4	3	3
	3	3	3	3	4	2	3	2	3	3	3	5	4	3	3
	4	2	3	4	3	0	2	3	1	5	3	4	4		3
**	4	3	3	3	2	1	3	3	3	2	2	4	5	3	3
*	4	2	3	3	2	2	3	2	2	3	0	4	5	4	3
	4	5	0	2	1	4	1	5	1	1	3	3	6	6	5
	5	1	2	4	1	3	1	1	0	2	1	3	6	6	6
	5	2	1	3	0	4	0	1	0	1	5	3	7	7	6
Tires' Statistics
Tire	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo	Invincibility
Tire	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Acceleration	Weight	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Traction	Mini-Turbo
	0	3	3	0	6	0	4	4	4	4	4	6	0		0
	1	2	2	2	5	0	3	3	2	4	3	5	3		3
	1	1	4	1	4	1	2	1	3	2	6	5	6		4
	2	3	3	2	4	2	3	3	3	3	5	4	5	4	4
	3	2	2	4	2	2	4	4	4	3	1	3	5	5	5
	3	2	1	2	2	4	0	1	1	0	7	3	6	6	5
	3	4	1	2	3	3	1	1	2	2	6	3	6	6	6
	4	0	0	4	1	3	2	0	1	2	0	2	5		5
	4	3	2	1	0	4	2	2	0	1	2	2	6		5
Gliders' Statistics
Glider	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo	Invincibility
Glider	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Acceleration	Weight	Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity	Traction	Mini-Turbo
	0	1	1	1	2	0	1	0	2	1	1	2	0
	0	0	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	0
	1	0	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	1
	1	1	2	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1

*sport bike

Unlocking criteria

Gold Mario

The only unlockable playable character in this game is Gold Mario, who is unlocked by winning all twelve base-game gold cups at 200cc. Once unlocked, he replaces Metal Mario on the character select screen. Metal Mario is from then on treated as a color variant of Gold Mario. The two differ only in their color scheme and the voice clip used when selecting them. Their other voice clips, horn sounds, animations, and statistics are identical.

Vehicle parts

A vehicle part is randomly unlocked every 30 coins. Once reaching 450 coins this changes to every 50, and once reaching 1500 coins this changes to every 100. Eventually, the last non-gold vehicle part is unlocked on reaching 3100 coins.

Special parts

Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:

Gold Standard: Unlocked by achieving at least 1 star ranking on all base-game Mirror Cups.
Gold Tires: Unlocked by defeating all 48 base-game staff ghosts in 150cc Time Trials.
Gold Glider: Unlocked by collecting 5000 coins.

Alternate title screens

Additional title screens can appear when hovering over the single player and multiplayer options on the main menu. These are unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in every base-game cup in Mirror and 200cc, after which the title screens used are randomly selected. These alternate title screens can appear on start-up, which causes a different voice clip to play corresponding to the character shown on the screen, replacing the usual clip of Mario yelling "Mario Kart 8!"

Courses

There are 48 race courses in the base game (including all four cups that were DLC in the original Mario Kart 8), these being the 25 courses introduced in the original game and 23 classic courses, which includes two courses from Super Mario Kart, three courses each from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart Wii, and four courses each from Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Mario Kart 7. It is also the first Mario Kart game since Mario Kart 64 to have all courses available from the start.

In the British English version of the game, Toad Harbor is spelled "Toad Harbour", Bone-Dry Dunes is formatted "Bone Dry Dunes", and 3DS Music Park, 3DS Piranha Plant Slide, and 3DS Neo Bowser City are respectively known as 3DS Melody Motorway, 3DS Piranha Plant Pipeway, and 3DS Koopa City.

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup	Egg Cup	Crossing Cup

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup	Triforce Cup	Bell Cup

Booster Course Pass

Main article: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass DLC, which includes 48 additional courses (mostly classic courses), released in six waves of eight courses each, increasing the game's total number of courses to 96. The first wave released on March 18, 2022, and the final wave released on November 9, 2023. The classic courses in the DLC include two courses each from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, three courses from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, four courses each from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7, five courses from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, eight courses from Mario Kart Wii, and seventeen courses from Mario Kart Tour (making Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the first game in the series to feature classic courses of a Mario Kart game released after it), which increases the total number of courses from each game to four courses from Super Mario Kart, six courses from Mario Kart 64, seven courses each from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, eight courses each from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7, and eleven courses from Mario Kart Wii. Three new courses are also included, namely Sky-High Sundae, Yoshi's Island, and Squeaky Clean Sprint, increasing the total number of new courses to 28.

In the British English version of the game, 3DS Rock Rock Mountain and Wii DK Summit are known as 3DS Alpine Pass and Wii DK's Snowboard Cross respectively, as was the case in the British English versions of their original appearances. However, most courses that had different names between European French and Canadian French in previous games instead use their European French names in both versions, with the exceptions of DS Waluigi Pinball, Tour Amsterdam Drift, and 3DS Rosalina's Ice World.

Golden Dash Cup	Lucky Cat Cup	Turnip Cup	Propeller Cup	Rock Cup	Moon Cup

Fruit Cup	Boomerang Cup	Feather Cup	Cherry Cup	Acorn Cup	Spiny Cup

Battle courses

Eight battle courses are present in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, five new and three classic, replacing the repurposed race courses used for Battle Mode in the Wii U version.

Some battle courses resemble race courses from Mario Kart 8: Battle Stadium with Mario Kart Stadium, Sweet Sweet Kingdom with Sweet Sweet Canyon, Dragon Palace with Dragon Driftway, Lunar Colony with Rainbow Road, GCN Luigi's Mansion with Twisted Mansion, and SNES Battle Course 1 with SNES Donut Plains 3, all sharing similar textures and/or assets.

Similar to regular races, a course introduction scene is now added at the start.

Ghosts

150cc Staff Ghosts

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the times for staff ghosts in 150cc are slightly different from the original Mario Kart 8. Also, unlike the original game, players will not unlock any stamps if they beat the ghosts.

Course	Staff Name	Country	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
Course	Staff Name	Country	Time	Character	Body	Tires	Glider
Mario Kart Stadium	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:53.191	Mario	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
Water Park	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:02.186	Baby Luigi	Mr. Scooty	Roller	Super Glider
Sweet Sweet Canyon	Nin★Fausti	France	2:07.205	Baby Peach	Teddy Buggy	Wood	Peach Parasol
Thwomp Ruins	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:12.125	Donkey Kong	Standard ATV	Monster	Super Glider
Mario Circuit	Nin★Sho	Japan	2:08.501	Mario	Standard Kart	Standard	Super Glider
Toad Harbor	Nin★Alice	United States	2:29.282	Toadette	Cat Cruiser	Retro Off-Road	Plane Glider
Twisted Mansion	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	2:14.615	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider
Shy Guy Falls	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	2:21.804	Shy Guy	Flame Rider	Off-Road	Super Glider
Sunshine Airport	Nin★Leonel	United States	2:20.447	Rosalina	Circuit Special	Standard	Super Glider
Dolphin Shoals	Nin★Skip	United States	2:14.832	Wendy	Landship	Wood	Bowser Kite
Electrodrome	Nin★Yuya	Japan	2:21.023	Larry	Sport Bike	Monster	Super Glider
Mount Wario	Nin★Elena	Russia	2:03.483	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Wario Wing
Cloudtop Cruise	Nin★Maria	Portugal	2:19.568	Baby Rosalina	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
Bone-Dry Dunes	Nin★Elena	Russia	2:15.338	Morton	Tri-Speeder	Monster	Super Glider
Bowser's Castle	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	2:21.980	Bowser	Badwagon	Standard	Super Glider
Rainbow Road	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	2:25.267	Pink Gold Peach	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
Wii Moo Moo Meadows	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:41.846	Daisy	Varmint	Hot Monster	Super Glider
GBA Mario Circuit	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:44.593	Baby Mario	Yoshi Bike	Standard	Super Glider
DS Cheep Cheep Beach	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:06.314	Koopa Troopa	Steel Driver	Metal	Parachute
N64 Toad's Turnpike	Nin★Alice	United States	2:08.966	Toad	Standard Bike	Standard	Parachute
GCN Dry Dry Desert	Nin★Maria	Portugal	2:26.614	Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
SNES Donut Plains 3	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	1:35.564	Lakitu	Pipe Frame	Monster	MKTV Parafoil
N64 Royal Raceway	Nin★Skip	United States	2:18.307	Peach	Prancer	Wood	Peach Parasol
3DS DK Jungle	Nin★Rie	Japan	2:20.006	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Waddle Wing
DS Wario Stadium	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	2:09.171	Wario	Tri-Speeder	Off-Road	Wario Wing
GCN Sherbet Land	Nin★Fausti	France	2:20.174	Lemmy	Sneeker	Standard	Super Glider
3DS Music Park	Nin★Sho	Japan	2:19.675	Baby Daisy	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
N64 Yoshi Valley	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	2:23.688	Yoshi	Wild Wiggler	Standard	Flower Glider
DS Tick-Tock Clock	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:06.485	Iggy	Standard Bike	Monster	Super Glider
3DS Piranha Plant Slide	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	2:21.321	Ludwig	Jet Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Wii Grumble Volcano	Nin★Yuya	Japan	2:16.524	Roy	Badwagon	Off-Road	Super Glider
N64 Rainbow Road	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:33.981	Metal Mario	Standard ATV	Monster	Super Glider
GCN Yoshi Circuit	Nin★Adrien	France	2:07.557	Red Yoshi	B Dasher	Standard	Super Glider
Excitebike Arena	Nin★Pedro	Spain	1:58.808	Mario	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Dragon Driftway	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	2:05.957	Lakitu	Varmint	Monster	Cloud Glider
Mute City	Nin★Laura	United States	2:10.167	Mario	Blue Falcon	Roller	Super Glider
Wii Wario's Gold Mine	Nin★Pit	Germany	2:22.119	Wario	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road	Nin★Anne	Netherlands	1:40.711	Cat Peach	Cat Cruiser	Retro Off-Road	Super Glider
Ice Ice Outpost	Nin★Pavel	Russia	2:09.427	Tanooki Mario	Tanooki Kart	Monster	Super Glider
Hyrule Circuit	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	2:08.616	Link	Master Cycle	Triforce Tires	Hylian Kite
GCN Baby Park	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:16.561	Baby Mario	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Cheese Land	Nin★Aracel	Spain	2:06.316	Orange Yoshi	Pipe Frame	Monster	Parafoil
Wild Woods	Nin★Akira	Japan	2:05.396	Villager (Boy)	Streetle	Leaf Tires	Paper Glider
Animal Crossing	Nin★Marie	United States	1:53.584	Isabelle	City Tripper	Slim	Paper Glider
3DS Neo Bowser City	Nin★Rui	Portugal	2:13.138	Dry Bowser	Bone Rattler	Metal	Super Glider
GBA Ribbon Road	Nin★Giulia	Italy	2:07.152	Villager (Girl)	Teddy Buggy	Button	Super Glider
Super Bell Subway	Nin★Juliet	France	2:06.487	Pink Shy Guy	City Tripper	Slim	Super Glider
Big Blue	Nin★Dylan	United Kingdom	1:37.316	Mario	P-Wing	Blue Standard	Super Glider
Tour Paris Promenade	Nin★Adrien	France	2:07.401	Peach	Standard Kart	Slim	Peach Parasol
3DS Toad Circuit	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:33.670	Toad	Mr. Scooty	Azure Roller	Super Glider
N64 Choco Mountain	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:08.949	Koopa Troopa	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall	Nin★Skip	United States	1:58.401	Baby Mario	Sneeker	Metal	Super Glider
Tour Tokyo Blur	Nin★Yuya	Japan	1:36.317	Blue Inkling Boy	Splat Buggy	Blue Standard	Super Glider
DS Shroom Ridge	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	2:09.148	Bowser	Bone Rattler	Off-Road	Super Glider
GBA Sky Garden	Nin★Pedro	Spain	1:42.267	Lakitu	P-Wing	Retro Off-Road	Cloud Glider
Ninja Hideaway	Nin★Fausti	France	2:20.813	Black Shy Guy	Standard ATV	Standard	Super Glider
Tour New York Minute	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:34.573	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
SNES Mario Circuit 3	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:46.806	Mario	B Dasher	Standard	Super Glider
N64 Kalimari Desert	Nin★Pit	Germany	1:40.363	Dry Bones	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
DS Waluigi Pinball	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	2:36.450	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Sydney Sprint	Nin★Rie	Japan	2:16.617	Baby Mario	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Snow Land	Nin★Maria	Portugal	1:46.763	Tanooki Mario	Tanooki Kart	Standard	Super Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:50.666	Toadette	Teddy Buggy	Wood	Super Glider
Sky-High Sundae	Nin★Akira	Japan	2:07.380	Rosalina	Circuit Special	Standard	Super Glider
Tour London Loop	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	2:20.500	Mario	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
GBA Boo Lake	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:36.212	King Boo	Circuit Special	Monster	Super Glider
3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Nin★Fausti	France	2:24.730	Morton	Pipe Frame	Monster	Super Glider
Wii Maple Treeway	Nin★Pavel	Russia	2:36.581	Daisy	Prancer	Off-Road	Super Glider
Tour Berlin Byways	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:11.001	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
DS Peach Gardens	Nin★Marie	United States	2:19.534	Peach	Prancer	Wood	Super Glider
Merry Mountain	Nin★Elena	Russia	2:09.693	Shy Guy	Flame Rider	Off-Road	Super Glider
3DS Rainbow Road	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	1:52.015	Rosalina	Circuit Special	Standard	Super Glider
Tour Amsterdam Drift	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:48.580	Daisy	Prancer	Wood	Super Glider
GBA Riverside Park	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	1:34.480	Toad	Standard ATV	Standard	Super Glider
Wii DK Summit	Nin★Fausti	France	2:22.680	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
Yoshi's Island	Nin★Skip	United States	2:20.116	Baby Mario	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
Tour Bangkok Rush	Nin★Yuya	Japan	1:54.995	Blue Inkling Boy	Inkstriker	Monster	Super Glider
DS Mario Circuit	Nin★Pit	Germany	1:50.550	Mario	B Dasher	Standard	Super Glider
GCN Waluigi Stadium	Nin★Maria	Portugal	2:16.894	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Singapore Speedway	Nin★Alice	United States	2:08.954	Bowser	Badwagon	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Athens Dash	Nin★Pedro	Spain	1:52.892	Wiggler	Circuit Special	Sponge	Super Glider
GCN Daisy Cruiser	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:47.238	Daisy	Jet Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Wii Moonview Highway	Nin★Yuya	Japan	1:54.655	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Wario Wing
Squeaky Clean Sprint	Nin★Fausti	France	2:17.580	Kamek	City Tripper	Cushion	Cloud Glider
Tour Los Angeles Laps	Nin★Alice	United States	1:57.938	Mario	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
GBA Sunset Wilds	Nin★Pit	Germany	1:48.993	Petey Piranha	Flame Rider	Off-Road	Flower Glider
Wii Koopa Cape	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:18.943	Koopa Troopa	Steel Driver	Metal	Super Glider
Tour Vancouver Velocity	Nin★Skip	United States	2:11.072	Rosalina	Sport Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Tour Rome Avanti	Nin★Giulia	Italy	1:57.329	Pauline	Badwagon	Metal	Super Glider
GCN DK Mountain	Nin★Laura	United States	2:35.917	Funky Kong	Standard ATV	Monster	Parafoil
Wii Daisy Circuit	Nin★Adrien	France	2:01.099	Daisy	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
Piranha Plant Cove	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:17.775	Petey Piranha	Flame Rider	Slim	Flower Glider
Tour Madrid Drive	Nin★Aracel	Spain	2:10.689	Peachette	Biddybuggy	Standard	Cloud Glider
3DS Rosalina's Ice World	Nin★Pavel	Russia	2:10.993	Rosalina	Sport Bike	Slim	Super Glider
SNES Bowser Castle 3	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	1:54.632	Bowser	Landship	Wood	Super Glider
Wii Rainbow Road	Nin★Leonel	United States	2:49.574	Mario	Standard Kart	Standard	Super Glider

200cc Staff Ghosts

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features a new option for players to race in Time Trials in the 200cc engine class. This option also features entirely new staff ghosts for each of the courses. ^TC - Used in the Tencent Chinese release^[15]

Course	Staff Name	Country	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
Course	Staff Name	Country	Time	Character	Body	Tires	Glider
Mario Kart Stadium	Nin★Sophia	Germany	1:21.984	Gold Mario	Gold Standard	Gold Tires	Gold Glider
Water Park	Nin★Yuya	Japan	1:22.799	Baby Mario	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
Sweet Sweet Canyon	Nin★Alice	United States	1:40.972	Peach	Prancer	Wood	Peach Parasol
Thwomp Ruins	Nin★Skip	United States	1:31.436	Bowser	Badwagon	Standard	Bowser Kite
Mario Circuit	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:23.243	Pink Gold Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Toad Harbor	Nin★Adrien	France	1:43.003	Toad	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
Twisted Mansion	Nin★Rui	Portugal	1:38.244	King Boo	Wild Wiggler	Sponge	Flower Glider
Shy Guy Falls	Nin★Anne	Netherlands	1:40.698	White Yoshi	Standard ATV	Retro Off-Road	Parafoil
Sunshine Airport	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:45.437	Luigi	Jet Bike	Metal	Plane Glider
Dolphin Shoals	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	1:38.911	Ludwig	Steel Driver	Blue Standard	Bowser Kite
Electrodrome	Nin★Laura	United States	1:40.943	Roy	The Duke	Cushion	Parafoil
Mount Wario	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:37.266	Wario	Standard ATV	Crimson Slim	Wario Wing
Cloudtop Cruise	Nin★Giulia	Italy	1:44.120	Bowser Jr.	Koopa Clown	Cyber Slick	Cloud Glider
Bone-Dry Dunes	Nin★Pavel	Russia	1:39.330	Dry Bones	Pipe Frame	Wood	Plane Glider
Bowser's Castle	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:40.953	Dry Bowser	Flame Rider	Slim	Bowser Kite
Rainbow Road	Nin★Pedro	Spain	1:55.767	Rosalina	Mach 8	Blue Standard	MKTV Parafoil
Wii Moo Moo Meadows	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:09.980	Baby Daisy	Sneeker	Cyber Slick	MKTV Parafoil
GBA Mario Circuit	Nin★Pit	Germany	1:10.475	Baby Luigi	Sport Bike	Slick	Parachute
DS Cheep Cheep Beach	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	1:25.089	Lakitu	Landship	Metal	Cloud Glider
N64 Toad's Turnpike	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:21.156	Toadette	Sports Coupe	Slick	Super Glider
GCN Dry Dry Desert	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:45.087	Lemmy	Tanooki Kart	Off-Road	Super Glider
SNES Donut Plains 3	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	1:11.794	Koopa Troopa	Streetle	Monster	Flower Glider
N64 Royal Raceway	Nin★Dylan	United Kingdom	1:43.120	Baby Peach	Circuit Special	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
3DS DK Jungle	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	1:46.758	Yellow Yoshi	City Tripper	Hot Monster	Paper Glider
DS Wario Stadium	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:39.724	Waluigi	Varmint	Hot Monster	Wario Wing
GCN Sherbet Land	Nin★Sophia	Germany	1:34.370	Iggy	Bone Rattler	Monster	Bowser Kite
3DS Music Park	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	1:36.529 1:38.847^TC	Daisy	Badwagon	GLA Tires Off-Road^TC	MKTV Parafoil
N64 Yoshi Valley	Nin★Yuya	Japan	1:35.628	Green Shy Guy	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
DS Tick-Tock Clock	Nin★Elena	Russia	1:32.483	Larry	Standard Kart	Sponge	Paper Glider
3DS Piranha Plant Slide	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	1:48.454	Wendy	Mr. Scooty	Metal	Peach Parasol
Wii Grumble Volcano	Nin★Maria	Portugal	1:44.284	Morton	Standard Bike	Cushion	Parachute
N64 Rainbow Road	Nin★Fausti	France	1:08.128	Mario	Tri-Speeder	Monster	Super Glider
GCN Yoshi Circuit	Nin★Elena	Russia	1:38.869	Light-blue Shy Guy	P-Wing	Slick	Parachute
Excitebike Arena	Nin★Akira	Japan	1:29.202	Inkling Girl	Inkstriker	Leaf Tires	Super Glider
Dragon Driftway	Nin★Aracel	Spain	1:34.873	Purple Inkling Boy	Splat Buggy	Blue Standard	Super Glider
Mute City	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:34.273	Metal Mario	Blue Falcon	Azure Roller	Parafoil
Wii Wario's Gold Mine	Nin★Alice	United States	1:41.168	Waluigi	Standard Bike	Retro Off-Road	Wario Wing
SNES Rainbow Road	Nin★Marie	United States	1:12.762 1:12.696^TC	Tanooki Mario	GLA Pipe Frame^TC	GLA Tires Standard^TC	Parachute
Ice Ice Outpost	Nin★Juliet	France	1:32.435	Cat Peach	Sneeker	Off-Road	Peach Parasol
Hyrule Circuit	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:40.394	Link	Master Cycle	Triforce Tires	Hylian Kite
GCN Baby Park	Nin★Leonel	United States	0:59.765	Baby Rosalina	Teddy Buggy	Cyber Slick	Waddle Wing
GBA Cheese Land	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:41.248	Donkey Kong	Streetle	Roller	Flower Glider
Wild Woods	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	1:27.555	Villager (Girl)	City Tripper	Leaf Tires	Paper Glider
Animal Crossing	Nin★Fausti	France	1:23.417 1:23.491^TC	Villager (Boy)	300 SL Roadster Streetle^TC	GLA Tires Standard^TC	Super Glider
3DS Neo Bowser City	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:37.526	Bowser	Bone Rattler	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Ribbon Road	Nin★Maria	Portugal	1:31.220	Isabelle	Cat Cruiser	Crimson Slim	Paper Glider
Super Bell Subway	Nin★Skip	United States	1:23.304	Blue Yoshi	Yoshi Bike	Blue Standard	Super Glider
Big Blue	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:13.516 1:13.200^TC	Luigi	W 25 Silver Arrow Blue Falcon^TC	Slim	Plane Glider
Tour Paris Promenade	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:27.101	Rosalina	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
3DS Toad Circuit	Nin★Aracel	Spain	1:03.969	Toadette	Prancer	Wood	Super Glider
N64 Choco Mountain	Nin★Alice	United States	1:31.715	Tanooki Mario	Tanooki Kart	Monster	Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	1:29.009	Baby Luigi	Yoshi Bike	Slick	Parachute
Tour Tokyo Blur	Nin★Aracel	Spain	1:07.560	Inkling Girl	Inkstriker	Metal	Super Glider
DS Shroom Ridge	Nin★Akira	Japan	1:37.626	Morton	Standard Bike	Cushion	Parachute
GBA Sky Garden	Nin★Rui	Portugal	1:13.606	Ludwig	Steel Driver	Blue Standard	Bowser Kite
Ninja Hideaway	Nin★Giulia	Italy	1:37.815	Black Yoshi	Teddy Buggy	Standard	Super Glider
Tour New York Minute	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:07.562	Yoshi	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
SNES Mario Circuit 3	Nin★Giulia	Italy	1:17.075	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider
N64 Kalimari Desert	Nin★Juliet	France	1:10.511	Dry Bowser	Bone Rattler	Monster	Super Glider
DS Waluigi Pinball	Nin★Pavel	Russia	2:00.942	Morton	Pipe Frame	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Sydney Sprint	Nin★Giulia	Italy	1:37.367	Bowser Jr.	Koopa Clown	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Snow Land	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:21.826	King Boo	Circuit Special	Monster	Super Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:21.194	Toad	Standard ATV	Standard	Super Glider
Sky-High Sundae	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	1:30.777	Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Tour London Loop	Nin★Alice	United States	1:38.896	Red Yoshi	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Boo Lake	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:09.576	Dry Bones	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Nin★Juliet	France	1:39.664	Bowser	Landship	Wood	Super Glider
Wii Maple Treeway	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:58.543	Wario	Tri-Speeder	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Berlin Byways	Nin★Skip	United States	1:35.467	Toad	Standard ATV	Standard	Super Glider
DS Peach Gardens	Nin★Aracel	Spain	1:39.851	Toadette	Teddy Buggy	Button	Super Glider
Merry Mountain	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:31.642	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider
3DS Rainbow Road	Nin★Dylan	United Kingdom	1:19.545	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Amsterdam Drift	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:19.135	Shy Guy	Flame Rider	Off-Road	Super Glider
GBA Riverside Park	Nin★Elena	Russia	1:13.455	Bowser Jr.	Koopa Clown	Slim	Super Glider
Wii DK Summit	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:53.372	Rosalina	Circuit Special	Standard	Super Glider
Yoshi's Island	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	1:40.731	Yoshi	Wild Wiggler	Standard	Super Glider
Tour Bangkok Rush	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:24.201	Wario	Standard Kart	Monster	Wario Wing
DS Mario Circuit	Nin★Sho	Japan	1:24.282	Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
GCN Waluigi Stadium	Nin★Aracel	Spain	1:43.781	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider
Tour Singapore Speedway	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	1:32.160	Mario	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
Tour Athens Dash	Nin★Massim	Italy	1:21.362	Dry Bones	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
GCN Daisy Cruiser	Nin★Elena	Russia	1:21.241	Bowser	Flame Rider	Monster	Super Glider
Wii Moonview Highway	Nin★Sophia	Germany	1:19.973	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
Squeaky Clean Sprint	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:38.459	Yoshi	Wild Wiggler	Monster	Super Glider
Tour Los Angeles Laps	Nin★Mitsu	Japan	1:25.694	Birdo (Red)	Pipe Frame	Monster	Super Glider
GBA Sunset Wilds	Nin★Juliet	France	1:20.411	Shy Guy	Flame Rider	Off-Road	Super Glider
Wii Koopa Cape	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	1:41.749	Toad	Standard ATV	Standard	Super Glider
Tour Vancouver Velocity	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:32.752	Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Tour Rome Avanti	Nin★Akira	Japan	1:25.406	Yoshi	Wild Wiggler	Standard	Super Glider
GCN DK Mountain	Nin★Dylan	United Kingdom	2:06.814	Diddy Kong	Mr. Scooty	Button	Waddle Wing
Wii Daisy Circuit	Nin★Pit	Germany	1:25.861	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
Piranha Plant Cove	Nin★Alice	United States	1:41.315	Koopa Troopa	Steel Driver	Metal	Super Glider
Tour Madrid Drive	Nin★Fausti	France	1:33.156	Toad	Sneeker	Standard	Super Glider
3DS Rosalina's Ice World	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:38.735	King Boo	Circuit Special	Monster	Super Glider
SNES Bowser Castle 3	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	1:22.052	Dry Bones	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
Wii Rainbow Road	Nin★Yuya	Japan	2:06.146	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider

New items

The items found in the Tips mode

The Boo and Feather items make a return in this game, functioning as they had previously. All other items from the Wii U version return as well. Also, the item distributions have been altered beside the addition of the new items.

Items found on the track
Cash	The equivalent of a coin, used for Urchin Underpass. They replace coins both as an item and on the track.
Coin (Yoshi's Island)	In the Yoshi's Island course, coins have an altered appearance that resembles their design in the Yoshi's Island series, both as an item and on the track.
New Items
Boo	Allows the player to become invisible to other racers for 10 seconds. While invisible, players will also be granted immunity to items and obstacles. Activating the item will also allow Boo to steal an item from a randomly selected racer in front of the player. If there are no items to steal, Boo will bring back a single Mushroom by default. If Boo steals a multiple usage item or a timed item, it will be returned to the player fresh. Boo cannot steal Crazy 8s or Piranha Plants and Bullet Bills already in use. Only one Boo can be in play at a time; once it brings back an item, another can appear in Item Boxes again, even while a player is still invisible. Players who are under the effect of a Super Star or a Boo are not immune to Boo's item stealing.
Feather	Causes the player to spin and leap in the air, providing a small speed boost upon landing, akin to a regular trick (characters will also perform a trick animation during the jump). When used near an opponent, the player steals a balloon, 3 coins, or the Shine Sprite from them, depending on the mode; however, the player needs to touch the opponent to steal from them, either by touching them upon use, or upon landing. Can be used on trickable places to gain more height, though does not grant more height if used while airborne, and cancels the gliding immediately. Exclusive to Battle Mode.

New course elements

All of the course elements from the original Mario Kart 8, including enemies and obstacles, are retained in this game, along with several elements exclusive to the Booster Course Pass courses.

Characters and elements
Character/element	Location	Description
Arrow field	Tour Paris Promenade Tour Tokyo Blur Tour New York Minute N64 Kalimari Desert Tour Sydney Sprint Tour London Loop Tour Berlin Byways DS Peach Gardens Tour Amsterdam Drift Tour Bangkok Rush Tour Singapore Speedway Tour Athens Dash Tour Los Angeles Laps Tour Vancouver Velocity Tour Rome Avanti Piranha Plant Cove Tour Madrid Drive	Large, holographic, floating arrows that point in the direction that the players should go and change position each lap (or only in the last lap in Tour Paris Promenade and DS Peach Gardens), altering the path of the course. If the player goes past them, they will be considered out of bounds and taken back onto the track by Lakitu. In multiplayer, the arrow fields are independent to each player, meaning that if multiple players are on different laps, the arrow fields will be different for each of them to match what lap they are on. Arrow fields are red in most of the city courses and DS Peach Gardens and are teal in N64 Kalimari Desert and Tour Bangkok Rush, though this is simply a visual difference.
Bath Bomb	Squeaky Clean Sprint	Large, opal colored bath bombs that fizz underwater. Players can trick whilst inside the bubbles produced, similarly to a geyser.
Bob-omb Car	Wii Moonview Highway	Bob-omb-based vehicles that explode upon contact. If a player drives into one, they spin out in the same way as if they were caught in the blast of a regular Bob-omb.
Boulder	Tour Sydney Sprint	Objects scattered around grassy portions of the course. They slow down drivers on contact.
Bumper	DS Waluigi Pinball	Obstacles that bounce players and metal balls that touch them away from themselves. Some are stationary, while others move in circles.
Ceiling Needles	Ninja Hideaway	Giant shuriken stuck to broad ceilings that slowly rise and fall at set intervals, serving as obstacles for players on the course's lower route, while the ceilings themselves serve as platforms for players on the upper route, with a ramp on one of them.
Clampy	GCN Daisy Cruiser Piranha Plant Cove	Clampys open and shut periodically. They contain Item Boxes.
Exploring Shy Guy	GBA Sunset Wilds	Exploring Shy Guys skip back and forth across the track. If a player makes contact with one, the player spins out. If they hit one with an item, they will drop 3 coins.
Fire Piranha Plant	DS Mario Circuit	Piranha Plant variants that shoot fireballs that bounce across the course, causing racers to spin out.
Flipper	DS Waluigi Pinball	Large obstacles that can swing back and forth and push back metal balls that collide with them. Players who collide with them are knocked over.
Fuzzy	Tour Rome Avanti	Black furry creatures on circular tracks. They circle around coins, and spin players out when collided with.
Goal Ring	Yoshi's Island	A decorative item that appears near the finish line.
Goonie	Yoshi's Island	Spectators who appear in the background during the volcano ascent.
Half-pipe	Wii Maple Treeway Merry Mountain Wii DK Summit GCN Waluigi Stadium Tour Athens Dash Squeaky Clean Sprint Tour Los Angeles Laps Wii Koopa Cape GCN DK Mountain 3DS Rosalina's Ice World Wii Rainbow Road	Vertical ramps that allow players to jump off the side of a course and perform a Jump Boost to gain a speed boost upon landing. They resemble Antigravity Panels and briefly put the player into anti-gravity mode while they are airborne.
Huffin Puffin	Yoshi's Island	Enemies who wander around near the starting line, occasionally onto the track. Players who collide with them will stop but not spin out.
Innertube Goomba	Tour Singapore Speedway GCN Daisy Cruiser	Innertube Goombas float above water. If made contact with, the player spins out.
Mecha Piranha Plant	GCN Waluigi Stadium	Large retracting obstacles that act like moving walls and stop any players who run into them.
Metal ball	DS Waluigi Pinball	Giant spherical obstacles that roll throughout the course and knock over players they collide with. In the pinball table section at the end of the course, they are bounced around in different directions by bumpers and flippers.
Mushroom Platform	Wii Mushroom Gorge	Large, green mushrooms with white spots. Though shaped identically to Mushroom Trampolines, they are functionally different in that they act like regular surfaces rather than bouncing players into the air. A Jump Boost can be performed when driving off the edge of a Mushroom Platform.
Mushroom Trampoline	GBA Sky Garden Wii Mushroom Gorge 3DS Rainbow Road Squeaky Clean Sprint	Large mushrooms that bounce the player into the air, allowing them to perform a Jump Boost. They are red with white spots in GBA Sky Garden and Wii Mushroom Gorge and are white with multi-colored spots in 3DS Rainbow Road. Wii Mushroom Gorge also contains one Mushroom Trampoline that is blue with white spots and functions differently to the others: it bounces the player upwards and activates their glider on contact, also giving them an opportunity to perform a Jump Boost. In GBA Sky Garden, there are also leaves that have the same properties of bouncing the player into the air as regular Mushroom Trampolines.
Penguin	GBA Snow Land 3DS Rosalina's Ice World	Enemies that either waddle or slide on their bellies around the course. Players who collide with them spin out.
Ptooie	GBA Riverside Park	Enemies that walk around the course. They are shown to be carrying Mushrooms and Bananas which they will drop if bumped into them or hit with another item.
Rocky Wrench	Tour Rome Avanti	Mole-like creatures who hide in manholes. They occasionally pop-up out of the ground, stopping players who drive into them. When underground, racers can drive over them with no consequences. If they're half above the ground, they can be tricked off.
Shoe Goomba	Tour Madrid Drive	Big Goombas wearing bright yellow Shoes. They kick Soccer Balls around.
Shy Guy (Ninja)	Ninja Hideaway	Shy Guys clad in ninja outfits. They stand in place and act as hazards, causing players who collide with them to spin out. They will also occasionally transform into a Banana. There are also Shy Guys that fly with kites during the glider section and touching one will cause the player to lose their glider, making them fall.
Soccer Ball	Tour Madrid Drive	Big balls kicked around by Shoe Goombas. They bounce on the floor, spinning out racers who they collide with.
Stilt Guy	Yoshi's Island	Enemies that slowly move back and forth across the track at the beginning of the course. Touching them causes the player to spin out.
Snowboarding Shy Guy	Wii DK Summit	Shy Guys that snowboard across the snow and perform tricks on half-pipes. Driving into them will cause the player to spin out.
Table	GCN Daisy Cruiser	Tables, decorated with cloths, candles, and plates. They rock side-to-side, and act as a wall for players. Spectators may be seated at these tables.
Train	N64 Kalimari Desert	A moderately fast train which follows a set railway. Hitting it on impact results in the player being knocked over.
Water Geyser	Tour New York Minute Tour Singapore Speedway Yoshi's Island Squeaky Clean Sprint Piranha Plant Cove Tour Madrid Drive	Geysers that occasionally burst out from the ground for a few seconds before disappearing. Coming into contact with one boosts the player upwards, at which point they can perform a Jump Boost. In Tour New York Minute, they emerge under manhole covers, which function as platforms.
Whomp	Tour Berlin Byways	Enemies that stand in gaps in the Berlin Wall. They slam their faces onto the track and flatten any players caught under them, but their edges can then be used to perform Jump Boosts before they get back up.
Big Wiggler	Wii Maple Treeway DS Mario Circuit Tour Madrid Drive	Enemies that walk around at a slow speed with occasional stops. Driving into them results in the player spinning out. Sometimes they can be seen sleeping.
Winged Cloud	Yoshi's Island	An item that appears during the second glider section. When touched, it bursts and causes a red bridge shortcut to appear.

New amiibo compatibility

Some of the Mii Racing Suits and amiibo that can be used to unlock them in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

In addition to all of the compatible amiibo in Mario Kart 8 and their respective Mii Racing Suits, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe adds compatibility with amiibo from the Splatoon line, which unlock a Mii Racing Suit based on Splatoon. Additionally, more amiibo can be used to unlock the returning Mii Racing Suits, with all Animal Crossing-related amiibo unlocking the Animal Crossing Suit and the Pikmin amiibo unlocking the Pikmin Suit. Version 3.0.0 adds compatibility with the Daisy amiibo to unlock the Daisy Mii Racing Suit, as well as any amiibo from the Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby series to unlock their respective suits.

Update history

Main article: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update history

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has received many updates since launch. Most of them addressed technical aspects of the game, while others expanded controller support (e.g. Toy-Con Motorbike and Toy-Con Car) or delivered new content, such as a variant of Link wearing his Champion's Tunic from The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, support for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass DLC, a Custom Items setting, and a menu for listening to the game's soundtrack. In order to play online, players must have downloaded the most recent software update.^[16]

Official tournaments

For official competitions held in the game's Wii U version, see Mario Kart 8 § Official competitions.

Nintendo has sponsored many Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tournaments, held either online or at special events, with prizes ranging from virtual My Nintendo points to physical merchandise and memorabilia. Nintendo's online tournaments are restricted to one country or region, and may be recurrent on a weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis as part of a named series.

The following is a list of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe competitions held or sanctioned by Nintendo.

North America

Title	Location	Banner
NOA 150cc Tournament NOA Battlethon	Online	N/A
Mario Kart North American Open	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Holiday Fun Run	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship Cup 2022	Seattle Convention Center (PAX West 2022)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe North American Qualifier 2022	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe North American Qualifier 2023	Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (PAX East 2023)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship Cup 2023	Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (PAX East 2023)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship 2023	Seattle Convention Center (Nintendo Live 2023)

Australia and New Zealand

Title	Location	Banner/logo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Super Saturdays	Online	N/A
Mario Kart AU/NZ My Nintendo Cup	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: AU/NZ Grand Prix	Online

China

Title	Location	Banner
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Summit Invitational Tournament	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Tournaments	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe National Battle Team Open Tournament	Online	N/A
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Open Team Championship	Shanghai (exact location TBD)	N/A

Europe

Title	Location	Banner
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Seasonal Circuit	Mostly online. The sole exception is the gran final of the 2022 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Seasonal Circuit Spain event, which took place at the Gamergy event in Madrid.

Hong Kong

Title	Location	Banner
Nintendo HK 2021 Cup	Online

Japan

Title	Location	Logo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Challenge	Online
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Challenge Final Stage	Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Nintendo Live 2022)

Spain

Title	Location	Banner
#TorneoMK8D	Online

United Kingdom and Ireland

Title	Location	Banner
Nintendo UK VS Cup	Online	N/A
Nintendo VS UK Cup	Online	N/A

Pre-release and unused content

Early Booster Course Pass course designs

Some of the courses in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass had several differences between promotional material and their final release, some of which made the courses further resemble their Mario Kart Tour counterparts:

In the Wave 1 launch trailer, Tour Paris Promenade had simpler detailing overall, particularly in the lighting, trees, and the road. At the left turn that leads to the Luxor Obelisk at the end of the track, the right path, which is used in the final lap, is blocked by fences, some of which have arrows, rather than the backside of a metal ramp like in the final version. The ramp in front of the Eiffel Tower, though still functioning like a Glide Ramp, had the appearance of a normal ramp, similar to Paris Promenade 3.
Prior to Wave 1's launch, the sand in 3DS Toad Circuit was a very dark yellow color, as opposed to the bright sand-like color in the final version.
Prior to Wave 1's launch, Wii Coconut Mall's exterior was a bright, pale peachy color, but in the time between its reveal and release, it was updated to be a more vibrant orange. This also applied certain parts of the interior. Likewise, the stone floor in the center of the mall was originally gray, while it was changed to orange in the final version. The reflections on the windows had also been changed during this time. However, the results screen following a Grand Prix or a VS match uses an image of the old design.
When DS Peach Gardens was shown in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct, the loop at the beginning of the course lacked the barriers blocking off the right side, similar to previous iterations of the course, and even had at least one Coin present. The first flowerbed shortcut was also much smaller, and the route used to turn around on lap three also appears to be absent, with no visible gap in the hedge.

Original order of courses in Waves 3 to 6

In version 2.1.0 and onwards, the internal file names for some of the courses in the Booster Course Pass suggest that the release order in their respective cups differs from the originally planned order. Every course's internal file name has two digits, with the first indicating its intended wave and the second indicating its position in said wave (for example, Tour Berlin Byways' file name is "Cnsw_35", indicating that it is the fifth track in Wave 3, or the first track in the Moon Cup). In addition to several courses changing their order within their wave, several courses also switched waves entirely, such as GCN Waluigi Stadium, which was set to be in Wave 3's Moon Cup but was delayed to Wave 4 in favour of Wii Maple Treeway, whose internal file name suggests that it was once slated for Wave 6's Acorn Cup. Additionally, Wave 6 was originally intended to have 3 tracks without prefixes, but two of them were replaced by Wii Moonview Highway and 3DS Rosalina's Ice World, as indicated by their filenames. It was also originally intended to have a fourth GCN course, but was replaced by Wii Daisy Circuit, as indicated by its filename.

Further evidence appears in an advertisement for Wave 3 posted by Nintendo of America on YouTube, which displays the courses in their original order, albeit with Wii Maple Treeway in place of GCN Waluigi Stadium; this advertisement was unlisted soon after its release.^[17]

Wave 3 (pre-release)	Wave 3 (final)
Tour London Loop	Tour London Loop
DS Peach Gardens	GBA Boo Lake
GBA Boo Lake	3DS Rock Rock Mountain
3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Wii Maple Treeway
Tour Berlin Byways	Tour Berlin Byways
GCN Waluigi Stadium	DS Peach Gardens
Merry Mountain	Merry Mountain
3DS Rainbow Road	3DS Rainbow Road

Wave 4 (pre-release)	Wave 4 (final)
Tour Amsterdam Drift	Tour Amsterdam Drift
Wii DK Summit	GBA Riverside Park
DS Mario Circuit	Wii DK Summit
Yoshi's Island	Yoshi's Island
Tour Singapore Speedway	Tour Bangkok Rush
GCN Daisy Cruiser	DS Mario Circuit
GBA Riverside Park	GCN Waluigi Stadium
Tour Los Angeles Laps	Tour Singapore Speedway

Wave 5 (pre-release)	Wave 5 (final)
Tour Madrid Drive	Tour Athens Dash
Wii Koopa Cape	GCN Daisy Cruiser
GBA Sunset Wilds	Wii Moonview Highway
Tour Rome Avanti	Squeaky Clean Sprint
Tour Bangkok Rush	Tour Los Angeles Laps
GCN DK Mountain	GBA Sunset Wilds
SNES Bowser Castle 3	Wii Koopa Cape
Squeaky Clean Sprint	Tour Vancouver Velocity

Wave 6 (pre-release)	Wave 6 (final)
Tour Vancouver Velocity	Tour Rome Avanti
Wii Maple Treeway	GCN DK Mountain
???^a	Wii Daisy Circuit
Piranha Plant Cove	Piranha Plant Cove
Tour Athens Dash	Tour Madrid Drive
GCN ???^b	3DS Rosalina's Ice World
???^c	SNES Bowser Castle 3
Wii Rainbow Road	Wii Rainbow Road

^a - Although this slot originally lacked a prefix, Wii Moonview Highway's internal name assigns it to this slot.
^b - Although this slot originally had a "GCN" prefix assigned to it, Wii Daisy Circuit's internal name assigns it to this slot.
^c - Although this slot originally lacked a prefix, 3DS Rosalina's Ice World's internal name assigns it to this slot.

Gallery

Pre-release screenshot of 3DS Toad Circuit
Wii Coconut Mall's early design
Pre-release birds-eye view of DS Peach Gardens
Pre-release screenshot of the roundabout in DS Peach Gardens, without the barrier
Original order for the Rock and Moon Cups, as shown in an unlisted video by Nintendo

Reception

Critical reception

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been received with universal acclaim, garnering higher aggregate scores than the original Mario Kart 8. The game has been praised for being well-suited to the Switch's portability, the increased performance, and particularly the redesigned Battle Mode, although several reviews noted Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would not be as appealing of a proposition to players who already own Mario Kart 8 and its downloadable content.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo Switch	Laurely Birba, Jeux Actu	18/20	While purists may accuse Mario Kart 8 of being a opportunistic rehash, Nintendo's goal was to give the Switch a racing game that is fun, polished, filled with content, and able to showcase the Switch's hybrid nature. These four objectives are mostly accomplished, and the game will have no problem seducing newcomers considering how well the formula has been mastered.
Nintendo Switch	Kallie Plagge, GameSpot	9/10	Even if you didn't really care about Battle Mode, the smallest changes in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe refine an already great racing game. But the huge overhaul to the original's afterthought of a Battle Mode is a chaotic, varied opportunity to play very differently than in Grand Prix mode and well worth reinvesting yourself in Mario Kart 8 on Switch.
Nintendo Switch	Matthew Sainsbury, Digitally Downloaded	4.5/5	Thanks to substantial DLC releases, Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U went from being a game with plenty of content, to one with an overload of it. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch has all of that, plus the return of the battle mode (which should never have left), and while it won't be a new game as such for the people who actually bought a Wii U (we're a special club), having this game on a portable console is reason enough to buy it all over again.
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		92
GameRankings		92.39%

Sales

In the United Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe debuted at No. 1 on the sales chart, making it the first Nintendo game to be No. 1 in the UK since 2011's Pokémon Black and White, and the first Super Mario game to place such since Mario Kart Wii.^[18]

The game sold 459,000 copies for its US launch day, making it the fastest-selling Mario Kart game in the US and meaning 45% of US Switch owners purchased the game.^[19]

As of December 31, 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had sold 7.33 million units worldwide. On March 31, 2018, it reached 9.22 million units, exceeding the original Mario Kart 8's 8.42 million and making it the second best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch behind Super Mario Odyssey.^[20] As of January 31, 2019, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had sold 15.02 million units worldwide, exceeding Super Mario Odyssey's sales and making it the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch.^[21] By June 30, 2021, the game had sold 37.08 million units worldwide.^[22] By September 30, 2021, the game had sold 38.74 million units worldwide, surpassing Mario Kart Wii as the best-selling game in the series.^[23] By December 31, 2021, the game had sold 43.35 million units worldwide, making it the single best-selling game in the Super Mario franchise, surpassing Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.^[24] By December 31, 2022, the game had sold 52 million units worldwide.^[25]

Awards and acknowledgements

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was nominated for the "Best Family Game" and "Best Multiplayer" awards at The Game Awards 2017.^[26] However, it won neither, losing the former to Super Mario Odyssey and the latter to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.^[26]

References to other games

Donkey Kong: Pauline's horn noise is based on the stage clear jingle from this game.
Super Mario Kart: The Feather item returns from this game, with the same function. Battle Course 1 reappears as a classic battle course; a billboard in the course background is modeled after the player select screen from this game. Mario Circuit 3 and Bowser Castle 3 are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass. The end credits theme is arranged for the Booster Course Pass end credits theme.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island, a course appearing in the Booster Course Pass, is heavily based on this game. Kamek's horn noise sounds like his speaking sound effect in this game.
Mario Kart 64: Similar to this game, all courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are unlocked from the start. Choco Mountain and Kalimari Desert are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass.
Mario Golf: Metal Mario has an alternate color scheme where he can be changed into gold like in this game. However, unlike this game, Gold Mario is an unlockable skin.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Sky Garden, Snow Land, Boo Lake, Riverside Park, and Sunset Wilds are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass.
Super Mario Sunshine: King Boo's horn noise uses the sound of the King Boo from this game being hit by a pepper.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Luigi's Mansion reappears as a classic battle course. The Double Item Boxes and the two Battle sub-modes, Bob-omb Blast and Shine Thief, return. Waluigi Stadium, Daisy Cruiser, and DK Mountain are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass. A few of Birdo's voice clips are reused from this game.
Yoshi Touch & Go: Artwork of Baby Mario and Yoshi is reused from the game in the Yoshi's Island course on the mural outside of Yoshi's House.
Mario Kart DS: An arrangement of Luigi's Mansion's music is used in GCN Luigi's Mansion. Shroom Ridge, Waluigi Pinball, Peach Gardens, and Mario Circuit are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass.
Mario Kart Wii: Dry Bones, Bowser Jr., King Boo, Birdo, Diddy Kong, and Funky Kong's voice clips are reused from this game. Coconut Mall, Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, DK Summit, Koopa Cape, Moonview Highway, Daisy Circuit, and Rainbow Road are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Boo's artwork from this game is reused for King Boo's character select icon, albeit with the addition of the latter's crown.
Mario Kart 7: The Koopa Clown kart returns from this game. Wuhu Town reappears as a classic battle course, and Toad Circuit, Rock Rock Mountain, Rainbow Road, and Rosalina's Ice World are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass. Lunar Colony has a moon section with low gravity just like Rainbow Road from this game. Wiggler's voice clips are reused from this game.
Super Mario 3D World: The crown mechanic in Battle Mode is similar to the mechanic in this game's multi-player, where the player with the highest score from one stage will be wearing a crown in the next stage.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Funky Kong's character select icon is reused from this game.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: The Koopa Clown's propellers in anti-gravity sections emerge from circular panels on the side of the vehicle, much like the Junior Clown Car's weapons. Also, the Koopalings' Koopa Clowns match the Clown Car colors they use in this game.
Super Mario Odyssey: A ring similar to the Binding Band appears inside the drain in Squeaky Clean Sprint.
Mario Kart Tour: New York Minute, Tokyo Blur, Paris Promenade, London Loop, Vancouver Velocity, Los Angeles Laps, Merry Mountain, Berlin Byways, Ninja Hideaway, Sydney Sprint, Singapore Speedway, Amsterdam Drift, Bangkok Rush, Piranha Plant Cove, Athens Dash, Rome Avanti, and Madrid Drive are included among the courses in the Booster Course Pass. Additionally, the designs of the courses in the Booster Course Pass are based on their designs from Mario Kart Tour, and N64 Kalimari Desert's second and third laps are based on the variant Kalimari Desert 2 from this game. The Booster Course Pass characters except for Funky Kong reuse their face icons from this game. Kamek's voice clips are reused from this game. All the Mii Racing Suits included in Wave 6 come from this game; some of their unique trick animations are also reused.

References in other games

Super Mario Run: Key art for the game appears when tapping on the Nintendo Switch collectible in Kingdom Builder.
Mario Kart Tour: The third level of Mini-Turbos, Ultra Mini-Turbos, returns. The Koopa Clown retains its appearance from this game. King Boo reuses his face icon from this game. Sky-High Sundae, Yoshi's Island, and Squeaky Clean Sprint all reappear, though they are considered new courses in both games. SNES Battle Course 1's music arrangement is used in Balloon Battles.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe staff

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mario Kart 8 media.

Battle Stadium theme

File info

Sweet Sweet Kingdom theme

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Dragon Palace theme

File info

Lunar Colony theme

File info

3DS Wuhu Town theme

File info

GCN Luigi's Mansion theme

File info

SNES Battle Course 1 theme

File info

Urchin Underpass theme

File info

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	マリオカート８デラックス Mario Kāto 8 Derakkusu	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Chinese (Simplified)	马力欧卡丁车8 豪华版^[27] Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē 8 Háohuábǎn	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition
Chinese (Traditional)	瑪利歐賽車8 豪華版 Mǎlìōu Sàichē 8 Háohuábǎn	Mario Racing 8 Deluxe Edition
Korean	마리오 카트 8 디럭스 Mario Kateu 8 Direokseu	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

External links

References

^ Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe para la consola Nintendo Switch. Nintendo.com (in Spanish).
^ http://www.nintendo.com.hk/software/switch/
^ Official Nintendo website (Korea). Retrieved September 19, 2017.
^ Official Nintendo website (Taiwan). Retrieved September 19, 2017.
^ Tencent Nintendo Switch website
^ Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe Bundle (Game + Booster Course Pass). nintendo.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023. (Archived January 28, 2023, 06:38:50 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
^ Screenshot of the starting boost in a four-player split-screen VS Race.
^ Nintendo World Report (January 14, 2017). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Wario's Gold Mine - Nintendo Switch Off-Screen Footage. YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F2djsuZuTg&feature=youtu.be&t=3m50s
^ https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/ad54329a-2ddc-436d-8e96-43139628e6c3
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiJ7IoeuhXE
^ @NintendoAmerica (July 20, 2018). "A new update to #MarioKart 8 Deluxe is available now for #NintendoSwitch! Race like a champion with the Master Cycle Zero and Champion’s Tunic Link from The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild! This update also includes the Ancient Tires and the Paraglider parts!" X. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
^ The 6th and final installment of “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Course Additional Pass” will be released on November 9th. New characters and "music" functions are also added. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
^ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1W3G9ih4aBHCjItIFCakWnbw7ATivIUibZmTVUkecS4s/htmlview#
^ @zachruff (May 22, 2022). "So it turns out that there are 4 staff ghosts in the Tencent Chinese version of MK8D that are actually different to the global version. It seems that they really did not like the Mercedes car parts so any ghost that used them had to be redone." Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
^ https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26098/~/how-to-update-mario-kart-8-deluxe
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBCHkZ15MUM
^ Dring, Christopher (April 30, 2017), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Nintendo's first UK No.1 since 2011, GameIndustryBiz
^ Brian (May 1, 2017) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sells 459,000 copies in the US on launch day, fastest-selling Mario Kart game. Nintendo Everything. Retrieved May 1, 2017
^ IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units. Nintendo. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
^ GameXplain. (February 1, 2019) Nintendo's Financial Report - 30 Million Switches Sold Worldwide, Doubled Software Sales, & More! YouTube. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ Nintendo (n.d.) Top Selling Title Sales Units. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved August 5, 2021.

[1] Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe para la consola Nintendo Switch. Nintendo.com (in Spanish).

[2] ttp://www.nintendo.com.hk/software/switch/

[3] Official Nintendo website (Korea). Retrieved September 19, 2017.

[4] Official Nintendo website (Taiwan). Retrieved September 19, 2017.

[5] Tencent Nintendo Switch website

[6] Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe Bundle (Game + Booster Course Pass). nintendo.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023. (Archived January 28, 2023, 06:38:50 UTC via Wayback Machine.)

[7] Screenshot of the starting boost in a four-player split-screen VS Race.

[8] Nintendo World Report (January 14, 2017). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Wario's Gold Mine - Nintendo Switch Off-Screen Footage. YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2017.

[9] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F2djsuZuTg&feature=youtu.be&t=3m50s

[10] ttps://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/ad54329a-2ddc-436d-8e96-43139628e6c3

[11] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiJ7IoeuhXE

[ChampionLink-12] @NintendoAmerica (July 20, 2018). "A new update to #MarioKart 8 Deluxe is available now for #NintendoSwitch! Race like a champion with the Master Cycle Zero and Champion’s Tunic Link from The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild! This update also includes the Ancient Tires and the Paraglider parts!" X. Retrieved September 12, 2023.

[13] The 6th and final installment of “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Course Additional Pass” will be released on November 9th. New characters and "music" functions are also added. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved November 2, 2023.

[14] ttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1W3G9ih4aBHCjItIFCakWnbw7ATivIUibZmTVUkecS4s/htmlview#

[15] @zachruff (May 22, 2022). "So it turns out that there are 4 staff ghosts in the Tencent Chinese version of MK8D that are actually different to the global version. It seems that they really did not like the Mercedes car parts so any ghost that used them had to be redone." Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.

[16] ttps://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26098/~/how-to-update-mario-kart-8-deluxe

[17] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBCHkZ15MUM

[18] Dring, Christopher (April 30, 2017), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Nintendo's first UK No.1 since 2011, GameIndustryBiz

[19] Brian (May 1, 2017) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sells 459,000 copies in the US on launch day, fastest-selling Mario Kart game. Nintendo Everything. Retrieved May 1, 2017

[20] IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units. Nintendo. Retrieved April 26, 2018.

[Jansales-21] GameXplain. (February 1, 2019) Nintendo's Financial Report - 30 Million Switches Sold Worldwide, Doubled Software Sales, & More! YouTube. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[22] Nintendo (n.d.) Top Selling Title Sales Units. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved August 5, 2021.

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Controls

Dual Joy-Con / Pro Controller

Joy-Con (sideways)

Toy-Con Motorbike

Toy-Con Car

Differences from the original

Battle Mode

Characters

Character variants

Mii Racing Suits

Rival order

Vehicle parts

Available parts

Karts

Standard bikes

Sport bikes

ATVs

Tires

Gliders

CPU combinations

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen

Drivers' statistics

Parts' statistics

Unlocking criteria

Gold Mario

Vehicle parts

Special parts

Alternate title screens

Courses

Booster Course Pass

Battle courses

Ghosts

150cc Staff Ghosts

200cc Staff Ghosts

New items

Items found on the track

New Items

New course elements

New amiibo compatibility

Update history

Official tournaments

North America

Australia and New Zealand

China

Europe

Hong Kong

Japan

Spain

United Kingdom and Ireland

Pre-release and unused content

Early Booster Course Pass course designs

Original order of courses in Waves 3 to 6

Gallery

Reception

Critical reception

Sales

Awards and acknowledgements

References to other games

References in other games

Staff

Gallery

Media

Names in other languages

External links

References