Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 is a game in the Mario Kart series for the Wii U. It is the eighth installment in the main Mario Kart series, and including the arcade games the eleventh overall. Like other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games, this game can be purchased both physically at retail and digitally through the Nintendo eShop, with the digital version requiring 4949.8 MB (approx. 4.83 GB) of memory to be installed.

A prominent new addition is anti-gravity, allowing players to drive on almost any surface. Elements from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 are reused, such as Bikes and 2-Player online from Mario Kart Wii, and gliding, underwater driving, and kart customizing from Mario Kart 7. In addition, ATVs join the returning karts and bikes as a new class of vehicle. The game also features more detail in courses, specifically Retro Tracks, which appear more redesigned than their original appearances.

Gameplay
The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previous Mario Kart games, mostly from the two recent installments on the Wii and Nintendo 3DS respectively. Karts, which feature similar designs from Mario Kart 7, can be customized once again, alongside the returning bikes, which handle similar to the karts now and can only perform a wheelie via a boost, and the newly introduced ATVs. The hang-glider and underwater mechanics also return, as well as Coins, with the player being able to collect up to ten in one race as in Mario Kart 7. Like Mario Kart Wii, twelve racers are present in normal races. Tricks and the ability to look behind also return in this game.

The newest feature for the series is anti-gravitational segments that not only allow for more dynamic track design, but also for racers to drive across walls, ceilings, and other seemingly unusual places. When in anti-gravity, if a racer bumps into another racer, the kart spins rather than just bumping and both racers receive a speed boost. This is called "spin boosting".

The game also features Wii U GamePad integration. In addition to the standard Off-TV Play, players also have the option of displaying the course map, and when neither the Off-TV display nor the map are being displayed, the GamePad can be used as a horn button. Players have the option to toggle between these features at will. The GamePad can also be used to toggle on and off the gyroscopic steering.

There is also Miiverse integration, which allows players to share their replay videos and comment on others' videos, in a feature called Mario Kart TV. Another change is that in 2-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of the horizontally in the other console Mario Kart games, a feature that was originally intended to be in Mario Kart 64 but was removed from the final game. Additionally, if the player falls off the edge of the track, Lakitu will pick them up and drop them back on to the track more quickly when compared to how he did this in past installments. This makes glitches involving falling into areas impossible.

Point management works similar to Mario Kart Wii, except that racers below top 3 get an extra point. Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these eight games:

Game modes
There are various game modes for Mario Kart 8. All modes available on single player (some also on local and online multiplayer) are listed here.

Grand Prix
Mario Kart 8's Grand Prix works similar to past installments. Like past games the 50, 100, and 150cc engine classes are available by default, and completing 150cc unlocks Mirror; for the former three, however, Grand Prix rankings carry over to the lower engine classes after being completed on a higher engine class. Only the Mushroom and Shell Cups are available at the start of the game, with the others being unlocked after completing the cup before, and are available in every engine class after being unlocked. The player starts out with 5 coins on the first race of any cup. There is the usual four-race marathon. Players now have the option to do a multiplayer Grand Prix up to four players, unlike in most previous home console Mario Kart games, where only up to two players can race in Grand Prix.

Time Trials
Time Trial mode lets the player complete a selected course in the fastest time possible. Among the new features included, the user can upload Ghosts onto Miiverse and other players can comment on it. In addition, beating one of Nintendo's Staff Ghosts in a race earns the player a stamp based on the track which they can use in Miiverse posts. Leaderboards as seen in Mario Kart Wii also return.

VS Race
VS mode can be played locally with up to 4 players. Players can set rules like which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, and Team or Solo racing. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all tracks randomly or in order. In this game, Mirror Mode appears as a default engine class, even if it isn't unlocked in Grand Prix.

Battle
Battle mode now features race tracks remixed to fit battle mode rather than contain all-new separate arenas. Balloon Battle can be played in teams or in free-for-all mode. It combines survival battle mode from Mario Kart DS and earlier installments and the timed points battle mode introduced in Mario Kart Wii; all players start with 3 points and 3 balloons each. Successfully making an opponent lose a balloon awards the player a point, and losing a balloon through any method will cause the player to lose a point. Balloons can never be regained (unless one is stolen from another player with a Mushroom or a Super Star), and if all balloons are lost, points can no longer be lost or gained. Defeated players can still drive and attack players as a Ghost, although they cannot receive points. Players can also now adjust the time limit from one to five minutes, and they can set up to 32 rounds in set intervals.

Online
As with Mario Kart Wii, one or two local players can play over the Internet against other remote players. Players can race and battle with up to eleven other players from around the world or in their region, and can join and race with friends from the Friends menu. Players can also set up their own rooms for friends and can race with custom rules, such as engine class, whether items are on or off, vehicle types available, control method, whether to play with computer players or not. As of version 3.0, players can also toggle whether they want to play on just the original 32 courses or play on every available course by pressing after selecting Worldwide or Regional, as well as when setting up a room for friends. When playing online worldwide or regional, players once again earn VR points based upon their ranking at the end of a race or battle like in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7; like in Mario Kart 7 a player's VR starts at 1000, though like Mario Kart Wii players have different VR rankings for races and battles.

Players can also create their own tournaments, similar to the communities from Mario Kart 7. When creating a tournament, players can choose an icon and a name for their tournament as well as set the rules, including engine class, whether to play in teams or not, whether to have items or not, vehicle types, whether there are computer players or not, and, as of version 3.0, available courses (only original course, every course including DLC courses, or only DLC courses). Players can also set times in which the tournament is available (weekly, daily, or between a fixed period and at what day and time the tournament begins and ends), the number of races before scores are totaled, and whether the groups shuffle after every four matches or not. Finally, the availability can be set, including whether it is open or a code is required or it is open to anybody, whether it is open to anyone worldwide or just regional, and whether only players of certain ratings can play. When looking for a tournament, players can enter a code, search by type, or look at active tournaments. In addition, playing in a tournament that allows the DLC tracks to be selected requires purchasing the DLC before the player can enter.

After entering a room, players can choose one of three predetermined tracks or "Random", which chooses one of any of the game's tracks at random; when playing with friends, however, players can select from any of the tracks available depending on the settings. One of the players' choices is then chosen by roulette to be the track that is raced on.

Mario Kart TV


Mario Kart TV is an Internet-based feature in which players can view and share highlights of their and others race highlights. In the Mario Kart TV menu, the game automatically saves the twelve most recent race replays, and the player can favorite up to six at one time. Players can view and edit theirs and others replays by changing the duration of the replay and the focus characters and actions and can slow down, speed up, and rewind the replay while watching. Players can also share their highlights on Miiverse and YouTube; up to 60 seconds of video can be uploaded at one time, however.

Drivers
There are 36 playable characters in Mario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters, 14 unlockable characters, and 6 DLC characters. Including the add-on characters, there are 14 new playable characters, being the seven Koopalings (indicated by an * in the gallery), Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach (indicated by an **), Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link, Villager, and Isabelle. There are three weight classes dependent on the size of the vehicle the characters drive (with the exception of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach): light, medium, and heavy.

The DLC packs contain three new characters each (see here for more info), but if both are purchased, the player will gain access to 8 new colors from Yoshi and Shy Guy, ultimately expanding the character roster by 22.

Unlockable drivers
* - Mario Kart debut ** - Mario franchise debut *** - Mii's weight is determined by the height and weight of the Mii the player chooses to race as.

Downloadable characters
Included in the game's two downloadable content packs (The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8) are three additional racers, making six total. In addition, by purchasing both packs the player immediately obtains new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy.

Unlocking criteria
Unlike previous Mario Kart games, characters (other than Mii) are unlocked at random by completing cups. However, replaying a cup will not unlock another character. In previous games, fixed characters are unlocked by completing specific cups with specific engine classes. Additionally, for the first time in the series, unlockable characters appear as CPUs during races when they are still locked.

Mii is the only character not randomly unlocked and is instead always the eighth character unlocked, unless the player uses an amiibo to unlock a Mii costume, in which case it will be unlocked immediately. Miis will never appear as CPU players.

Driver statistics
Like in Mario Kart 7, drivers in a specific group have their own stats.


 * Speed: The top speed of the vehicle. Does not affect off-road travel.
 * Ground Speed: The top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
 * 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.
 * Acceleration: The rate of the vehicle it takes to reach its top speed from a standing position.
 * Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
 * Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
 * Ground Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
 * 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.
 * Traction (Grip in PAL version): The grasp of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.
 * Mini-Turbo: The strength of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts.

Only ground speed, acceleration, weight, ground handling, and traction are visible in-game. The other stats, known as hidden stats, exist, but are not visible in-game.

The units are out of 6, displaying the different stats. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight. Character icons are sorted by how they're ordered in-game.

* Denotes a character with multiple color changes, see here for more info.

Body frame sizes
Depending on the character, the size of the vehicle can change. The size can influence how big of a target the vehicle is. The body frame size that the Mii uses depends on its weight class.

Vehicle parts
There are 17 karts, 9 bikes, 3 ATVs (26 bodies in total), 19 tires, and 12 gliders. Also, eight vehicles are set to be part of two DLC packs, four of them appearing in each one, with the Blue Falcon, B Dasher, Master Cycle and Tanooki Kart dowloadable in The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 Pack. The parts are listed as they appear in-game, and the stat boost/drop values are out of 6 and are relative to the standard parts for each type. However, it is impossible for a vehicle to have any stat less than 1 or greater than 5.75. The "8" logos on the parts are replaced with the character's symbol, except on the Gold Standard and Gold Glider.

Unlocking criteria
Vehicle parts are unlocked by collecting coins from Grand Prix, VS Mode, Time Trials, and online races. Coins collected by additional players are counted. Coins will count towards the player's coin total only for completed races -- if the player collects coins then quits during a race, the coins from that race will not be added to their coin total.

There are 38 unlockable parts, excluding golden parts. Players can unlock new parts for every 50 coins, but once players have collected 1000 coins, 100 coins are instead needed to unlock new parts. Like in Mario Kart 7, players can see how many coins they've collected by viewing the statistics screen from the main menu (this feature is available for only Ver. 2.0 and further of Mario Kart 8, however).

Special parts
Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:
 * Gold Standard: Obtain a minimum of one star ranking in all non-DLC cups of every engine class.
 * Gold Tires: Beat the Staff Ghost on each non-DLC course.
 * Gold Glider: Obtain 10,000 coins.

Courses
There are 32 tracks in the main game (excluding DLC Cups), consisting of 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks, featuring one track each from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, four tracks from Mario Kart 64, two each from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii, and three each from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7. As with the retro tracks from the 3DS installment, the retro tracks in this game feature altered sections that incorporate the game's hang-glider, underwater, and anti-gravity features. The game features live-recorded music for all of the new tracks and most of the retro tracks. The tracks have been described as more narrow when compared to previous Mario Kart tracks, specifically those from Mario Kart Wii. Names in italics are names used in the PAL version.

Downloadable courses
4 additional cups, each one containing 4 tracks for a total of 16, have been announced to be included in the game's downloadable content packs. .

Unconfirmed Cup

 * A track based on Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * A jungle-themed track.

Battle stages
Unlike previous installments of the series, there are no stages unique to Battle Mode; instead, 8 of the original 32 tracks in standard race modes are modified and used as stages for battles and can all be played from the start of the game, including those that are originally in cups that need to first be unlocked in the race modes. Tracks enabled for Battle mode are the following:

Ghosts
Just like in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, the player starts out with Staff Ghosts for each course. However, unlike with the past Mario Kart installments, Expert Staff Ghosts (or Fast Staff Ghosts) do not appear in this game.

Kart of Champions
These are Nintendo's best times for each of the 32 base courses, as shown in the Prima Official Game Guide. Ghost data does not exist for the following times in-game.

Items
As in all Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 keeps the use of items during the races. Four new items have been added to the list, being the Boomerang Flower, the Piranha Plant, the Super Horn, and the Crazy Eight. The Coin also makes a return as an item since its first appearance in Super Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 8 also features changes to the items' mechanics. While past Mario Kart games allowed the users to gain a different item from the Item Boxes while dragging some other such as a Green Shell or a Banana, in Mario Kart 8, players are restricted to carry only the item they are currently holding or dragging. Releasing the item in use will then allow the player to take another from the boxes. In order to keep gameplay balance, some items are much less frequent to appear, most notably Lightning and the Spiny Shell. Additionally, the Triple Bananas and the Triple Mushrooms surround the vehicle in the same manner as triple shells do, and opponents receive their effects when touching them, giving some disadvantage, or advantage in the case of the triple mushrooms. Racers do not lose their items if they fall from the track. The item icon, located on the top left of the screen, now displays a usage-remaining meter, either time remaining to use or uses remaining, for items with limited repeating usage. {|class="wikitable" !colspan="2"|

Items found on the track
!colspan="2"|
 * align=center|ItemBoxMK8.png Item Box
 * Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's position.
 * align=center|CoinMK8.png Coin
 * Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a max of 10. In Hyrule Circuit, they are replaced by Rupees.
 * align=center|MK8Rupee.png Rupee
 * Acts just like a Coin, but they are found only in Hyrule Circuit. They also replace Coins in the item roulette.
 * align=center|MK8Rupee.png Rupee
 * Acts just like a Coin, but they are found only in Hyrule Circuit. They also replace Coins in the item roulette.
 * Acts just like a Coin, but they are found only in Hyrule Circuit. They also replace Coins in the item roulette.

New items
!colspan="2"|
 * align=center|BoomerangFlowerMK8.png Boomerang Flower
 * Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward and when it returns.
 * align=center|PiranhaPlantPotMK8.png Piranha Plant
 * Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite.
 * align=center|SuperHornMK8.png Super Horn
 * Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles and items.
 * align=center|Crazy8MK8.png Crazy Eight
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.
 * Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles and items.
 * align=center|Crazy8MK8.png Crazy Eight
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.

Returning items

 * align=center|CoinMK8.png Coin
 * Grants the player two extra coins and a micro boost.
 * align=center|GreenShellMK8.png Green Shell
 * Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
 * align=center|TripleGreenShellsMK8.png Triple Green Shells
 * Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|RedShellMK8.png Red Shell
 * Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
 * align=center|TripleRedShellsMK8.png Triple Red Shells
 * Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|BananaMK8.png [[Banana]]
 * Protects the player from incoming items, and spins out other racers that hit it.
 * align=center|TripleBananaMK8.png Triple Bananas
 * Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|MushroomMarioKart8.png Mushroom
 * Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
 * align=center|TripleMushroomMK8.png Triple Mushrooms
 * Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts.
 * align=center|GoldenMushroomMK8.png Golden Mushroom
 * Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time.
 * align=center|FireFlowerMK8.png Fire Flower
 * Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact.
 * align=center|StarMK8.png Star
 * Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
 * align=center|BlooperMK8.png Blooper
 * Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
 * align=center|Bob-ombMK8.png Bob-omb
 * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
 * align=center|SpinyShellMK8.png Spiny Shell
 * Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
 * align=center|LightningBoltMK8.png Lightning
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
 * align=center|BlooperMK8.png Blooper
 * Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
 * align=center|Bob-ombMK8.png Bob-omb
 * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
 * align=center|SpinyShellMK8.png Spiny Shell
 * Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
 * align=center|LightningBoltMK8.png Lightning
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * }
 * }

Stamps
As in Super Mario 3D World, NES Remix, and NES Remix 2, players can obtain stamps to use in Miiverse posts. There are 90 stamps in the game: 28 are available from the start, while the rest can be obtained by winning a Grand Prix with each character or defeating the Staff Ghost on each course in Time Trial. It should be noted, though, that DLC characters and tracks don't unlock any stamp upon clearing the criteria.

Downloadable content
As of the version 2.0 update, Mario Kart 8, like New Super Mario Bros. 2, includes an in-game shop feature through which players can purchase and pre-order downloadable content. Alternatively, players can purchase content through the Nintendo eShop like normal. Nintendo has released free kart parts as part of a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, and then announced the game will receive two add-on packs, which both include three additional characters, four karts, and eight courses in two cups.

Mercedes-Benz x Mario Kart 8
As part of a collaboration between Nintendo and Mercedes-Benz, Mario Kart 8 has received downloadable content in the form of kart bodies based on several Mercedes vehicles, including the Mercedes-Benz GLA, W25 Silver Arrow, and 300 SL Roadster, as well as a set of GLA tires. The content was released for free in all regions during August 2014.

The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8
The first pack, titled "The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8", which was released on November 13, 2014, includes Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Link from The Legend of Zelda franchise, as well as the Blue Falcon, the B Dasher and the Tanooki Kart as three of the four karts, as well as a new bike part called the Master Cycle. The cups included are the Triforce Cup and the Egg Cup. New courses include both retro ones, such as Wario's Gold Mine from Mario Kart Wii, new courses inspired by non-Mario franchises such as F-Zero and Excitebike, and completely new ones such as Dragon Driftway.

Purchase of both this and the Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 pack automatically gives the player eight alternate color skins for Yoshi and Shy Guy each.

Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8
The second pack, tilted "Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8" and set to be released in May 2015, includes the Villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Leaf as well as Dry Bowser. The cups included are the Crossing Cup and the Bell Cup. New courses include a new Animal Crossing: New Leaf-themed course and a completely new jungle course.

Purchasing both this and The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 pack unlocks eight color skins for both Yoshi and Shy Guy.

Ver. 2.0
On the same day as the release of the Mercedes DLC, an update for the game also was released which adds an option to display the map on the TV screen (just like in past Mario Kart games) by pressing on the Wii U GamePad, and a records section, which shows how many coins have been collected, online wins and losses (just like Mario Kart 7), and other statistics. The update also saves the players' last used vehicle combo (excluding DLC vehicle parts), lets them edit other players' highlight reels, and improves online stability.

Additionally, the maximum online race and battle ratings have increased from "9999" to "99999", like in Mario Kart 7. The rating system has also been altered in that the amount of points that the players win or lose after an online race or battle is more drastic if there's a large rating difference between participating players. In tournaments without race or battle limits, players can now have more than 1024 points during a tournament period; without the update, players with at least 1024 points have their score reset to zero for the next race/battle. Players must download the update in order to continue playing online.

The update also swaps the 'Next Race/Round/View Results' and 'View Highlight Reel' buttons in offline mode, and adds a Shop button on the main menu, where players can download the Mercedes DLC, and pre-order Add-On Content. The character icons on the map HUD are also altered.

Ver. 3.0
On November 13, 2014, the update to version 3.0 was made available. The update includes compatibility with amiibo figures and enables the first downloadable content pack for those who purchased it. The update also allows the game to save any last used vehicle combo that uses any of the DLC vehicle parts (except for the Mercedes-Benz DLC parts); this also applies to DLC characters. Also, when a light racer bumps into a heavier one, it will be pushed less far away.

In terms of online, the race and battle rating system has been modified to be less punishing to players who do poorly in a race or battle. Additionally, players can now set up tournaments that have cup limitations. The update is required to continue playing online, but the players will not encounter any of the DLC tracks, unless they have downloaded the first DLC pack. Players that have not purchased DLC packs can still encounter DLC characters and vehicles online, but cannot select them.

Differences in multiplayer modes
When playing in split screen, there are some minor and major differences on the race courses, like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii.


 * In Mario Kart Stadium, GCN Sherbet Land, and  N64 Rainbow Road, the fireworks have less sparkles.
 * Also in N64 Rainbow Road, most of the fireworks, including the firework that forms Luigi, are absent.
 * In Rainbow Road:
 * The hologram of the Special Cup trophy is absent from the hologram projector, but the beams of light are still present, much like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! how the rainbow sculptures are absent in Rainbow Road.
 * The oval-shaped tube, where the starting and finish line is located in the middle of it, has a line of lights circling clockwise missing at the end where the racers exit.
 * In Twisted Mansion on Online Play exclusively, the Boos in the gliding section are absent.
 * The airborne road markers on gliding paths are absent on all courses that have them.
 * In GCN Yoshi Circuit, some Yoshis on the track are absent, including the one on the watch tower. Similarly, some of the Shy Guys in the mine entrance of  Wii Wario's Gold Mine are absent.

amiibo
As of the version 3.0 update, Mario Kart 8 includes compatibility with amiibo, Nintendo's series of NFC enabled figurines. By scanning certain amiibo, players can unlock one of ten costumes for use by Miis based upon the amiibo character.

The figures compatible with the game are Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox, while Toon Link support will be added later.

Development
Development for Mario Kart 8 started in 2012. Series producer Hideki Konno first revealed that he wanted to produce a Mario Kart game for the Wii U in late 2011. A Wii U Mario Kart game was later revealed to be in development in the January 2013 Nintendo Direct and confirmed to be shown off at E3 that year, with the game being officially revealed during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.

Some ideas that were scrapped in Mario Kart 8 included a drill that made drivers drive into subterranean depths. The idea was scrapped because the developers thought it was not as interesting as the anti-gravity idea. The anti-gravity concept stemmed from the Wii U being a powerful console, and with the upgraded hardware, the developers wanted to make courses with a 3D plane in mind rather than the 2D plane as the other tracks in the Mario Kart series. The title, Mario Kart 8, also stemmed from the anti-gravity mechanic as, in addition to being the eighth main installment in the series, the "8" used in the official logo was stylized to resemble a Möbius strip.

Most of the game's musical tracks are orchestrated, making this game the first Mario Kart game to feature orchestrated tracks.

Limited edition
A limited edition version of Mario Kart 8 is available in the European and Australian regions at retail, and in North America exclusively at the Nintendo World Store in New York. The limited edition includes the game as well as a Spiny Shell figurine.

Collaboration with Pennzoil
Nintendo and Pennzoil teamed up to promote Mario Kart 8 by hosting an event in which participants were able to race on real-life modified karts on a specially-designed track. Icons representing some of the items in the game were spread in the course as well.

Console bundles
Nintendo has also released a Wii U console bundle with the game in North America (known as the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Set) and Europe and Australia (the Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack). In Europe, the Nintendo UK Online store also offers two different bundles, being a Mario bundle and a Luigi bundle. Each will contain a copy of the game, along with a Wii Remote Plus, Wii U GamePad skin, and Wii Wheel in the corresponding brother's theme. It also contains a Mario or Luigi Hat and the Prima Mario Kart 8 guide book. In North America, the bundle includes a black Wii U and GamePad, a Mario Wii Remote Plus, a red Wii Wheel, and the game.

Bonus/Free game promotion
Between May 30 and July 31, Club Nintendo members in North America, Europe, and Australia who registered Mario Kart 8 could receive a free download code for one of several Wii U games. In Europe and Australia, players had the choice of: Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Sonic Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Wii Party U, The Wonderful 101, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, while North American players were limited to only New Super Mario Bros. U, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3, and Wii Party U.

Reception
Mario Kart 8 has received mostly favorable reviews, and has been lauded as one of the best games in the series to date. General praise has been given to the game's graphics, the tracks, the music, and the overall gameplay (both single player and multiplayer). The addition of anti-gravity has also been praised, as has the online mode. The roster, however, notably the baby/metal characters, has received criticism, as well as the Battle Mode. The incorporation of the Wii U GamePad has also been a point of contention.

Over the weekend of its launch, Mario Kart 8 sold 1.2 million units worldwide, making it the fastest-selling Wii U title so far and the 3rd best selling title for the Wii U as well, selling approximately 2.82 million copies worldwide as of July 30, 2014. As of September 30, the game has sold over 3.49 million copies.

Mario Kart 8 won two awards at The Game Awards 2014, being the "Best Family Game" and the "Best Sports/Racing Game".

References to other games

 * Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race: A sign in Water Park shows two submarines; one is of an "original 1987 model", which was the year this game came out, and the first time that Mario was in a racing game.
 * Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally: The Mario's Motors logo is seen at the starting line of Mario Circuit. In addition, Mario's artwork from the game can be faintly seen above the logo itself.
 * Super Mario Bros.: Various sprites of enemies and scenery can be seen on pots in Bone-Dry Dunes. Part of Cloudtop Cruise's course layout involves a large ? Block with a beanstalk coming out of it. An upside-down 8-bit Luigi can be seen in one of Twisted Mansion's paintings which appears 3 times throughout the beginning part of the course.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic: The Shy Guy Metals sign seen at Toad Harbor says that they've been around since 1987, which is the year of the Shy Guys' first appearance.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Many aspects of Cloudtop Cruise, particularly the airships, are inspired by this game. Gray Bowser Statues that shoot lasers appear in Bowser's Castle. The sprite of the Angry Sun can be seen in the yellow ornamental fabrics near the start of Bone-Dry Dunes.
 * Super Mario World: Various advertisements seen throughout the game reference this game with the original artwork of Dolphins. Ball 'n' Chains appear in Bowser's Castle. Also, Cape Feathers appear on desks in Sunshine Airport. Also, Tanooki Mario's horn uses the same sound effect as the Spin Jump and Cape Attack.
 * Super Mario Kart: Donut Plains 3 returns as a retro track while Rainbow Road also appears as add-on content. The Coin item returns with the same function as it does in this game. Rainbow Road and N64 Rainbow Road have their design similar to the Rainbow Road from that game. A portion of the title screen music is a cover of the Super Mario Kart title screen music. The desks in Sunshine Airport have feather pens with the same design as the Cape Feather from this game and consequently Super Mario World.
 * Super Mario 64: The merry-go-round music from Big Boo's Haunt can be heard when near the Aqua Cups ride in Water Park.
 * Mario Kart 64: The game features engine sounds during the start-up screen, which is similar to this game's start-up screen. Toad's Turnpike, Royal Raceway, Yoshi Valley, and Rainbow Road return as retro tracks. In Toad's Turnpike, a sign shows a highway advisory radio station running at the frequency "64 MHz", referencing both the system and the game it came from. When in two-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of horizontally, a feature originally intended for this game.
 * Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Mario Circuit returns as a retro course. Cloudtop Cruise's name in Japanese is "Sky Garden", the same as a course from this game.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: Sunshine Airport has a Shine Sprite in its logo. The European release date is used as a serial number on some storage crates in Sunshine Airport (55402MS= Oct 4th, 2002).
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Like in this game, characters hold items in their hands and players can honk their horns when they are out of items (except for the Super Horn). Also, they hold items in their left hands instead of their right. Dry Dry Desert and Sherbet Land return as retro courses. Yoshi Circuit appears as a retro course in an add-on pack. N64 Rainbow Road takes place above a city, much like  GCN Rainbow Road.
 * Yoshi Topsy-Turvy: Yoshi's artwork which depicts him using his tongue is used as a firework in N64 Rainbow Road.
 * Mario Kart DS: Cheep Cheep Beach, Tick-Tock Clock, and Wario Stadium return as retro courses. Also the B Dasher, a kart from this game, returns as a part of the first downloadable content pack. Also, this is the second 3D Mario Kart game where the players can also use the D-Pad to steer.
 * Super Mario Galaxy: An image of a Luma can be seen on an airplane (from Galaxy Air airlines) in Sunshine Airport, as well as on the Star Cup trophy. Also, part of Cloudtop Cruise's music is a cover of Gusty Garden Galaxy's music.
 * Mario Kart Wii: Twelve player races and motorbikes return. The ability to perform stunts on ramps and boost panels returns. Moo Moo Meadows and Grumble Volcano also return as retro courses along with Wario's Gold Mine which returns as add on content. The new Rainbow Road is set above the Earth, just like Wii Rainbow Road.
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2: Part of Cloudtop Cruise's music includes a cover of the Sky Station Galaxy's music. The tunnel at the beginning of Dragon Driftway is modeled after Gobblegut.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: One of the planes in Sunshine Airport has a logo for Propeller Toad Transport with an insignia of a Propeller Mushroom.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: Goomba Towers appear as obstacles in Mario Circuit. The Biddybuggy resembles a Para-Biddybud. The Boomerang Flower appears as an item. A silhouette of Tanooki Mario's artwork can be seen on the back of the Leaf Cup trophy. Tanooki Mario is an available racer via add-on content, and Statue Mario is one of his tricks.
 * Mario Kart 7: Gliders and underwater areas return. Music Park, Piranha Plant Slide, and DK Jungle return as retro courses. Vehicle customization returns from this game. The remixed music that occurs when the player is in first place also returns from this game. Mount Wario and N64 Rainbow Road are split into three sections just like the three courses from this game. Electrodrome has some similarities with Music Park, which is when players drive on the instruments, they make their own sound. It also has Mario Kart 7's point system where each racer gets a point regardless of their position. Various kart parts that originated from this game return.
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2: Twisted Mansion's entrance has a statue of a Boohemoth above it, an enemy from this game. Bone Piranha Plants also make an appearance in Bone-Dry Dunes.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: The Mecha Cheep appears in this game and there is a glider based on a Waddlewing.
 * Super Mario 3D World: The Potted Piranha Plant appears as an item. Furthermore, most of the fireworks in N64 Rainbow Road use stamp images from this game which replaces the neon-lit signs of the eight playable characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong) and a portrait of a Boo and Mushroom in Mario Kart 64. An ad on Toad Harbor for Tropical Grocery has a Double Cherry on it. Cat Peach is an available racer via add on content as well as the Bell Cup, whose logo is the Super Bell.
 * Super Smash Bros. series: Captain Falcon's signature taunt, "Show me your moves!", which originates from this series, appears in several jumbotrons near the end of the track of the DLC course Mute City.
 * Various voices Tanooki Mario uses are taken from other games, which several voice file prefixes apparently indicating the source of the game. File prefixes include GBAGolf_Mario, GC_SunshineMario, GCTennis, SuperMarioAdvance, and WiiBseball_Mario.

References in later games

 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: Mario Circuit reappears as a stage. The songs "Mario Kart Stadium", "Mario Circuit (Mario Kart 8)", "Cloudtop Cruise", and "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)" appear as music tracks for the stage; Cloudtop Cruise was remixed with both the regular and thundercloud versions mixed.

Beta elements
Mario Kart 8 has featured several changes from earlier builds to the final build of the game. For example, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 mechanics were used as placeholders in the E3 2013 build of the game. Several small changes, such as Twisted Mansion originally being called "Boo House" and Toad Harbor's racing banner originally having a Galaxy Airline logo were present in earlier trailers of the game. Several of the music featured in earlier builds, such as Mario Circuit's music, was more synthesized than orchestrated in final build of the game.

This glitch is most common in N64 Yoshi Valley due to the numerous paths drivers may follow, though it can happen under specific circumstances in other courses such as Bone-Dry Dunes. Occasionally when a Spiny Shell is deployed and the racers in at least first and second place are in a section where the road forks in two, the Spiny Shell may initially follow the racer in first place and then change its target to the one in second place or the highest place out of those in the other path. This is caused by some courses–in particular Yoshi Valley–having the checkpoint markers that determine the place of the racers being inadequately calibrated with the other routes. This is demonstrated by driving down the old bridge path while in first place: the player drops position while in the turn and then returns to first place once the paths join up again.

Staff
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed Mario Kart 8 in cooperation with Bandai Namco Studios. The music composition is credited to Shiho Fujii, Atsuko Asahi, Ryo Nagamatsu, and Yasuaki Iwata, with longtime series composer Kenta Nagata serving as sound director. Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma were the general producers, though the latter goes uncredited, and Satoru Iwata was the executive producer.

Trivia

 * Including the downloadable tracks, Mario Kart 8 has the most tracks in a single Mario Kart game, with 48 once the second add-on pack has been released. This record was previously held by Mario Kart: Super Circuit, which had 40.
 * This is the first Mario Kart game in which each course features its own background music, with no tracks sharing music. All previous titles in the series included at least two tracks sharing the same music, most commonly the regular circuit music.
 * Unlike several previous installments of the Mario Kart series, the retro courses use their respective Mario Kart logo; the tracks from SNES to GCN use an updated version of the classic logo, while tracks from DS to 3DS use the current one.
 * GCN Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, however, uses the logo from Mario Kart DS as opposed to that of its original game.
 * This is the first main series Mario Kart game for which each playable character does not receive official artwork.
 * Mario Kart 8 features three Rainbow Road tracks, the most in any game in the series to date.