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
North American box art of 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 Japan April 28, 2017
USA April 28, 2017
Mexico April 28, 2017[1]
Europe April 28, 2017
Australia April 28, 2017
HK April 28, 2017[2]
South Korea December 15, 2017[3]
ROC December 15, 2017[4]
China March 16, 2020[5]
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
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
USK:0 - All ages
DEJUS:L - General audience
SMECCV:A - All ages
RARS:0+ - All ages
GRAC:All - All ages
CADPA:8+ - Eight years and older
GSRR:P - Six years and older
FPB:PG - Parental guidance
GCAM:3 - Three years and older
NMC:7 - 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:

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.

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.

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 were 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.

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.

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.[7]

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.

Game modes

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.

Offline VS Race now requires a minimum of four races per cup instead of three.

Items

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!!.

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.

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.

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

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   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.

Technical aspects

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.[9] The shadows present in the game are of higher quality in multiplayer.

The game supports 5.1 surround. Effects that can play on the rear speakers include approaching shells, certain vehicles' engines, sceneries (e.g. bats, falling rocks, water, helicopters), and if other drivers are immediately to the side. Background music, Lakitu's countdowns, and menu sounds are mixed to stereo only. Some surround receiver producers' models may default to Standard modes that water out the effect (e.g. playing background music via side speakers), necessitating switching them to Straight/Direct or upmixing 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

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 last appeared in the series as playable characters 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-Super Mario character, being the Inkling from Splatoon. Both the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy are playable, and they have three selectable colors each. At the game's launch, Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy took up separate slots on the character selection screen, as did the two Villagers, who were originally 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, Inkling Boy and female Villager are now considered variants of Inkling Girl and 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 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 Girl  
 
Inkling Girl
 
 
Inkling Girl
 
 
Inkling Boy2
 
 
Inkling Boy
 
 
Inkling Boy
Villager  
 
Villager2
Link  
 
Link3

1 - This variant 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 being relegated to a variant in the version 3.0.0 update.
3 - Originally the only version of the character before being relegated to a variant 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 any Inkling or Splatoon series 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 Isabelle or Animal Crossing series amiibo, and the Pikmin Suit can be unlocked with Pikmin series 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.

Normal Suits
Red Orange Yellow Light-green Green Blue
           
Light-blue Pink Purple Brown White 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 standard and amiibo racing suits.

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 most other characters range from having one to two rivals each, though some still have none at all.

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s)
                   
                  
                   
                   
                
              None
       
Column 5 Column 6 Column 7 Column 8
Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s) Player Rival(s)
               
  None             
                
                
                
              None

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:

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

Tires

Gliders

CPU combinations

All characters in the game besides Miis and most variants (with the exceptions of blue Inkling Boy, female Villager, and Link's alternate outfit) can be used by CPUs. Each of these characters have four different combinations of vehicle parts that they can use as CPUs:

CPU combinations
Character 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
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
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
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
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
   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 3 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
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
   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
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
     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
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
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
1:38.847TC
Daisy Badwagon GLA Tires
Off-RoadTC
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
1:12.696TC
Tanooki Mario GLA
Pipe FrameTC
GLA Tires
StandardTC
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
1:23.491TC
Villager (Boy) 300 SL Roadster
StreetleTC
GLA Tires
StandardTC
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
1:13.200TC
Luigi W 25 Silver Arrow
Blue FalconTC
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.
 
Icicle
3DS Rosalina's Ice World Upward-pointing icicles on the ground that break when driven into, but will also slow the driver down.
 
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 music of each of the game's courses. 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 Qualifier Online  
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship 2023 Qualifier at Nintendo Live Seattle Convention Center
(Nintendo Live 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/logo
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.  
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championship 2023 The qualifiers were held online. The final rounds were held at the VILCO convention center in Bad Vilbel, Germany.  

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)
 
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024 TBD  

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:

  • Prior to Wave 1's launch, Tour Paris Promenade had simpler detailing overall, most notably 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, was blocked by fences, some of which have arrows, rather than the backside of a metal ramp like in the final version. The optional glide ramp featured in the final lap was also not present, and consequently neither was the coin on top of the parasol. 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. Likewise, the dash panel underneath the Eiffel Tower appears to have been invisible, as while seemingly not present, drivers are still seen driving towards it in multiple clips. The Piranha Plant cutouts blocking the shortcut through the Arc de Triomphe were not present. There was an arrow on the Eiffel Tower pointing towards the path from Paris Promenade 3 not present in the final version.
  • 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. The starting banner was significantly different, with the objects at the top corners being smaller, less round and generally less detailed, the bolts not being present and the horizontal shafts being missing from the columns. There was no confetti present around the starting line, despite confetti still falling there. The checkered line on the road continued onto where the starting grid is, instead of ending before it. There were significantly fewer flowers and plants present around the course. The coins present on the course differ in multiple ways, such as there being a row of them shortly after the starting line, an extra coin present at the final turn, there not being a coin on the ramp shortcut and coins having different positions in general. The final row of Item Boxes did not feature a Double Item Box.
  • Prior to Wave 1's launch, N64 Choco Mountain had a significantly different road texture, while the walls and rocks lacked the detail they have in the final version. The cracks on the road around where the rocks fall were completely absent, and the coins present after where the second rock falls were instead after the first rock. There appear to have originally been coins leading up to the cave, while conversely the coins on the final turn appear to have been missing. Some of the lights within the cave emitted light onto the ceiling similarly to the crystals, unlike in the final version. The glide ramp leading out of the cave was invisible. Certain wooden elements like fences and the boards at the end of the gliding section had different coloring.
  • 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 to 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. The flower bushes present around the mall's exterior were a lot less detailed and had a mix of white and purple flowers instead of the yellow ones the final version uses. The Mario Kart TV vans were not present. There was no row of Item Boxes at the entrance to the courtyard. The escalator rails were significantly less glossy, and all escalators seem to have had coins at the bottom of them. Similarly, both dash panels in the courtyard had a coin following them. The coins on the turn following the gliding section were instead on the road leading to it. Oddly, the results screen following a Grand Prix or a VS match uses an image of the old design despite the existence of an updated version of said image.
  • Prior to Wave 1's launch, the Kaminarimon's lantern in Tour Tokyo Blur looked less saturated and lacked the ridges it has in the final version. The sun was not present over Mount Fuji, and the different lighting made the clock on the Wako store appear significantly brighter. The bushes were less detailed, having a less rough texture and much simpler flowers. The platform which the flower bushes leading to the Kaminarimon are on did not have its outer layer raised. The cracks on the road that appear underneath the Thwomps were completely absent. The text on the "Welcome to Tokyo" sign was significantly dimmer. The roadside barriers with arrows had much simpler designs, with the arrows being 2D instead of fully modeled like they are in the final version. There is also footage of this course showing an early design for the arrow field, in which the arrows have an identical design to the green arrow holograms in SNES Rainbow Road[17].
  • Prior to Wave 1's launch, DS Shroom Ridge did not have the glide ramp shortcut on the grass patch. The wind shortcut was also not present in trailer footage despite appearing in a released screenshot. Flowers, bushes and other plants had different, less detailed designs and appeared in different locations. Some notable examples include how the grass patch with the glide ramp featured alternating groups of blue and orange flowers instead of the multicolored ones present in the final version, and how the flower bushes were significantly less detailed and had red flowers and in smaller quantities compared to the pink flowers the final version has (oddly, future waves would exclusively use these lesser detailed flower bushes). The dividing stripes on the road continued through the starting grid instead of ending before it. The starting banner lacked details it has in the final version, such as the bolts on the columns, the lights across the top and most of the metal strips holding up the logo. The static coins at the turn adjacent to the wind shortcut appear to have initially been on the opposite side of the road.
  • Prior to Wave 1's launch, GBA Sky Garden's textures for the road and the vine bridges were significantly larger. The final row of Item Boxes was slightly further into the course, and the Double Item Box was on the opposite side of the road. There was one more Mushroom Trampoline present underneath the course compared to the final version. The glide ramp at the end of the course was invisible. There were far less grass blades around the course. The flowers were blue with a much simpler design, while the flower bushes had less distinct and detailed shapes with multiple colors of flowers instead of just pink flowers like in the final version.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, the first row of Item Boxes in Tour New York Minute was on the bridge leading into Central Park instead of being before it like in the final version. There were no Toads behind the front desk of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, SNES Mario Circuit 3 had an additional coin in both the first turn and the turn with the first oil slick.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, N64 Kalimari Desert had a floating group of coins that would have been reached by taking the first glide ramp shortcut. The second row of Item Boxes was shown as only having single Item Boxes in what appears to be the first lap, with the same clip showing Item Boxes present on the train tracks similarly to lap 3 of the final version. An arrow fence was present beside the road shortly after the second overlap between the road and the train tracks.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, the helicopter in DS Waluigi Pinball was missing the beam of light eminating from its flashlight. The padels had the electricity effect at all times unlike the final version in which they only exhibit it upon activating.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, GBA Snow Land had a row of Item Boxes after the starting line, in place of the moving Item Boxes present in the final version. The coins on the sheet of ice were in different positions. The row of Item Boxes on the ramp at the end of the sheet of ice were instead placed later on the following road with differing Double Item Box placements, and the ramp instead had a row of coins which are substituted by coins shortly after it in the final version. Some of the snow such as that present on the starting banner had significantly less detail. Some of the trees present on the course used simpler models.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, Wii Mushroom Gorge had various differences in the placements of flowers throughout the course. The first row of Item Boxes was placed slightly earlier.
  • Prior to Wave 2's launch, Sky-High Sundae did not have coins on the first two giant pieces of ice. The left split path only had 3 Item Boxes and they were placed earlier. The second coin on the path of ice-cream cones was placed slightly earlier.
  • 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 arrow on the Mario topiary was also not present. The first flowerbed shortcut was much smaller. The route used to turn around on lap three was completely blocked off by a fountain, and the ramps at the mansion were also not present, though there was seemingly nothing else blocking that path. The Mario Kart TV van, spectators and benches were also not in that section at the time. The first row of Item Boxes was closer to the start of the bridge. The row of coins at the entrance to the maze was not present. In the Direct, the row of Item Boxes in the maze was replaced with a row of coins. However, in a screenshot released shortly after, there was a row of Item Boxes like in the final version, but with the addition of at least one more Double Item Box. There were no spectators after the starting line, nor on the windowsills close to it. The coins on the left of the mansion were gone in favor of a row of coins at the top of the stairs, and the coins around the Piranha Plant were gone in favor of there being coins in the following section with the Monty Moles.
  • When Merry Mountain was shown in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct, there was one shot in which there were no Spin Boost Pillars on the mountain, with there instead only being a dash panel at the start of the descent. Screenshots would later show the mountain having both the dash panel and the Spin Boost Pillars, whereas the final version only has the latter. The suspended railroad had the ramp at the end angled more upwards than the rest of it, and was missing the wooden boards that are nailed onto it in the final version. The first row of Item Boxes was shown both not being present at all and being besides the grass shortcut, in which case taking the cut would not allow players to collect an item. The row of Item Boxes on the bridge were also not present. The Item Boxes at the top of the mountain were all lined up in a row, but with the Double Item Boxes still requiring drivers to take the half-pipe to collect them, and there was also a higher number of coins placed above the half-pipe. There was one less coin in the row before the split paths. There were no sitting spectators at the train station, nor besides the later part of the train track. The Toads on the mountain did not wear coats, and there were no spectators around the half-pipe. The snowman following the bridge was not present.
  • When Yoshi's Island was shown in the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, Poochy was not present on the mailbox. The first row of Item Boxes was even closer to the bridge. Every arrow sign was double-sided, and the waterfalls had white outlines. There were less Yoshi spectators at in the first section of the course, but there was an additional Petal Guy next to where the second Stilt Guy is. The ramp leading into the underwater section had an additional coin, and the Yoshi spectator to the left of it was on the ground instead of on the tree root like it is in the final version. The underwater geysers had an effect at the bottom that resembled water splashing out of them, appeared less transparent and had fewer, smaller bubbles. The Yoshi spectator on the tower atop the clouds was not present, while the Paratroopas in this section were static instead of flying from side-to-side as in the final version. The animation for the pieces of the red bridge falling into place was simpler, with them already being in a horizontal position instead of flipping over like they do in the final version.
  • When Squeaky Clean Sprint was shown in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, there were no coins on top of the sink and the Yoshi's Egg soap dispenser. The nails on the wooden shelf had a darker color and were less reflective.
  • When Wii Daisy Circuit was shown in the September 2023 Nintendo Direct, the objects to the left of the statue of Daisy and Luigi were arranged differently. The row of Item Boxes was in the opposite order, while the cones and coins were on the left half of the road. The cones and coins to the right of the statue of Baby Daisy and Baby Luigi were a little earlier. The glide ramp shortcut only had one Double Item Box. The two groups of coins around the lighthouse were both missing a coin. There were no coins in front of the Daisy Candy sign.

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.[18]

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.

Music prefetches

In the 2.1.0 update, several prefetch music tracks of unreleased race courses were added to the game's files. They all sound different from their arrangements in Mario Kart Tour and the final arrangements used in the Booster Course Pass.

Wave 3

  Tour London Loop
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour LondonLoop prefetch.oga
0:01
  GBA Boo Lake
File infoMedia:MK8D GBA BooLakeBrokenPier prefetch.oga
0:02
  3DS Rock Rock Mountain
File infoMedia:MK8D 3DS AlpinePass prefetch.oga
0:02
  Wii Maple Treeway
File infoMedia:MK8D Wii MapleTreeway prefatch.oga
0:02
  Tour Berlin Byways
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour BerlinByways prefetch.oga
0:02
  DS Peach Gardens
File infoMedia:MK8D DS PeachGardens prefetch.oga
0:02
  Merry Mountain
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour MerryMountain prefetch.oga
0:02
  3DS Rainbow Road
File infoMedia:MK8D 3DS RainbowRoad prefatch.oga
0:02
  3DS Rainbow Road (Moon)
File infoMedia:MK8D 3DS RainbowRoad Moon prefatch.oga
0:02
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Wave 4

  Tour Amsterdam Drift
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour AmsterdamDrift prefatch.oga
0:02
  Tour Bangkok Rush
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour BangkokRush prefatch.oga
0:02
  GCN Waluigi Stadium
File infoMedia:MK8D GCN WaluigiStadium prefetch.oga
0:02
  Tour Singapore Speedway
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour SingaporeSpeedway prefatch.oga
0:02
  Tour Singapore Speedway (Chinatown)
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour SingaporeSpeedway Chinatown prefatch.oga
0:02
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Wave 5

  Tour Los Angeles Laps
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour LosAngelesLaps prefatch.oga
0:02
  GBA Sunset Wilds
File infoMedia:MK8D GBA SunsetWilds prefatch.oga
0:02
  Tour Vancouver Velocity
File infoMedia:MK8D Tour VancouverVelocity prefatch.oga
0:02
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Gallery

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.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21] 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.[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] As of December 31, 2023, the game had sold 60.58 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

References in other games

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 infoMedia:MK8D-BattleStadium-music.oga
  Sweet Sweet Kingdom theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-SweetSweetKingdom-music.oga
  Dragon Palace theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-DragonPalace-music.oga
  Lunar Colony theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-LunarColony-music.oga
  3DS Wuhu Town theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-3DS-WuhuTown-music.oga
  GCN Luigi's Mansion theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-GCN-LuigisMansion-music.oga
  SNES Battle Course 1 theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-SNES-BattleCourse1-music.oga
  Urchin Underpass theme
File infoMedia:MK8D-UrchinUnderpass-music.oga
Help:MediaHaving 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

Trivia

  • There are exactly four courses in which perpetually moving cars act as obstacles in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and they occupy each of the four possible slots in a cup: Tour Berlin Byways is the first course of the Moon Cup, DS Shroom Ridge is the second course of the Lucky Cat Cup, Wii Moonview Highway is the third course of the Feather Cup, and N64 Toad's Turnpike is the fourth course of the Shell Cup.
  • In the music menu, in addition to the usual method of pressing   to cycle through the different song variants of a course, it is possible to select a specific one via the shoulder buttons, similarly to selecting the season of Animal Crossing. Depending on the number of song variants a course has, holding   selects the first variant,   selects the second variant,   selects the third variant,   selects the fourth variant, and both   and   selects the fifth variant.

External links

References

  1. ^ Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe para la consola Nintendo Switch. Nintendo.com (in Spanish).
  2. ^ http://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. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F2djsuZuTg&feature=youtu.be&t=3m50s
  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. ^ Screenshot of the starting boost in a four-player split-screen VS RaceMedia:MK8D 4-Player Gameplay Screenshot.png.
  10. ^ https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/ad54329a-2ddc-436d-8e96-43139628e6c3
  11. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiJ7IoeuhXE
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1W3G9ih4aBHCjItIFCakWnbw7ATivIUibZmTVUkecS4s/htmlview#
  14. ^ @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.
  15. ^ https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26098/~/how-to-update-mario-kart-8-deluxe
  16. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIQxr42pZA&t=23s
  17. ^ https://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.
  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 (November 4, 2021) Top Selling Title Sales Unites. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved November 8, 2021. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021.
  23. ^ Nintendo (February 3, 2022) Top Selling Title Sales Unites. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved February 3, 2022. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Nintendo (March 19, 2024) Top Selling Title Sales Unites. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved March 22, 2024. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Awards - The Game Awards 2017. The Game Awards. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  26. ^ http://bbs.ngacn.cc/read.php?tid=13046281&rand=773