Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Cover art on Nintendo Switch

## System requirements

Nintendo Switch (Original, OLED, Lite)

***Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*** (マリオカート8デラックス Mariokāto 8 derakkusu), often abbreviated to ***MK8 Deluxe*** (***MK8D*** for short), is a Nintendo Switch racing game that is an enhanced port of the Wii U game *Mario Kart 8*. *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* is the first *Mario* game released for the Nintendo Switch. The game was first released on April 28, 2017 in several regions. It was later released in both South Korea and Taiwan on December 15th, 2017 and then in mainland China on March 16th, 2020.

## Gameplay

*Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,* being an expanded port of *Mario Kart 8,* is a competitive and vibrant car racing game, in which players can select their favourite Mario characters and bring them face to face in intense Grand Prix, VS races, time trials, and battles. It brings characters returning from *Mario Kart Wii* including King Boo, Dry Bones, Bowser Jr., and new characters to the *Mario Kart* series, including *Splatoon'*s Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy. It also added Gold Mario, which is a costume for Metal Mario unlocked by completing every cup with a gold trophy in 200cc. It also introduces eight new Battle Arenas along with two new items: Feather and Boo (since its last appearance in *Mario Kart DS*). The player can use the new Smart Steering (which is automatic turning) and Auto-accelerate (accelerating without needing to press the A button) features for easier driving.

All the DLC available in *Mario Kart 8* is included for free within *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*, including characters like Isabelle & Link.

On June 25th, 2018, Nintendo officially added controller support for the Toy-Con Motorbike creation from the Nintendo Labo variety kit. The Joy-Cons are inserted when the race starts. The game automatically puts the player in an over-the-shoulder view, though the player can change it back to the normal view by pressing the down button on the D-Pad.

On July 19th, 2018, Nintendo added the *Breath of the Wild* incarnation of Link in his Champion Tunic to the game as a new costume, alongside the Master Cycle, Ancient Tires, and a new glider, based on Breath of the Wild’s Paraglider.

### Battle Mode

The biggest addition to *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* from *Mario Kart 8* is a largely improved Battle Mode. It includes a total of five different Battle Mode types, including:

* Balloon Battle
* Renegade Roundup
* Bob-omb Blast
* Coin Runners
* Shine Thief

### Battle Courses

* Battle Stadium
* Sweet Sweet Kingdom
* Dragon Palace
* Lunar Colony
* 3DS Wuhu Town
* GCN Luigi's Mansion
* SNES Battle Course 1
* Urchin Underpass

### New items

* Boo
* Cape Feather (Battle Mode only)

### New characters

* King Boo
* Dry Bones
* Bowser Jr.
* Inkling Girl
* Inkling Boy
* Inkling themed Mii Suit
* Gold Mario (unlockable)
* BotW Link (Version 1.6.0)
* Birdo (Version 2.3.0, DLC)
* Petey Piranha (DLC)
* Wiggler (DLC)
* Kamek (DLC)
* Diddy Kong (DLC)
* Funky Kong (DLC)
* Pauline (DLC)
* Peachette (DLC)

#### Unlocking Criteria

* Gold Mario: Win all 200cc Grand Prix cups with a gold trophy.
* *BotW* Link: Update *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* to Version 1.6.0 or higher.

### New Vehicles

* Koopa Clown (from *Mario Kart 7*)
* Inkstriker
* Splat Buggy
* Master Cycle Zero (version 1.6.0)

## Booster Course Pass

The **Booster Course Pass** is downloadable content for *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*. The DLC contains past tracks from *Super Mario Kart* to *Mario Kart Tour* as well as returning characters from past games. Eight courses are released at a time over six waves, which means there will be forty-eight courses in total that will be released by the end of 2023. The first wave of the Booster Course Pass launched on March 18, 2022, the second wave launched on August 4, 2022, the third wave launched on December 7, 2022, and the fourth wave launched on March 9, 2023, The fifth wave launched on July 11, 2023. The sixth wave's release date is currently unknown.

## Trivia

* This is the first *Mario* game for the Nintendo Switch, as well as the first port, being an enhancement of *Mario Kart 8* for the Wii U.
	+ It was also the only *Mario* port on Switch until January 2019 when New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe was released.
* *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* has the most playable characters in a *Mario Kart* game, with 48 as of August 2023.
	+ It's worth noting that some "new" characters were paid DLC in *Mario Kart 8* on Wii U, such as Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach.
* This is the first *Mario Kart* game for the Switch; the second being *Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit*.
* Some new characters appeared in older *Mario Kart* titles, like Birdo, who is returning from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*
* At over 50 million copies, *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* is the best-selling Nintendo Switch game and fourth best-selling game overall. In December 2021, it managed to overtake *Mario Kart Wii* as the bestselling *Mario Kart* title.
* *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* has the most detailed karts in a *Mario Kart* game. The karts can be between 36,000 and 85,000 polygons.
* One of the Inkling Girl's animations was removed in an update released on May 2017 because it was considered offensive in some European regions.
* Several voice clips are reused from *Mario Super Sluggers*.