Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8
The box art for the North American release.
Information
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Namco Bandai Games
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Wii U
Released	May 29, 2014 May 30, 2014 May 31, 2014
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer Online Play
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - 3 years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: -General USK: - All ages DEJUS: - General audience

Mario Kart 8, stylized as MARIOKART8 and abbreviated to MK8, is a kart-racing game exclusive to the Wii U. It's the eighth Mario Kart game in the series (eleventh overall if including the arcade games). A port for the Nintendo Switch, which is called Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was released on April 28, 2017.

Mario Kart 8 was released on May 29, 2014 in Japan, May 30, 2014 in North America, Europe, and Brazil, and May 31, 2014 in Australia.

A new feature, anti-gravity, is introduced to the Mario Kart series while past features such as gliding, underwater driving, vehicle customization, and bikes return.

The original feature for this game was going to be drills, but the idea was ditched in favor for anti gravity racing as stated below.

Contents:
Gameplay
Controls
Racers
Vehicle Parts
Statistics
Courses
Items
amiibo
DLC
Updates
Trivia!

Gameplay

In the eighth installment of the Mario Kart series, Anti-Gravity is introduced. In certain sections of courses, racers are able to drive on surfaces that are upside-down or tilted at a steep angle. This feature is heavily emphasized, with anti-gravity sections being present in every course, including old maps in Retro Cups.

The ability to glide in midair and drive underwater returns from Mario Kart 7, as well as Coins and vehicle customization. Bikes, last seen in Mario Kart Wii, make a return. The game also introduces ATVs, which are a new category of vehicle.

Battle Mode returns, however in this installment, players battle on race tracks rather than specially-made battle maps. Stamps are a new collectible in the game and can be posted to Miiverse when unlocked.

Online modes also return and can be played by up to two people on the same console. Mario Kart TV, or MKTV for short, is a new feature where players can watch highlights posted by other players. Players can also share these highlights to Miiverse and YouTube.

Game Modes

Grand Prix

In Grand Prix mode, twelve racers compete for first place in one of 12 cups (comprised of four races each). Racers are awarded with points based on their placements at the end of races, and the racer with the most points at the end wins.

Point System
Finishing Place	Points Received
1st	15
2nd	12
3rd	10
4th	9
5th	8
6th	7
7th	6
8th	5
9th	4
10th	3
11th	2
12th	1

Engine Classes

There are 5 selectable Engine Classes:

Engine Classes
50cc: Slow, Low-Speed fun for everyone.
100cc: Moderately Fast. Requires some skill level.
150cc: High-Speed thrills. Requires some skill level.*
Mirror: Mirror-Image Courses (150cc).***
200cc: Super Fast - Breaking is crucial. Requires Advanced Skill Level.**/***
*Available in Time Trials **Released as of version 4.0 ***Unlockable before version 5.0

Upon Completing a Grand Prix, you will receive a trophy for that cup if you placed in top 3 overall. You may also receive a star rating, based on how well you did:

Grand Prix Star System
⭐️	⭐️ ⭐️	⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
54-55 Points	57 Points	60 Points

Time Trials

Koopa Troopa doing a time trial on N64 Royal Raceway.

Time trials allow players to race for the best time possible, either on their own or against a ghost. This mode is exclusive to single player.

For this game's staff ghosts, see Staff Ghosts.

VS Race

Bowser doing a VS Race at 3DS Music Park.

VS. Race allows racers to race with their own custom rules. It is not restricted to a specific cup, so racers can pick any course (if enabled). VS. Race can be played alone with up to four people locally at one time. It cannot be played online, however, tournaments fill a similar role. (Note: VS. Races will NOT count towards the progression of your cups in Grand Prix).

Vs Race Options
Setting	Details	Options	Default
Engine Class	Select the Engine Class for the Vs Race.	See Engine Classes	100cc
Teams	Choose whether your Vs Race has Teams or not.	Teams, No Teams	No Teams
Items	Set which Items Spawn during your Vs Race.	Default, Frantic, [Specific Item only], None.	Default
CPU	Set the Difficulty of the CPU in your Vs race.	Easy, Normal, Hard	Normal
CPU Vehicles	Select Which Vehicles CPU can use.	All, Karts, Bikes	All
Courses	Choose how Courses are Selected.	In Order, Choose, Random	Choose
Races	Choose how many Races there are in your Vs race.	3, 4, 5 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32	4

Battle

Ludwig competes in a battle on Wii Moo Moo Meadows. He's doing pretty well.

Players use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. This time, everyone starts with 5 balloons (2 more than the original 3) and it you lose all your balloons, you are eliminated (you become a ghost, similar to time trial ghosts, and you are unable to earn any more points).

When played locally, Battle Mode has customisable options:

Battle Options
Setting	Details	Options	Default
Teams	Choose whether your Battle has Teams or not.	Teams, No Teams	No Teams
Time Limit	Choose how long Battles last for.	1 Minute, 2 Minutes, 3 Minutes, 4 Minutes, 5 Minutes	3 Minutes
Items	Set which Items Spawn during your Battle.	Default, Frantic	Default
CPU	Set the Difficulty of the CPU in your Battle.	Easy, Normal, Hard, Off (Cannot turn off CPU in single player)	Normal
CPU Vehicles	Select Which Vehicles CPU can use.	All, Karts, Bikes	All
Courses	Choose how Courses are Selected.	In Order, Choose, Random	Choose
Rounds	Choose how many Rounds there are in your Battle.	4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32	4

Online

A player setting up an online race.

Players can race and battle online with players around the world as long as they own Nintendo Switch Online. At the end of a race, players earn or lose VR (a continuous ranking/scoring system) based on how well they did the race. DLC Tracks can be played, regardless of whether players in the lobby own the DLC or not.

Controls

Gamepad:

Default Controls when using the Gamepad.

Controls
Button	Action
Joystick	Steer (Left and Right), Launch item forward/backward (Up and Down)
A/Y	Accelerate
B	Brakes
L	Use item
X	Look Behind Racer
R	Jump/Trick (R + Joystick = Mini-Turbo)
+/Touch screen	Pause the Game

Wii U Pro Controller

This section of this article needs more information, remove this template when enough is made.

Wii Remote

Controls
Button	Action
Motion/Joystick	Steer (Tilting Left and Right), Tricking (Flick Wii Remote)
2	Accelerate
1	Brakes/Reversing
D-Pad	Use Item Forward (Up D-Pad) and Backwards (Down D-Pad)
A	Look Behind Racer
B	Jump (B + Tilting = Mini-Turbo)
+	Pause the Game

Racers

36 characters are playable in this game (including Mii), making this the largest roster in a Mario Kart game to date. Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach are introduced in this game. The Koopalings, consisting of Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig also become playable for the first time.

Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link, Villager, Isabelle, and Dry Bowser are DLC characters, from the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart, and Animal Crossing x Mario Kart packs respectively. Baby Daisy and Shy Guy, for the first time in the series, do not need to be unlocked and are playable from the start.

Default

Mario	Luigi	Peach	Daisy
Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
Yoshi	Toad	Koopa Troopa	Shy Guy
Medium	Light	Light	Light
Baby Mario	Baby Luigi	Baby Peach	Baby Daisy
Light	Light	Light	Light
Bowser	Donkey Kong	Wario	Waluigi
Heavy	Heavy	Heavy	Heavy

Unlockable

Rosalina	Metal Mario	Lakitu	Toadette
Heavy	Heavy	Light	Light
Baby Rosalina	Pink Gold Peach	Roy Koopa	Lemmy Koopa
Light New	Heavy New	Heavy New	Light New
Larry Koopa	Wendy O. Koopa	Ludwig von Koopa	Morton Koopa Jr.
Light New	Light New	Medium New	Heavy New
Iggy Koopa		Mii
Medium New		Any

DLC Racers

Pack	Characters
The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8
Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8
Color skins
Colored Yoshis *
Colored Shy Guys *
* - The CPU drivers do not drive as the different colored Yoshis and Shy Guys.

Vehicle Parts

Karts:

Standard Kart	Pipe Frame	Mach 8	Steel Driver
Cat Cruiser	Circuit Special	Tri-Speeder	Badwagon
Prancer	Biddybuggy	Landship	Sneeker
Sports Coupe	Gold Standard	GLA DLC	W 25 Silver Arrow DLC
300 SL Roadster DLC	Blue Falcon DLC	Tanooki Kart DLC	B-Dasher DLC
Streetle DLC	P-Wing DLC

Bikes:

Standard Bike	Comet	Sport Bike	The Duke
Varmint	Mr. Scooty	Jet Bike	Yoshi Bike
Master Cycle DLC	City Tripper DLC

ATVs:

Standard ATV	Wild Wiggler	Teddy Buggy	Bone Rattler DLC

Wheels:

Standard Tires	Monster	Roller	Slim
Slick	Metal	Button	Off-Road
Sponge	Wood	Cushion	Blue Standard
Azure Rollers	Crimson Slim	Cyber Slick	Retro Off-Road
Gold Tires	GLA Tires DLC	Triforce Tires DLC	Leaf Tires DLC

Gliders:

Super Glider	Cloud Glider	Wario Wing	Waddle Wing
Peach Parasol	Parachute	Parafoil	Flower Glider
Bowser Kite	Plane Glider	MKTV Parafoil	Gold Glider
Hylian Kite DLC	Paper Glider DLC

Unlocking criteria

Racers

Unlike how the previous games have done, characters will unlock at random each time a cup is won. Characters that are not yet unlocked can still appear as CPU characters during races, unlike the previous Mario Kart games.

Vehicle parts

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

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

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

850 900 950 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400

1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800

Special parts

Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:

• Gold Standard: One must obtain a minimum of one Star ranking in all non-DLC cups of every engine class.
• Gold Tires: One should beat the Staff Ghost on all 32 non-DLC courses, Or obtain 15,000 Coins.
• Gold Glider: One must obtain 10,000 Coins.

Statistics

Similar to Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, racers in a specific class have their own stats.

• Speed: the top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
• Acceleration: the amount of time it takes for the vehicle to approach its top speed.
• Weight: the weight of the vehicle.
  • Vehicles with higher weight can knock other vehicles more easily with lower weight.
• Handling: the turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
• Traction: the grasp of the vehicle.
  • Vehicles with higher traction can stay stable on the road better than vehicles with lower traction.
• Mini-Turbo: the length of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts.

Racers:

Statistics
Class		Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
L		+2.25	+3.25	+2.25	+4.75	+4.5	+3.5
	*	+2.75	+3	+2.75	+4.25	+4.25	+3.25
M		+3.25	+3	+3	+3.75	+4	+3.25
	*	+3.25	+2.75	+3.25	+3.75	+4	+3
		+3.75	+2.75	+3.5	+3.25	+3.75	+3
		+3.75	+2.5	+3.75	+3.25	+3.75	+2.75
H		+4.25	+2.25	+4.25	+2.75	+3.5	+2.5
		+4.25	+2	+4.75	+2.75	+3.25	+2.25
		+4.75	+2	+4.75	+2.25	+3.25	+2.25
* - denotes a racer with color alternatives. L - denotes light-weighted racers. M - denotes medium-weighted racers. H - denotes heavy-weighted racers.

Karts

Statistics
Kart	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
Standard Kart*	0
Pipe Frame*	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
Mach 8	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
Steel Driver	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75
Cat Cruiser	0
Circuit Special*	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
Tri-Speeder	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75
Badwagon	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75
Prancer	0
Biddybuggy* Buggybud	-0.75	+1.25	-0.5	+0.5	-0.25	+1
Landship*	-0.75	+1.25	-0.5	+0.5	-0.25	+1
Sneeker* Bounder	0
Sports Coupe Sports Coupé	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
Gold Standard Gold Kart	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
GLA* **	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75
W 25 Silver Arrow**	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
300 SL Roadster**	0
Blue Falcon**	+0.25	+0.25	-0.25	0	-0.5	0
Tanooki Kart**	0	-0.25	+0.25	-0.25	+0.25	-0.5
B Dasher**	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
Streetle**	+0.25	+0.25	-0.25	0	-0.5	0
P-Wing**	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.5
* - changes color depending on the racer. ** - denotes DLC. Bold denotes the part being available from the start.

Bikes

Statistics
Bike	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
Standard Bike*	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
Comet+	0	+0.75	-0.25	+0.75	-1.25	+0.5
Sport Bike+ *	0	+0.75	-0.25	+0.75	-1.25	+0.5
The Duke	0
Flame Rider	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
Varmint	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
Mr. Scooty Mr Scooty	-0.75	+1.25	-0.5	+0.5	-0.25	+1
Jet Bike+	0	+0.75	-0.25	+0.75	-1.25	+0.5
Yoshi Bike+	0	+0.75	-0.25	+0.75	-1.25	+0.5
Master Cycle+ **	+0.25	0		+0.5	-0.75	0
City Tripper* **	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
* - changes color depending on the racer. ** - denotes DLC. Bold denotes the part being available from the start. + - denotes an ability to perform inside drifts.

ATVs

Statistics
ATV	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
Standard ATV* Standard Quad	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75
Wild Wiggler	0	+0.25	-0.25	+0.5	-0.5	+0.25
Teddy Buggy	0
Bone Rattler**	0	-0.25	+0.25	-0.25	+0.25	-0.5
* - changes color depending on the racer. ** - denotes DLC. Bold denotes the part being available from the start.

Wheels

Statistics
Wheel	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
Standard Normal	0
Monster	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75	+0.75	-0.5
Roller	-0.5	+1	-0.5	+0.25	-0.25	+1
Slim	+0.25	-0.25	0	+0.25	-0.5	-0.25
Slick	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.25
Metal	+0.25	-0.5	+0.5	0	-0.5	-0.5
Button	-0.5	+1	-0.5	+0.25	-0.25	+1
Off-Road	0
Sponge	-0.25	+0.25	-0.25	-0.25	+0.5	+0.25
Wood Wooden	-0.25	+0.25	-0.25	-0.25	+0.5	+0.25
Cushion	-0.25	+0.25	-0.25	-0.25	+0.5	+0.25
Blue Standard Normal Blue	0
Hot Monster Funky Monster	0	-0.5	+0.5	-0.75	+0.75	-0.5
Azure Roller	-0.5	+1	-0.5	+0.25	-0.25	+1
Crimson Slim	+0.25	-0.25	0	+0.25	-0.5	-0.25
Cyber Slick	+0.5	-0.25	+0.25	0	-1	-0.25
Retro Off-Road	0
Gold Tires Gold Wheels	+0.25	-0.5	+0.5	0	-0.5	-0.5
GLA Tires** GLA Wheels	0
Triforce Tires** Triforce Tyres	+0.25	-0.25	0	+0.25	-0.5	-0.25
Leaf Tires** Leaf Tyres	-0.5	+1	-0.5	+0.25	-0.25	+1
** - denotes DLC. Bold denotes the part being available from the start.

Gliders

Statistics
Glider	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction	Mini-Turbo
Super Glider*	0
Cloud Glider	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Wario Wing	0
Waddle Wing	0
Peach Parasol*	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Parachute	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Parafoil	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Flower Glider	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Bowser Kite	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Plane Glider	0
MKTV Parafoil	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Gold Glider	0
Hylian Kite**	0	+0.25	-0.25	0		+0.25
Paper Glider**	0
* - changes color depending on the racer. ** - denotes DLC. Bold denotes the part being available from the start.

Courses

Mario Kart 8 brings back 16 new and 16 retro courses. An addition of 16 downloadable courses are available for purchase or as a My Nintendo reward, bringing the total to 48 tracks.

New Cups

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup
	(aka Toad Harbour)		(aka Bone Dry Dunes)

Retro Cups

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup
			(aka 3DS Piranha Plant Pipeway)
		(aka 3DS Melody Motorway)

DLC Cups

Egg Cup	Triforce Cup	Crossing Cup	Bell Cup
			(aka 3DS Koopa City)

Battle stages

In Mario Kart 8, no unique battle stages are present. The mode is instead played on race courses rather than enclosed arenas. All the battle stages are playable from the start; regardless of whether the cup they appear in is or not. The only playable battle mode is Balloon Battle, making this game the sole game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to feature only one battle mode.

	Toad Harbour

Staff Ghosts

For this game's staff ghosts, see Staff Ghosts.

Items

This game brings back the Fire Flower from Mario Kart 7, as well as introducing 4 new items.

Banana	Triple Banana	Green Shell	Triple Green Shell
Throw it onto the floor to send anyone who hits it into a spin. Defence	Three Bananas rotate around your kart, press L to use them one by one.	Throw a Green Shell at your Opponent to spin them out. Defence	Three Green Shells rotate around your kart, press L to use them one by one.
Red Shell	Triple Red Shell	Spiny Shell	Bob-Omb
A Green Shell that locks on to the opponent ahead of you. Defence	Three Red Shells rotate around your kart.	Pursues the leading vehicle, knocking out any others in its path.	Bob-Ombs explode after a short time once thrown. Defence
Dash Mushroom	Triple Dash Mushroom	Golden Dash Mushroom	Bullet Bill
Use for a temporary speed boost.	Three Mushrooms rotate around your kart.	Unlimited Dash mushrooms for a short time.	Gain a large temporary speed boost and invincibility.
Blooper	Lightning	Super Star	Fire Flower
Squirts ink on vehicles ahead of you, obscuring drivers' views.	Strikes all opponents with lightning, causing them to lose their items.	Gain a small temporary speed boost and invincibility.	Throw fireballs for a short period to spin out opponents' vehicles.
Boomerang Flower	Piranha Plant	Super Horn	Crazy Eight
Can be thrown 3 up to times, spinning out any driver it hits. New	Attaches to your vehicle and bites, propelling you forward. New	Destroy incoming opponents and items with a high-volume honk. New	Eight items rotate around your kart. New
Coin
Gives you 2 extra coins. The more coins you have, the faster you will be.

Tip: Items marked as defence can be held behind your kart to block some incoming items.

Stamps

For this game's stamps, see Stamps.

In Mario Kart 8, players can obtain stamps that can be used in Miiverse posts. There are 100 stamps in the game: 28 are available from the start, while another 62 stamps can be obtained by winning a Grand Prix with every non-DLC character and beating the Staff Ghost on each non-DLC course in Time Trials.

In addition, ten more stamps were added with the version 4.0 update. However, beating a Staff Ghost on a DLC course or using a DLC character to complete a Grand Prix will not unlock a stamp.

Amiibo

Mii outfits along with their amiibo character.

As of the version 3.0 update, Mario Kart 8 includes compatibility with amiibo. By using certain amiibos, players can unlock one of ten costumes for use by Miis based upon the amiibo character.

The amiibo was originally compatible for Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Toon Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox. Nine more suits were later added with the version 4.0 update, which can be unlocked by using Mega Man, Sonic, Villager, Pac-Man, Toad, Wario, Olimar, Rosalina, and Bowser.

DLC

As of the version 2.0 update, the game includes an in-game shop feature through which players can purchase and pre-order downloadable content. Alternatively, players can purchase content through the Nintendo eShop. In April 2019 and several times in the past, Mario Kart 8 DLC was added as a reward option in My Nintendo.

Nintendo has released free kart parts as part of a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. Six racers are also downloadable, including three from other series. These racers come in forms of 2 themed DLC Packs containing a total of eight vehicles (with separate vehicle parts) and four cups consisting of four tracks each.

Pricing for DLC is as follows:

• Mercedez-Benz × Mario Kart 8: free
• Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 1): US$7.99, CA$9.99 or 60 My Nintendo gold points
• Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 2): US$7.99, CA$9.99 or 400 My Nintendo platinum points
• Pack 1 + Pack 2 Bundle: US$11.99 or CA$14.99

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes Pack 1, Pack 2 and the Mercedez-Benz DLC content presented are instead merged into the core game.

Promotional posters of each DLC pack

Mercedez-Benz × Mario Kart 8

• Vehicle Parts
  • GLA (kart)
  • W 25 Silver Arrow (kart)
  • 300 SL Roadster (kart)
  • GLA Tires

Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 1)

• Racers
  • Tanooki Mario
  • Cat Peach
  • Link
• Vehicle Parts
  • Blue Falcon (kart)
  • Tanooki Kart (kart)
  • B Dasher (kart)
  • Master Cycle (bike)
  • Triforce Tires
  • Hylian Kite
• Tracks
  • Egg Cup
    • GCN Yoshi Circuit
    • Excitebike Arena
    • Dragon Driftway
    • Mute City
  • Triforce Cup
    • Wii Wario's Gold Mine
    • SNES Rainbow Road
    • Ice Ice Outpost
    • Hyrule Circuit

Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 2)

• Racers
  • Villager
  • Isabelle
  • Dry Bowser
• Vehicle Parts
  • Streetle (kart)
  • P-Wing (kart)
  • City Tripper (bike)
  • Bone Rattler (ATV)
  • Leaf Tires
  • Paper Glider
• Tracks
  • Crossing Cup
    • GCN Baby Park
    • GBA Cheese Land
    • Wild Woods
    • Animal Crossing
  • Bell Cup
    • 3DS Neo Bowser City
    • GBA Ribbon Road
    • Super Bell Subway
    • Big Blue

Pack 1 + Pack 2 Bundle

• Racers
  • Yoshi (eight additional colors)
  • Shy Guy (eight additional colors)

Note: Bonus racers in the Pack 1 + Pack 2 Bundle are also available to those who purchase both packs individually, or use My Nintendo points to redeem both packs individually.

Additional character colors include: orange, yellow, light blue, blue, purple, black, white, and pink. Yoshi is also available in red, while Shy Guy is also available in green.

Development

Development started in 2012. It was announced in the Wii U Nintendo Direct on January 23, 2013. Nintendo presented more information at E3 2013. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was hinted at in the debut trailer for the Nintendo Switch, and the official trailer for the game was later revealed on Nintendo's YouTube channel following the official Switch presentation on January 13, 2017.

Updates

Version 2.0

The map display on the TV screen.

On the same day as the release of the Mercedes Benz × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content pack (that being August 27, 2014), an update for the game was also released. Changes were made in the following:

• The game adds an option to display the map on the TV screen and a records section, which shows how many coins have been collected, online wins and losses, and other statistics.
• The update also saves the players' last used vehicle combo (excluding DLC vehicle parts), lets them edit other players' highlight reels, and improves online stability.
• The maximum online race and battle ratings have increased from "9999" to "99999".
• The rating system has also been altered in that the amount of points that the players win or lose after an online race or battle is more drastic if there's a large rating difference between participating players.
• In tournaments without race or battle limits, players can now have more than 1024 points during a tournament period.
• The update also swaps the "Next Race/Round/View Results" and "View Highlight Reel" buttons in offline mode.
• The update adds a Shop button on the main menu, where players can download the Mercedes DLC, and pre-order Add-On Content.
• The character icons on the map HUD are also altered.

Version 3.0

On November 13, 2014, the update to version 3.0 was made available. Changes were made listed in the following:

• The update includes compatibility with amiibo figures and enables the first downloadable content pack for those who purchased it.
• The update also the game to save any last used vehicle combo that uses any of the DLC vehicle parts or characters.
• When a light racer bumps into a heavier one, it will be pushed less far away.
• In terms of online, the race and battle rating system has been modified to be less punishing to players who did poorly in a race or battle.
• Players can now set up tournaments that have cup limitations.
• Players that have not purchased the add-on packs can still encounter the included characters and vehicles online, but cannot select them.

Version 4.0

The addition of the 200cc mode in Version 4.0.

The update was released on April 23, 2015, the same day as the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content pack. Changes were made in the following:

• In addition to the downloadable content and some bug fixes, the update adds nine additional amiibo racing suits and compatible figures, and adds a "200cc" engine class.
• Ten new Miiverse stamps have also been added.
• The update also allows players to enable the on-screen map using any controller, rather than just the Gamepad.
• In online mode, players who left a race/battle will not have their race/battle rating visible for other racers to see after a race/battle.
• Lastly, additional tournament settings have been added to support 200cc and the two cups in the second DLC pack.

Version 4.1

Released on May 1, 2015, changes were made in the following:

• In addition to general gameplay adjustments and bug fixes, the update adds the Mirror and 200cc engine classes to Grand Prix mode by default, without having to unlock them.

Reception

Mario Kart 8 has received mostly favorable reviews, and has been lauded as one of the best games in the series to date. General praise has been given to the game's graphics, the tracks, the music, and the overall gameplay. The addition of anti-gravity has also been praised, as has the online mode.

The roster, however, notably the amount of baby and metal characters, and the lack of previous racer veterans, has received some criticism. The battle mode, however, has a universal negative reaction among reviewers, with most of reviewers preferring the traditional battle modes that the previous Mario Kart games did rather than this iteration.

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

Gallery

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

Soundtrack

For this game's soundtrack, see Soundtrack:Mario Kart 8.

Main Article: Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack

Trivia!

• In the E3 demo, Donkey Kong's standard bike color was brown, but in the final build, it was yellow.
• On the Koopalings' artwork, Morton's ATV color was black, but in the final version, it was green. The artwork is still used in the actual game though.
• When you're in first place, a beat has been added to the music. This also happens in Mario Kart 7. This beat is called 'frontrunning'. This has been removed in the Nintendo Switch port.
• At the startup screen of Mario Kart 8, engine sounds can heard. This originated in Mario Kart 64s start up screen.
• At the course selection screen, the courses can also be recognized by pictures on top of the name. This is a possible reference to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as in that game there are pictures of the character it is based on (if any), a little background, and the name. These pictures are used as recognition of the tracks in online mode and names are not included underneath in online mode.
• This is the first game to not have an Award Ceremony after a Grand Prix.
• This is only the fourth game to feature only one battle mode; Balloon Battle, as well as the first since Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
• This is the first game in the series to support Downloadable Content, a Cup where retro tracks meet up with new ones, game crossover, and Rainbow Road does not appear as final track in a Cup.
• This is the first game to have three Rainbow Road tracks all at once.
  • Due to this, this game (and by extension 8 Deluxe) has the most Rainbow Roads of any mainline Mario Kart.
• This is the first game to not have a GBA Bowser Castle (or any other Bowser's Castle) or SNES Mario Circuit track return as a retro course; not even in the DLC.
• This is the first game to have 200cc as an extra engine class, which is available after updating the game to version 4.1.
• The course maps in this game show all the shortcuts on them, if any in the course. This means that if there are no shortcuts, they are truly "hidden" in this game.
  • This is the best selling Wii U game selling at over 8 million copies
    • This is the first game where the Koopalings are playable.
      • This is also the first game where Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach are playable.

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