This article is about theWii U game. For other uses, seeMario Kart 8 (disambiguation).

Mario Kart 8
For alternate box art, see therelated gallery.
Developers	Nintendo EAD Bandai Namco Studios[1][2]
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform	Wii U
Release dates	May 29, 2014[3] May 29, 2014[4] May 30, 2014[5] May 30, 2014[6] May 31, 2014[7]
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Portuguese (Europe) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Racing
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[8] CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] ACB: - General[?] FPB: - Parental guidance[?]
Modes	Single Player Multiplayer (2-4 players) Online Play (2-12 players)
Format	Wii U: Optical disc Digital download
Input	Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote (horizontal) Wii Remote andNunchuk Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Wii Wheel
Serial code	WUP-AMKJ-JPN

Mario Kart 8 is a racing game for theWii U developed primarily byNintendo EAD, withBandai Namco Studios assisting. It is the eighth console installment in theMario Kart series and a follow-up to theNintendo 3DS gameMario Kart 7. Like other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games, this game can be purchased both physically at retail and could be purchased digitally through theNintendo eShop until March 27, 2023, with the digital version requiring 4949.8 MB (approx. 4.83 GB) of memory to be installed. The game was released on the last three days of May 2014 worldwide.

A prominent new addition isanti-gravity, allowing players to drive on almost any surface. Elements from bothMario Kart Wii andMario Kart 7 return, such as 12-racer fields,bikes,tricks, and 2-Player online fromMario Kart Wii; and gliding,underwater driving, and kart customizing fromMario Kart 7. In addition,ATVs join the returningkarts and bikes as a new class of vehicle, and the 4.0 version update introduced the 200cc engine class. The game also features more detail in courses, especially classic courses, which appear more redesigned than their original appearances. The game is also the best-selling title for the Wii U, selling 8 million copies as of September 30, 2016, surpassing sales of bothMario Kart: Super Circuit andMario Kart: Double Dash!!.

On November 7, 2017, Nintendo terminated theMiiverse service, which made it no longer possible for players to use this game's Miiverse stamps, upload highlight reels ontoYouTube, and create new online tournaments. On April 8, 2024, Nintendo terminated theNintendo Network service, which made it no longer possible for players to play the game online and attend the pre-existing online tournaments.^[9][10]

ANintendo Switch port titledMario Kart 8 Deluxe was released in 2017, which retains most of this game's base and downloadable content while adding other new content.

Gameplay

Mario demonstrating the anti-gravity mechanic inMario Circuit.

The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previousMario Kart games, mostly from the two previous installments on theWii and Nintendo 3DS respectively. Players pick a character of three weight classes and drive vehicles of varying stats, strengths, and weaknesses around an obstacle course-like racetrack, in an attempt to finish first of the twelve racers, the number of racers used inMario Kart Wii. During the race, racers can pick upitems fromItem Boxes, where the probability of receiving items is dependent on the racers' distance from the frontrunner;^[11] for example, first place typically receives defense items such asBananas andGreen Shells, while racers at intermediate distance from the lead receive more powerful offense items such asTriple Red Shells andFire Flowers and racers far from the lead receive items that lead to an increase in speed or the possibility of going off-road without losing speed, such as theSuper Star orBullet Bill, to help compensate their distance. Players receive an amount of points depending on the position they end up with. Whichever player has the most amount of points wins the entire race.

Karts, which feature similar designs fromMario Kart 7, can be customized once again, alongside the returning bikes, which handle similar to the karts now and can only perform a wheelie via a boost, and the newly introduced ATVs. The hang-glider and underwater mechanics also return fromMario Kart 7, as well asCoins, with the player being able to collect up to ten in one race, and automatic drifting activated by steering in a direction for a certain amount of time, with a turning capability that, unless a Wii Remote without motion controls is used, matches the one while drifting (and even surpasses that in the case of sport bikes)^[12], with the ability to slowly charge Mini-Turbo and Super Mini-Turbo boosts, added in this game.^[13]Jump Boosts and the ability to look behind also return in this game.

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

Two types of bikes return:standard bikes, that perform regular drifts, andsport bikes, that lean toward the inside of the turn instead of drifting.^[14] While leaning instead of drifting, sport bikes lose less speed,^[15] but have a lower turning capability with respect to outside drifting vehicles, this being a feature seen inMario Kart Wii as well.^[12][16]

The game also features Wii U GamePad integration. In addition to the standard Off-TV Play, players also have the option of displaying the course map, and when neither the television gameplay nor the map are being displayed, the GamePad can be used as a horn button. Players have the option to toggle between these features at will.^[17] The GamePad can also be used to toggle on and off the gyroscopic steering, and in its default display and when displaying the map the GamePad also displays the current rankings.

There is alsoMiiverse integration, which allows players to share their replay videos and comment on others' videos, in a feature calledMario Kart TV.^[18] Another change is that in 2-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of horizontally as in the other consoleMario Kart games, a feature that wasoriginally intended to be inMario Kart 64 but was removed from the final game. Additionally, if the player falls off the edge of the track,Lakitu will pick them up and drop them back on to the track more quickly when compared to how he did this in past installments. This makes glitches involving falling into areas impossible.

Point management works similar toMario Kart Wii, except that racers below 3rd place get an extra point. Also, 6th place is now no longer a losing position. Below is a chart of the point spread inMario Kart 8:

Controls

Navigating menus

Action(s)
	Wii U GamePad Wii U Pro Controller Wii Classic Controller Pro Wii Classic Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Wheel
Select	/
Confirm			/
Cancel			/

Racing

Action(s)
	Wii U GamePad	Wii U Pro Controller Wii Classic Controller Pro Wii Classic Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Wheel
Accelerate /Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown shows "2" before the race starts)	/ / (tilt forward)	/ / (tilt forward)
Brake/reverse	/ (tilt back)	/ (tilt back)
Steer	/ (both on stick/pad controls) / Tilt (tilt controls)	/		Tilt Wii Remote (tilt controls) / (pad controls)
Hop /drift	/	/		(tilt controls only) /
Trick	/	/	/ Flick Wii Remote	(tilt controls only) / Flick Wii Remote /
Use item / stop item roulette / honk	/	/		(tilt controls) / / (pad controls)
Pause / Resume
Display/remove TV Map
Home Menu
Rear view				(tilt controls) / (pad controls)

Game modes

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

Grand Prix

Baby Luigi participating in a Grand Prix Race.

Mario Kart 8's Grand Prix works similar to past installments. Like past games the 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc engine classes are available by default, and completing 150cc unlocks Mirror; for the former three, however, Grand Prix rankings carry over to the lower engine classes after being completed on a higher engine class. In addition, and for the first time in the series, a 200cc engine class has been added as of the version 4.0 update, which is available by default alongside Mirror as of version 4.1. Players choose a cup, which takes them through four consecutive races of set order in that cup. Only the Mushroom and Shell Cups are available at the start of the game, with the others being unlocked after completing the cup before, and are available in every engine class after being unlocked. Players now have the option to do a multiplayer Grand Prix up to four players, unlike in most previous home consoleMario Kart games, where only up to two players can race in Grand Prix.

Time Trials

Mario begins his Time Trial run at Twisted Mansion.

Time Trial mode lets the player complete a selected course in the fastest time possible. Among the other features, in addition to viewingghost data, players can upload their own ghost data onto Miiverse, which other players can download and comment on. In addition, beating one of Nintendo's Staff Ghosts in a race earns the player a stamp based on the course they raced on which they can use in Miiverse posts. Leaderboards as seen inMario Kart Wii also return.

VS Race

Four Miis in a multiplayer race onN64 Rainbow Road.

VS mode can be played locally with up to four players. Players can set rules such as which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, how many races to play, and whether to race on a Team or race Solo. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all courses randomly or in order. In this game, the Mirror class appears as a default engine class, even if it is not unlocked in Grand Prix. The point system is the same as the Grand Prix.

Battle

A team battle.

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

Online

Main menu for the Online mode.

As withMario Kart Wii, one or two local players could play over the Internet against other remote players. Players could race and battle with up to eleven other players from around the world or in their region, and could join and race with friends from the Friends menu. Finally, players were able to join a worldwide room using custom rules. Players could also set up their own rooms for friends and can race with custom rules, such as engine class, whether items are on or off, vehicle types available, control method, whether to play with computer racers or not. As of version 3.0, players could also toggle whether they want to play on just the original 32 courses, the original courses and one of the two sets of DLC courses, or every available course by pressing after selecting Worldwide or Regional,^[19] as well as when setting up a room for friends. When playing online worldwide or regional, players once again earned VR points based upon their ranking at the end of a race or battle like inMario Kart Wii andMario Kart 7; like inMario Kart 7 a player's VR started at 1000, though likeMario Kart Wii, players had different VR rankings for races and battles. Between 1000 and over 4000 VR when playing Worldwide or Regional VS. Race, players raced at 100cc, and starting at over 5000 VR, players raced at 150cc.

Players could also create their own tournaments, similar to the communities fromMario Kart 7. When creating a tournament, players could choose an icon and a name for their tournament as well as set the rules, including engine class, whether to play in teams, whether to have items, vehicle types, whether there are computer racers, and, as of version 3.0, available courses (the original 32 courses, every course including DLC courses, just the DLC courses, or, as of version 4.0, the original courses and one of the DLC packs). Players could also set times in which the tournament was available (weekly, daily, or between a fixed period and at what day and time the tournament begins and ends), the number of races before scores are totaled, and whether the groups shuffled after every four matches or not. Finally, the availability can be set, including whether a code was required, or if it was open to anybody worldwide or regional, and whether only players of certain ratings could play. When looking for a tournament, players could enter a code, search by type, or look at active tournaments. In addition, playing in a tournament that allowed the DLC courses to be selected required purchasing the DLC before the player could enter.

After entering a room, players could choose one of three predetermined courses or "Random", which chose one of any of the game's courses at random if the player's option was ultimately chosen. When playing with friends, however, players could select from any of the courses available depending on the settings. Once every player had selected a course, a roulette selected one of these options as the course to be raced on.

The point spreads for 2 to 8 players were identical to that ofMario Kart 7.

The ability to create and enter online tournaments was discontinued upon the closure of Miiverse in November 2017, as the feature was tied to the service.Mario Kart 8's remaining online features became unavailable in April 2024, upon the discontinuation of Nintendo Network.

Mario Kart TV

Mario Kart TV menu.

Main article:Mario Kart TV

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

Characters

The full character select screen, including the downloadable characters.

There are 36 total playable characters inMario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters, 14 unlockable characters, and 6 characters obtainable through the game's two downloadable content packs (The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 andAnimal Crossing × Mario Kart 8), with each pack having three characters. Including DLC characters, there are 14 new playable characters, being the sevenKoopalings,Baby Rosalina,Pink Gold Peach,Tanooki Mario,Cat Peach,Link,Villager, andIsabelle, with the Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, and Pink Gold Peach making their overall playable debuts, and the latter two also making their overall debut in any game. In addition,Shy Guy,Metal Mario, andLakitu are playable in aMario Kart game for a home console for the first time, after they were each previously playable in at least one handheld console installment.

The add-on packs contain three new characters each (see§ Downloadable characters for more info), but if both are purchased, the player will gain access to eight new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy as well. Updates have been released that allowed suits to be unlocked by usingamiibo, which allow Miis to resemble characters such asSamus Aran andSonic the Hedgehog.

Even though there are a total of nine groups of characters sharing the same statistics, the official site divides the initial 30 characters in three weight classes dependent on the weight of the character: light, medium, and heavy.^[20] Unlike other home consoleMario Kart games (barring the use of a glitch inMario Kart Wii), multiple players can use the same characters in local play.

With the discontinuation of digital purchases for Wii U in March 2023, it is no longer possible to buy the downloadable characters, though they can still be downloaded by those who purchased them when they were available.

Default drivers

• 

  Mario
  Medium

• 

  Luigi
  Medium

• 

  Peach
  Medium

• 

  Daisy
  Medium

• 

  Yoshi
  Medium

• 

  Toad
  Light

• 

  Koopa Troopa
  Light

• 

  Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Baby Mario
  Light

• 

  Baby Luigi
  Light

• 

  Baby Peach
  Light

• 

  Baby Daisy
  Light

• 

  Bowser
  Heavy

• 

  Donkey Kong
  Heavy

• 

  Wario
  Heavy

• 

  Waluigi
  Heavy

Unlockable drivers

• 

  Rosalina
  Heavy

• 

  Metal Mario
  Heavy

• 

  Lakitu
  Light

• 

  Toadette
  Light

• 

  Baby Rosalina**
  Light

• 

  Pink Gold Peach**
  Heavy

• 

  Iggy*
  Medium

• 

  Roy*
  Heavy

• 

  Lemmy*
  Light

• 

  Larry*
  Light

• 

  Wendy*
  Light

• 

  Ludwig*
  Medium

• 

  Morton*
  Heavy

• 

  Mii
  Any^***

• 

  Mii (amiibo version)
  Any^***

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

Downloadable drivers

Included in the game's two downloadable content packs (The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 andAnimal Crossing × Mario Kart 8) are three additional racers, making six total. In addition, by purchasing both packs the player immediately obtains eight new colors for both Yoshi and Shy Guy. The Villager, included with theAnimal Crossing pack, also has both a male and female variant.

The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8

• 

  Tanooki Mario*
  Medium

• 

  Cat Peach*
  Medium

• 

  Link*
  Heavy

Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8

• 

  Villager*
  Medium

• 

  Villager*
  Medium

• 

  Isabelle*
  Light

• 

  Dry Bowser
  Heavy

Both (color skins)

• 

  Red Yoshi
  Medium

• 

  Blue Yoshi
  Medium

• 

  Light-blue Yoshi*
  Medium

• 

  Yellow Yoshi
  Medium

• 

  Pink Yoshi*
  Medium

• 

  Black Yoshi*
  Medium

• 

  White Yoshi*
  Medium

• 

  Orange Yoshi*
  Medium

• 

  Green Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Blue Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Light-blue Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Yellow Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Pink Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Black Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  White Shy Guy
  Light

• 

  Orange Shy Guy*
  Light

The CPU drivers do not drive as the different coloredYoshis andShy Guys.

Mii racing suits

Normal suits

• 

  Red

• 

  Orange

• 

  Yellow

• 

  Light-green

• 

  Green

• 

  Blue

• 

  Light-blue

• 

  Pink

• 

  Purple

• 

  Brown

• 

  White

• 

  Black

amiibo suits

Wave 1 - November 13, 2014

• 

  Mario Suit

• 

  Luigi Suit

• 

  Peach Suit

• 

  Yoshi Suit

• 

  Donkey Kong Suit

• 

  Hylian Suit

• 

  Captain Falcon Suit

• 

  Kirby Suit

• 

  Varia Suit

• 

  Fox Suit

amiibo suits

Wave 2 - April 23, 2015

• 

  Toad Suit

• 

  Bowser Suit

• 

  Wario Suit

• 

  Rosalina Suit

• 

  Pikmin Suit

• 

  Animal Crossing Suit

• 

  Mega Man Suit

• 

  PAC-MAN Suit

• 

  Sonic Suit

Unlocking criteria

Unlike previousMario Kart games, characters (other than Mii) are unlocked at random by completing cups; however, another character cannot be unlocked by replaying a cup, making this title the first and onlyMario Kart game that requires the player to unlock each random character by completing a different cup. In previous games, fixed characters are unlocked by completing specific cups with specific engine classes. Additionally, for the first time in the series, unlockable characters appear as CPUs during races when they are still locked.^[21]

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

Rival order

Mario Kart 8 uses arival system that is similar to how its predecessor,Mario Kart 7 handles it, with several alterations. A set rival system is present only in the Grand Prix mode of the game; all other modes, including single player VS and battle are not affected and have randomized CPU opponents. Furthermore, only the original characters from the E3 build of the game receive a set system of rivals (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Koopa Troopa, Waluigi, Toad, and Toadette). The rest of the playable characters do not have a rival system of any sort, and all of their opponents in any modes are randomized. If there is more than one player participating in a Grand Prix, the first player's character determines whether there is a rival system or not, and what specific rivals the game gives the character. If other players choose the rival characters, the rivals are replaced by another, random character.

Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)	Player	Opponent(s)

Vehicle parts

There are 22 karts, 6 standard bikes, 5 sport bikes, 4 ATVs (37 bodies in total), 21 sets of tires, and 14 gliders available to use inMario Kart 8 for a grand total of 10,878 vehicle combinations.^[22][23] Of these, 8 karts, 1 standard bike, 1 sport bike, 1 ATV, 3 sets of tires, and 2 gliders are included in downloadable content packs, with theGLA,W 25 Silver Arrow,300 SL Roadster, andGLA Tires appearing in theMercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8 pack, theBlue Falcon,B Dasher,Tanooki Kart,Master Cycle,Triforce Tires, andHylian Kite appearing in theThe Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 pack, and theStreetle,P-Wing,City Tripper,Bone Rattler,Leaf Tires, andPaper Glider appearing in theAnimal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 pack.^[24]

Some parts can change colors either for every character, a specific group of characters, or based on a limited number of color schemes. The color schemes used by eachMii color serve as a default set of color schemes for each of the 12 colors which are also used by alternativeYoshi andShy Guy colors as well as the Mii racing suits. All of them use the default color scheme for parts which have unique color schemes for only certain characters. The other characters may have personalized color schemes for their Standard bodies,Pipe Frame andSuper Glider, and for the other parts, they may use other color schemes other than those of their expected color; for example,Mario's GLA is the gray one used by the yellow Miis instead of the red one used by the Miis wearing the racing suit based on him.

With the discontinuation of digital purchases for Wii U in March 2023, it is no longer possible to buy the paid downloadable vehicle parts, though they can still be downloaded by those who purchased them when they were available.

Available parts

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

• Bold = Part is available at the start.
• * = Changes color, depending on the character.
• ** = Changes color for theKoopalings.
• *** = Changes color forDaisy,Baby Daisy,Rosalina, andBaby Rosalina.
• (DLC) = Part was only available as downloadable content.

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

Karts

• 

  Standard Kart*

• 

  Pipe Frame*

• 

  Mach 8

• 

  Steel Driver

• 

  Cat Cruiser

• 

  Circuit Special*

• 

  Tri-Speeder

• 

  Badwagon

• 

  Prancer

• 

  Biddybuggy*
  Buggybud

• 

  Landship**

• 

  Sneeker*
  Bounder

• 

  Sports Coupe
  Sports Coupé

• 

  Gold Standard
  Gold Kart

• 

  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)

Standard bikes

• 

  Standard Bike*

• 

  The Duke

• 

  Flame Rider

• 

  Varmint

• 

  Mr. Scooty
  Mr Scooty

• 

  City Tripper*(DLC)

Sport bikes

• 

  Comet

• 

  Sport Bike*

• 

  Jet Bike

• 

  Yoshi Bike

• 

  Master Cycle(DLC)

ATVs

• 

  Standard ATV*
  Standard Quad

• 

  Wild Wiggler

• 

  Teddy Buggy

• 

  Bone Rattler(DLC)

Tires

• 

  Standard
  Normal

• 

  Monster

• 

  Roller

• 

  Slim

• 

  Slick

• 

  Metal

• 

  Button

• 

  Off-Road

• 

  Sponge

• 

  Wood
  Wooden

• 

  Cushion

• 

  Blue Standard
  Normal Blue

• 

  Hot Monster
  Funky Monster

• 

  Azure Roller

• 

  Crimson Slim

• 

  Cyber Slick

• 

  Retro Off-Road

• 

  Gold Tires
  Gold Wheels

• 

  GLA Tires(DLC)
  GLA Wheels

• 

  Triforce Tires(DLC)
  Triforce Tyres

• 

  Leaf Tires(DLC)
  Leaf Tyres

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

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 inMario Kart 7, players can see how many coins they have collected by viewing the statistics screen from the main menu (this feature is available for only Ver. 2.0 and further of the game).

Special parts

Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:

• Gold Standard: Obtain a minimum of one star ranking in all non-DLC cups of every engine class.
• Gold Tires: Beat the Staff Ghost on 32 courses.
• Gold Glider: Obtain 10,000 coins.

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, seeMario Kart 8 in-game statistics.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen

To calculate the final values of the game's statistics, the game usespoints (PT) which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value calledLevel (Lv) which is then used bya table to convert the level into appropriate physical parameters used by the game. 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: The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.
• 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 Europe and Oceania): The grasp of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.

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 1.0 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 ofLemmy,Sport Bike,Slim Tires, andBowser Kite.

Element	Points conferred
	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction
Lemmy	0	5	0	10	5
Sport Bike	3	5	1	5	0
Slim Tires	3	1	2	4	2
Bowser Kite	1	2	1	1	1
Final values	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Handling	Traction
Level	0 +3 +3 +1 = 7	5 +5 +1 +2 = 13	0 +1 +2 +1 = 4	10 +5 +4 +1 = 20	5 +0 +2 +1 = 8
Value shown in the vehicle customization screen	(7 + 3) / 4 = 10 / 4 = 2.5	(13 + 3) / 4 = 16 / 4 = 4	(4 + 3) / 4 = 7 / 4 = 1.75	(20 + 3) / 4 = 23 / 4 = 5.75	(8 + 3) / 4 = 11 / 4 = 2.75

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

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

The following table shows the statistics of the various drivers and vehicle parts.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.

Just like inMario Kart Wii, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight.

The following tables report the statistics in points.

Drivers' statistics
Vehicle size	Character	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
Small		0	0	0	0	5	0	10	10	10	10	5	5
		2	2	2	2	4	2	8	8	8	8	4	4
Medium		4	4	4	4	4	3	6	6	6	6	3	4
		4	4	4	4	3	4	6	6	6	6	3	3
		6	6	6	6	3	5	4	4	4	4	2	3
		6	6	6	6	2	6	4	4	4	4	2	2
		8	8	8	8	0	10	2	2	2	2	0	0
Large		8	8	8	8	1	8	2	2	2	2	1	1
		10	10	10	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bodies' statistics
Body		Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
		3	3	2	4	2	2	2	2	1	3	5	3
		3	4	3	3	3	1	4	4	3	4	3	4
		5	4	4	5	1	3	2	2	1	2	1	1
		3	5	2	3	0	4	0	5	0	0	7	0
		0	5	4	0	7	0	4	5	4	3	4	7
		4	3	3	5	3	1	2	2	1	3	3	3
		3	5	3	3	1	3	1	5	4	1	6	1
		3	3	2	3	5	1	5	5	4	5	0	5
		4	5	4	3	2	2	4	4	4	5	2	3
Tires' statistics
Tires		Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
		2	4	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	2
		2	2	0	2	0	4	0	0	0	0	7	0
		0	4	4	0	6	0	4	4	4	4	3	6
		3	3	3	3	1	2	4	4	4	4	2	1
		4	0	4	4	1	3	3	3	3	3	0	1
		3	3	3	3	0	4	3	3	3	3	2	0
		1	0	3	1	3	1	2	1	3	2	6	3
Gliders' statistics
Glider		Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
		1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
		1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	2
		1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1

Courses

There are 32race course in the base game (excluding DLC cups), with 16 new and 16 classic courses. The classic courses feature one course each fromSuper Mario Kart andMario Kart: Super Circuit, two each fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! andMario Kart Wii, three each fromMario Kart DS andMario Kart 7, and four fromMario Kart 64. As with the classic courses from the 3DS installment, those in this game feature altered sections that incorporate the game's glider, underwater, and anti-gravity features. The game features orchestrated music for all of the new courses and most of the classic courses. The courses have been described as narrower compared to previousMario Kart courses, specifically those fromMario Kart Wii.^[25] Unlike several previous installments of theMario Kart series, the classic courses use their respectiveMario Kart logo, excluding the DLC coursesGCN Yoshi Circuit,GBA Cheese Land, andGBA Ribbon Road; the courses from SNES to GCN use an updated version of the classic logo, while the courses from DS to 3DS, and the three DLC courses mentioned, use the current logo.

New courses

Cup	Course
Mushroom Cup	Mario Kart Stadium	Water Park	Sweet Sweet Canyon	Thwomp Ruins
Flower Cup	Mario Circuit	Toad Harbor[a]	Twisted Mansion	Shy Guy Falls
Star Cup	Sunshine Airport	Dolphin Shoals	Electrodrome	Mount Wario
Special Cup	Cloudtop Cruise	Bone-Dry Dunes[b]	Bowser's Castle	Rainbow Road

Classic courses

Cup	Course
Shell Cup	Wii Moo Moo Meadows	GBA Mario Circuit	DS Cheep Cheep Beach	N64 Toad's Turnpike
Banana Cup	GCN Dry Dry Desert	SNES Donut Plains 3	N64 Royal Raceway	3DS DK Jungle
Leaf Cup	DS Wario Stadium	GCN Sherbet Land	3DS Music Park[c]	N64 Yoshi Valley
Lightning Cup	DS Tick-Tock Clock	3DS Piranha Plant Slide[d]	Wii Grumble Volcano	N64 Rainbow Road

Downloadable courses

Four additional cups, each one containing four courses for a total of 16, are included in the game's two downloadable content packs.^[24] This leavesMario Kart 8 with the third most courses of all games in theMario Kart series behindMario Kart 8 Deluxe andMario Kart Tour, as it contains 48 courses, beatingMario Kart: Super Circuit's previous record of 40 courses in total. Each of the DLC cups contains a mixture both new and classic courses, making them the first cups in theMario Kart series to do so. Of the 16 DLC courses, seven are classic courses, with one course each fromSuper Mario Kart,Mario Kart Wii, andMario Kart 7 and two each fromMario Kart: Super Circuit andMario Kart: Double Dash!!. The other nine courses are new, five of which are based on other Nintendo franchises, namelyExcitebike,F-Zero,The Legend of Zelda, andAnimal Crossing. Additionally, while some of the courses have gliding and/or anti-gravity sections, none of them have any underwater sections. Unlike the base game's cups, these cups all share the same shape for theirtrophies, but with different colors and a different logo to match the cup; the backs of these trophies have text reading "PROFESSIONAL KART RACING DISTINGUISHED DRIVER".

With the discontinuation of digital purchases for Wii U in March 2023, it is no longer possible to buy the downloadable courses, though they can still be downloaded by those who purchased them when they were available.

The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8

Cup	Course
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

Cup	Course
Crossing Cup	GCN Baby Park	GBA Cheese Land	Wild Woods	Animal Crossing
Bell Cup	3DS Neo Bowser City[e]	GBA Ribbon Road	Super Bell Subway	Big Blue

Battle courses

Unlike previous installments of the series, there are no courses unique toBattle mode; instead, slightly modified versions of eight of the base game's 32 courses (two new, six classic) that appear in standard race modes are used as courses for battles. None of the battle courses are unlockable and thus they can all be played on from the start, including those that need to be unlocked in the race modes.

Wii Moo Moo Meadows	GCN Dry Dry Desert	SNES Donut Plains 3	N64 Toad's Turnpike
Mario Circuit	Toad Harbor[a]	GCN Sherbet Land	N64 Yoshi Valley

Staff Ghosts

Just like inMario Kart Wii andMario Kart 7, the player starts out with Staff Ghosts for each course that can be raced against in Time Trial mode. However, unlike with the pastMario Kart installments, beating the Staff Ghost for each of the game's standard courses unlocks a stamp that can be used in Miiverse posts, rather than an Expert Staff Ghost.

Kart of Champions

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

Course elements

These characters and features may either aid or act as obstacles and other interactable objects which impede racers if bumped into.

Enemies, animals, and species

Name	Location	Description
Bone Piranha Plant	Bone-Dry Dunes	These enemies stay situated in aWarp Pipe and lunge at any racer that drives near them in the direction they face. Racers who are struck by them flip over.
Boo	Twisted Mansion	Several Boos appear in the gliding segment of Twisted Mansion. Players who bump into them lose some air speed.
Bouncing Notes	3DS Music Park	These enemies bounce to the rhythm of the course, and for every bounce, players can trick off of the ground if in the appropriate area. When a certain time has passed, typically around the length of a final lap, these notes bounce faster, though not as fast as they did in their original iteration. Bouncing Notes can squash players, but otherwise serve as walls rather than obstacles, akin toThwomps.
Chain Chomp (chained)	GBA Cheese Land	As in previousMario Kart games, these enemies are bound by a stake and lunge when players drive close to them. Players that get hit by them flip over.
Chain Chomp (unchained)	N64 Rainbow Road	These Chain Chomps bounce on certain parts of the track, not performing any other movement. They create distortions on the road, allowing players to trick off of the waves created by the bounce. Players who get hit by Chomps flip over.
Cheep Cheep	Sweet Sweet Canyon Dolphin Shoals DS Cheep Cheep Beach SNES Donut Plains 3 3DS Piranha Plant Slide	These jump above the water and serve as minor obstacles. Similarly to Boos, they slow air speed for players that hit them during gliding sequences.
Deku Baba	Hyrule Circuit	Their design taken fromThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, these act identically to Bone Piranha Plants and the lunging Piranha Plants. They lunge after players who drive too close to them. Any player who gets hit by them will flip over.
Dry Bones	Bone-Dry Dunes	Dry Bones wander back and forth on the last stretch of the track. They act similarly to destructible walls; any player who collides with them slows down and ends up destroying the Dry Bones in the process.
Fire Snake	Wii Grumble Volcano	Fire Snakes emerge from Warp Pipes. They bounce around an area of the track, and disappear over time. They spin out any player who runs into them.
Freezie	GCN Sherbet Land	Freezies are stationary objects found in the latter part of the course. They are breakable, and any player who runs into them spins out. Unlike their original appearance inMario Kart: Double Dash!!, they do not freeze players.
Frogoon	3DS DK Jungle	These enemies slowly hop back and forth, and any player who gets hit by them spins out.
Goomba	Mario Circuit N64 Yoshi Valley 3DS Piranha Plant Slide	Goombas walk slowly back and forth. Running into one causes the player to spin out.
Goomba Tower	Mario Circuit	Appearing near the end of the course, Goomba Towers vary in height from each other, but are always taller than regular Goombas; as such, they are an obstacle to airborne racers. Running into them causes the player to spin out, and, if the player was gliding, fall to the ground as well.
Hammer Knight	Twisted Mansion	These enemies, possessed byBoos, appear at the end of the track, swinging their hammers towards incoming racers. Players who are beneath a hammer when it falls get squashed. The parts of the road that the hammers hit are visibly more damaged than the rest of the road.
Keese	Hyrule Circuit	These enemies replace theSwoops seen in other courses, and they take their design fromThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Hitting one of them slows the player down.
Mechakoopa	GBA Ribbon Road	These enemies are found slowly patrolling the green section of Ribbon Road. Hitting one causes the player to spin out.
Monty Mole	Wii Moo Moo Meadows SNES Donut Plains 3	Monty Moles burrow underground, leaving behind a trail of trickable ramps. Monty Moles eventually pop out of the ground and leap up; players who hit them spin out.
Moo Moo	Wii Moo Moo Meadows	Moo Moos stay stationary early in the race, but wander to the road as time goes on. Any player who runs into a Moo Moo spins out. Moo Moos can be hit by items such as shells.
Mr. Resetti	Animal Crossing (all seasons except winter)	Mr. Resetti occasionally pops out of the ground near the end of the track and appears to be angry. Hitting Mr. Resetti causes players to flip over. He does not appear in the winter version of the track.
Piranha Plant	Sweet Sweet Canyon Mario Circuit Electrodrome N64 Royal Raceway 3DS Music Park 3DS Piranha Plant Slide GCN Yoshi Circuit	Two types of Piranha Plant exist. The type that is found onN64 Royal Raceway is a stationary, small, passive obstacle that is found throughout the track. Players who run into them spin out. The other type of Piranha Plant, which is always found in a pipe, is found in Sweet Sweet Canyon, Mario Circuit, Electrodrome,3DS Music Park,3DS Piranha Plant Slide, andGCN Yoshi Circuit. While also stationary, they lunge towards any racer in front of and close enough to them. These Piranha Plants are found only in set areas of the track and flip racers that they successfully hit. The Piranha Plants in Sweet Sweet Canyon,3DS Music Park, and3DS Piranha Plant Slide are much larger than other ones, and the Piranha Plants in3DS Piranha Plant Slide change direction of where they bite over time, similar to some of the Bone Piranha Plants. Additionally, the Piranha Plants in Electrodrome are visually replaced byRaving Piranha Plants, which dance in time with the music, while the Piranha Plants in Sweet Sweet Canyon are pink rather than red.
Pokey	GCN Dry Dry Desert	Pokeys are enemies that slowly lumber back and forth. At times, they bend over to form small archways; coins appear in the center of these archways, and disappear when Pokeys revert to their original position. Players spin out if they hit a Pokey.
Screaming Pillar	3DS DK Jungle	These are statues that blow air at intervals. The air they blow out lowers air speed of players who glide into it.
Sidestepper	DS Cheep Cheep Beach	Sidesteppers patrol back and forth underwater inDS Cheep Cheep Beach. They can be defeated with items such as shells, but running into one of them spins the player out.
Skating Shy Guy	GCN Sherbet Land	Ice skating Shy Guys dance around at the beginning of the course. Any player who runs into them spins out. There are two color varieties: the blue ones, who skate by themselves, and the red ones, who skate together holding hands.
Snowboy	Animal Crossing (winter only)	Snowboys appear exclusively in the winter version of the Animal Crossing track, in the end section whereMr. Resetti appears in other seasons. These obstacles slow players who hit them down via acting like a destructible wall (therefore functioning identically to snowmen).
Snowman	GCN Sherbet Land	Snowmen appear off-road. Unlike previousMario Kart games, these obstacles only slow down players who collide with them via acting like a destructible wall.
Super Thwomp	SNES Rainbow Road	Behaving as they did in their original appearance and their appearance inMario Kart 7, these are obstacles that slam the ground repeatedly. The force of the impact creates waves that players can trick off of. Players can get crushed by these Thwomps, and unlike regular Thwomps, players who touch one flip over.
Swoop	Mount Wario N64 Yoshi Valley Wii Wario's Gold Mine	Swoops fly in groups in certain areas. They slow down any player who hits them, though players can temporarily defeat them with items.
Thwomp	Thwomp Ruins	Thwomps are obstacles that rise up and smash the ground repeatedly. They crush any player that is underneath them as they smash the ground, though touching them otherwise is similar to hitting a wall.
Tiki Goon	3DS DK Jungle	Tiki Goons patrol back and forth. They move more slowly than in their original iteration. Players who drive into them spin out.
Toads	Bone-Dry Dunes N64 Rainbow Road	Among the few directly helpful characters, Toads throw coins onto the track. In Bone-Dry Dunes, they do so from a ship sailing across quick sand soon after the start, while inN64 Rainbow Road, they do so from a flying train which appears at various points in the race.

Obstacles

Name	Location	Description
Barrel	Toad Harbor Cloudtop Cruise 3DS DK Jungle N64 Yoshi Valley Wild Woods	These stationary objects break and slow down the player on contact, while having a chance of releasing aBanana, aMushroom, or aGreen Shell when broken. In3DS DK Jungle, they appear asDK Barrels and drop only Bananas.
Board	3DS Piranha Plant Slide	These are in the shape of Goombas and plants. Players can break through them, but this lowers the vehicle's speed.
Boulder	Bowser's Castle	Two cannons that shoot boulders are found in the last segments of Bowser's Castle. The cracked ground indicates where the boulder is going to land. If players get hit by a rolling boulder, they flip over.
Car	N64 Toad's Turnpike	As in previousMario Kart games, these obstacles knock over any drivers that collide with them.
Crate	Toad Harbor Sunshine Airport	Similarly to Barrels, these stationary objects break when crashed into and slow down the player responsible, while having a chance of releasing a Banana, a Mushroom, or a Green Shell when broken.
Drain pipe	3DS Piranha Plant Slide	These pipes well water that clean the Blooper ink if players drive under it. The pipes themselves, on the other hand, merely serve as an obstruction.
Fire Bar	Bowser's Castle DS Wario Stadium	Fire Bars are stationary objects that rotate their fireballs. Players that run into the fire burn and spin out.
Bowser Statue	Bowser's Castle	In the beginning of the course, usually on only the first lap, these statues serve as decoration. As time passes, however, they shoot out lasers that hit the ground. Any player who drives into the lasers spins out.
Hot-air balloon	Mount Wario N64 Royal Raceway GCN Baby Park	Floating objects which push the player back when touched.
Lava Bowser	Bowser's Castle	This huge stationary obstacle pounds the ground with his fists, sending shockwaves that create trickable ramps. Racers can get squashed by him if they are under his fist when he punches, but otherwise, his arms do not harm racers who touch them.
Oil slick	GBA Mario Circuit	Dotted throughout the latter part of the course, oil slicks cause players who drive onto them to spin out. They can be avoided by hopping over them.
Pendulum	DS Tick-Tock Clock	An obstacle that swings back and forth and acts like a wall, slowing down any racer who collides with it.
Roller	Thwomp Ruins	Giant wheels that roll in predetermined paths. If a racer touches a Roller from the sides, it will only push them; however, if a racer touches a Roller from either the back or the front, it will flip them over.
Spinner	Bowser's Castle	This obstacle appears hanging on a ceiling, swinging back and forth. Racers who drive into it get flipped over.
Tire stack	GBA Mario Circuit GCN Yoshi Circuit 3DS Toad Circuit GCN Waluigi Stadium	Tires that appear either standalone or in stacks of two or three. Driving into them knocks them around the track.

Background characters

These characters appear as part of a crowd and world-building scenery and do not directly affect any participating racers.

Items

For the probability of getting each item when an Item Box is opened, seeMario Kart 8 item probability distributions.

As in allMario Kart games,Mario Kart 8 keeps the use of items during the races. Four new items have been added to the list, being theBoomerang Flower, thePiranha Plant, theSuper Horn, and theCrazy Eight. TheCoin also makes a return as an item for the first time since its first appearance inSuper Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 8 also features changes to the items' mechanics. In the races, each item's probability of being obtained depends on probability distributions that are based mainly on the distance from the driver in first place.^[11] This means that it is possible to get even aBullet Bill in second. While pastMario Kart games allowed the users to gain a different item from theItem Boxes while dragging some other such as aGreen Shell or aBanana, inMario Kart 8, players are restricted to carry only the item they are currently holding or dragging. Releasing the item in use will then allow the player to take another from the boxes. In order to keep gameplay balance, some items are much less frequent to appear, most notablyLightning and theSpiny Shell. Additionally, theTriple Bananas, theTriple Mushrooms and the eight items of theCrazy Eight surround the vehicle in the same manner as triple shells do, and opponents receive their effects when touching them, giving some disadvantage, or advantage in the case of theTriple Mushrooms and theStar. Racers only lose the items they are holding in their hand when struck by a Lightning while items surrounding the drivers, with the exception of the Mushrooms, are lost when other racers touch them. The item icon, located on the top left of the screen, now displays a usage-remaining meter, either time remaining to use or uses remaining, for items with limited repeating usage.

Items found on the track
Item Box	Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's distance from first place.
Coin	Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a maximum of ten.
Rupee	The equivalent of a coin, used forHyrule Circuit. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Bell	The equivalent of a coin, used forAnimal Crossing. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
New items
Boomerang Flower	Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward/backward and when it returns to its user after the first and second use.
Piranha Plant	Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite.
Super Horn	Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles, including the Spiny Shell.
Crazy Eight	Generates eight items (Coin,Bob-omb,Mushroom,Star,Blooper,Green Shell,Red Shell, and aBanana) that circle around the player for them to use.
Returning items
Coin	Grants the player two extra coins and a micro boost.
Green Shell	Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
Triple Green Shells	Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Red Shell	Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
Triple Red Shells	Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Banana	Protects the player from incoming items, and spins out other racers that hit it.
Triple Bananas	Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
Triple Mushrooms	Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts.
Golden Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time.
Fire Flower	Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact.
Star	Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
Blooper	Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
Bob-omb	Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
Spiny Shell	Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
Lightning	Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
Bullet Bill	Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.

Stamps

Main article:List of Mario Kart 8 stamps

As inSuper Mario 3D World,NES Remix, andNES Remix 2, players can obtain stamps, which could previously be used inMiiverse 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.

Downloadable content

As of the version 2.0 update,Mario Kart 8, likeNew Super Mario Bros. 2, includes an in-game shop feature through which players can purchase and pre-order downloadable content packs, as well as adding prompts where the character and cup icons are when purchased. Alternatively, players can purchase content packs through the Nintendo eShop like normal. Nintendo has released free vehicle parts as part of a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, and then announced the game will receive two add-on packs, which both include three additional characters, four vehicles, and eight courses in two cups.

Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8

Main article:Mercedes-Benz x Mario Kart 8

Mario, Princess Peach, and Luigi driving karts themed after Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

As part of a collaboration betweenNintendo andMercedes-Benz, a free downloadable content pack was released featuring kart bodies based on several Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including theGLA (based on theMercedes-Benz GLA), theW 25 Silver Arrow (based on theW 25Silver Arrow), and the300 SL Roadster (based on the300 SL Roadster), as well as a set ofGLA Tires.^[26] The content was released in all regions on August 27, 2014.^[27]

The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8

Main article:The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8

Screenshots of Add-On Pack 1

The first pack, titled "The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8", which was released on November 13, 2014,^[28] includesTanooki Mario,Cat Peach, andLink fromThe Legend of Zelda franchise. It also includes additional vehicle parts, such as the returningB Dasher and the newTanooki Kart. The cups included are theTriforce Cup and theEgg Cup. Additional courses include both classic ones, such asWario's Gold Mine fromMario Kart Wii, new courses inspired by non-Super Mario franchises such as theExcitebike-basedExcitebike Arena, and completely new ones such asDragon Driftway.

Purchasing both this and the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 pack unlocks eight alternate color skins for both Yoshi and Shy Guy each.^[24]

Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8

Main article:Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8

Screenshots of Add-On Pack 2

The second pack, titled "Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8", which was released on April 23, 2015, includesVillager andIsabelle fromAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, as well asDry Bowser, returning fromMario Kart Wii. The cups included are theCrossing Cup and theBell Cup.^[29] Like The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8, additional courses include classic ones such asCheese Land (returning fromMario Kart: Super Circuit), courses based on non-Super Mario franchises likeBig Blue from theF-Zero series, and completely new ones likeWild Woods.

Purchasing both this and The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 pack unlocks eight alternate color skins for both Yoshi and Shy Guy.^[24]

Update history

In order to play online, players had to have downloaded the most recent software update.

Ver. 2.0

The map display on the TV screen.

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

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

The speed values of the CPU racers has also been adjusted for tracks such as Dolphin Shoals. Also, animations of some characters, such as Daisy, Rosalina and Ludwig have been tweaked.

The update also swaps the 'Next Race/Round/View Results' and 'View Highlight Reel' buttons in offline mode, and adds a Shop button on the main menu, where players can purchase and download add-on content.^[30] The character icons on the map HUD are also altered.

Ver. 3.0

On November 13, 2014, the update to version 3.0 was made available. The update includes compatibility withamiibo figures and enables the first downloadable content pack for those who purchased it.^[31][32] The update also allows the game to save any last used vehicle combo that uses any of the DLC vehicle parts or characters. Also, when a light racer bumps into a heavier one, it will be pushed less far away.^[33][34]

In terms of online, the race and battle rating system has been modified to be less punishing to players who do poorly in a race or battle. Additionally, players can now set up tournaments that have cup limitations. The update is required to continue playing online, but players cannot play in rooms or tournaments that include the downloadable tracks until they have purchased them. Players that have not purchased the add-on packs can still encounter the included characters and vehicles online, but cannot select them.

Ver. 4.0

The addition of 200cc in Ver. 4.0.

Update version 4.0 was released on April 23, 2015, the same day as the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content pack. 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.^[35] Ten new Miiverse stamps have also been added.^[36] The update also allows players to enable the on-screen map using any controller, rather than just the GamePad.

In online mode, players can add CPU racers when playing with custom rules, though only human players will count for scoring.^[37] Also, players who left a race/battle will not have their race/battle rating visible for other racers to see after a race/battle. The race rating and battle rating system remains the same as in update version 3.0. Finally, additional tournament settings have been added to support 200cc and the two cups in the second DLC pack.

200cc engine class

Larry, performing the new braking technique that is introduced in the 200cc engine class.

Introduced as part of the version 4.0 update, 200cc is an engine class that presents a few important differences with respect to the other engine classes.

The 200cc engine class is 150% the speed of the 150cc engine class (for comparison, the speed of the 50cc and 100cc engine classes are respectively 80% and 90% of the speed of the 150cc engine class)^[38] and causes acceleration to change every time the acceleration statistics changes,^[39] and a new braking technique, triggered only when braking while drifting: orange sparks come out of the driving wheels that start rotating at a low speed, a braking sound can be heard and the deceleration is slower, allowing tighter turns without necessarily losing the Mini-Turbo charge.^[40] Furthermore, in this engine class the Star item significantly increases both acceleration and maximum speed, unlike in 150cc where maximum speed is mostly unaffected.

Furthermore, some physics exploits were made less effective.^[41] The angular velocity of autodrifting has been revised as well and furthermore only in this class it appears to be unaffected by drifting type (inside drifting or outside drifting) and coins.^[12]

Twenty-one of the tracks are also altered to accommodate for the different 200cc physics, such as modifying the boost value of the ramps with Dash Panels on them or locally increasing gravity in various areas including jumps or glider sections.^[42] The following is an alphabetized list of all racetracks that have different 200cc physics:

Ver. 4.1

Update version 4.1 was released on May 1, 2015. 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.^[43]

Ver. 4.2

Update version 4.2 was released on August 3, 2023. This update patches a vulnerability in the game's network code which enables hackers to take full, remote control of a user's (unmodified) Wii U system during online multiplayer sessions.^[44] The Recommended section in Tournaments was deleted, as was done inMario Kart 8 Deluxe version 2.2.0.^[45]

Differences in multiplayer modes

When playing in split screen, there are some minor and major differences on the race courses. Most changes are removals and simplifications to maintain proper frame rate.

General differences

• The game will occasionally lower its rendering resolution to 1152x648 when many racers and particle effects are on screen. This happens more often in two player modes with CPU's turned on, and inGCN Sherbet Land.
• There is a lack of motion blur in online and offline multiplayer.
• Shadow resolution, shadow draw distance, and the resolution of alpha and lighting effects are reduced in multiplayer.
• The polygon count of CPU and other player characters are reduced.
• Trick animations of CPU's and other players are 30 FPS in Two-Player Online.
• Some of the side spectators (Toads, Yoshis, Shy Guys, Piantas, and etc.) are absent in race courses that have them.
• Playing in 3/4 player mode will drop the frame rate to 30 FPS.

Course-specific differences

Mario Kart Stadium

• The large broadcasting screen rotates between the players' points of view.
• The MKTV broadcast van is absent.
• Some of the bleach banners are absent.
• The helicopter near the anti-gravity section is absent.
• The hovering platforms carrying the spectators are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, the fireworks have fewer sparkles.

Water Park

• The balloons that come out of the large pipes are absent.
• TheMecha Cheeps are absent.
• The tent-shaped water fountain does not spray out water.
• Some sailboats are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, at the finish line, the hanging banners on the lamps are absent.

Sweet Sweet Canyon

• The soda bottles do not have soda geysers coming out. For the soda bottles underwater, the bubbles do not come out.
• Most of the candied hot air balloons are absent.
• TheCheep Cheeps are absent.

Thwomp Ruins

• The torches located at the left turn after the finish line do not have flames. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of the torches outside do not have flames, except the first two on theGlide Ramp.
• Some dandelions are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, the hanging long flags are absent.

Mario Circuit

• The MKTV broadcast van is absent.
• At the left turn around Peach's Castle, the flagpoles do not have flags.
• On top of Peach's Castle, the flags are absent.
• In front of Peach's Castle, the hanging banners are absent.
• The birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.
• Some lines of flags are absent.

Toad Harbor

• Some of the sailboats are absent.

Twisted Mansion

• Some of the Boos are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, only the Boos at the wavy dining area are present.

Shy Guy Falls

• The butterflies around some groups of flowers are absent.
• The flying eagle is absent.

Sunshine Airport

• The hanging flags on the light posts are absent.
• At the first gliding section, the first pair of airborne markers are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• After the second gliding section, the two flags after the first two are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, the mechanic Toads are absent.

Dolphin Shoals

• The Cheep Cheeps and themanta are absent.
• At the finish line, two of the three schools of fish are absent and most of the scuba-diving Toads are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of the schools of fish and scuba-diving Toads are absent.
• SomeJellybeams are absent.

Electrodrome

• At the right turn before the anti-gravity section, the rotating stage lights that move around are absent.
• Some sparklers are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.

Mount Wario

• TheSwoops are absent.
• In the background, some of the skiing Shy Guys are absent.

Cloudtop Cruise

• In 3 and 4 player mode, the airborne markers located at the first gliding section are absent.

Bone-Dry Dunes

• In 3 and 4 player mode, the line of lamps hanging over the race track are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, the flags are absent.

Bowser's Castle

• The airship is absent.
• Some of the flags are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• Two of the cannons on the towers located at the right turn to the finish line are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• On the finish line truss, the flames coming out are absent.
• Some of theLava Geysers are absent. The ones at the entrance of the castle are absent.

Rainbow Road

• The satellites (one near the first anti-gravity section and another near the end of the second anti-gravity section) are absent.
• The Blooper space shuttles are absent.
• Some of the floating? Blocks and Toads in space capsules are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• The airborne markers located at all of the gliding sections are absent.
• The two bleachers located at the finish line each have a rotating wheel missing. The two bleachers located near therings that resembleLaunch Stars do not have rotating wheels. In 3 and 4 player mode, all the rotating wheels on every bleacher are absent.
• On the projector, the hologram of the Special Cup trophy is absent.
• The oval-shaped tube with the finish line in the middle has a line of lights circling clockwise missing at the end where the racers exit.
• The solar cells at the bottom of the space station are absent.

Wii Moo Moo Meadows

• Some of theMoo Moos in the background are absent.
• The birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.

GBA Mario Circuit

• Some of the sparetires are absent.
• The birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.

DS Cheep Cheep Beach

• The sailboats and thePiantas very far in the background are absent.
• Some schools of fish are absent.

N64 Toad's Turnpike

• The helicopter is absent.

GCN Dry Dry Desert

• At the underwater section, some of theKoopa Paratroopas are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.

SNES Donut Plains 3

• On the fortress, the flames on the torches are absent.

N64 Royal Raceway

• Some of the swan boats are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode:
  • The MKTV broadcast vans are absent.
  • The bleach banner at the bleacher is absent.

3DS DK Jungle

• Some of theDK Barrels are absent.
• Some of the parrots are absent.

DS Wario Stadium

• The MKTV broadcast vans are absent.
• The large broadcasting screen rotates between the players' points of view.
• Some of the bleach banners are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, all of them are absent.
• Some of the hanging banners are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, most of them are absent.

GCN Sherbet Land

• The sparklers are absent.
• The line of flags is absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode:
  • The line of lights is absent.
  • Onesnowman is absent.
  • The Jellybeams are absent.
  • The fireworks have fewer sparkles.

N64 Yoshi Valley

• The Swoops are absent.

DS Tick-Tock Clock

• In 3 and 4 player mode, the red gear located near the left turn to the finish line is absent.

3DS Piranha Plant Slide

• The Cheep Cheeps are absent.
• In 3 and 4 player mode, at the finish line, the Toads, Paratroopas, hanging banners, and some flags are absent. Only two Toads on the top of the finish line truss are present.

Wii Grumble Volcano

• The Lava Geysers are absent.
• Some torches do not have flames.
• Two of the four torches before the finish line are absent.
• The flames on the finish line truss are absent.

N64 Rainbow Road

• The city is not active; the cars and trains in the city are absent.
• TheLuigi-shaped firework and most ordinary fireworks are absent. In 3 and 4 player mode, the ordinary fireworks have fewer sparkles.

GCN Yoshi Circuit

• In 3 and 4 player mode, some of the spectators and sailboats are absent.

Excitebike Arena

• The MKTV van and the bleach banners are absent.
• All of the spectators are absent.

Dragon Driftway

• The birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.

Wii Wario's Gold Mine

• All the spectators are absent.
• Only one mining Shy Guy is present.
• The mine carts in the background are absent.

Ice Ice Outpost

• The helicopter is absent.

Hyrule Circuit

• The flags on the castle are absent.
• The spectators are absent.

Wild Woods

• The birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.
• The flying eagles in the background are absent.

Animal Crossing

• In spring and summer, the birds that fly away when racers approach them are absent.
• The train is absent.
• The crab shells that players can knock over are absent.
• The flag at the finish line is absent.

3DS Neo Bowser City

• The hovering platforms carrying the spectators are absent.
• The cars in the anti-gravity glass tunnels in the background are absent.

Big Blue

• The large broadcasting screen rotates between the players' points of view.
• The jets in the background are absent.

Regional differences

• Wherever text appears in the background elements of the game's racetracks (notably in3DS Neo Bowser City and3DS Music Park), it is generally written in American English, regardless of the language or region of the game itself.
• In the Japanese version, the classifier for the classic courses fromMario Kart 64 has changed toN64, from64 which was used prior toMario Kart 8. This change is also applied to the Chinese and Korean translation ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe.

amiibo

Theamiibo Mii racing suits menu as of version 4.1

Mii outfits alongside their amiibo

As of the version 3.0 update,Mario Kart 8 includes compatibility withamiibo, Nintendo's series of NFC enabled figurines.^[46] By scanning certain amiibo, players can unlock one of ten costumes for use by Miis based upon the amiibo character.^[47]

The amiibo originally compatible areMario,Luigi,Yoshi,Peach,Donkey Kong,Link and Toon Link,Kirby,Captain Falcon,Samus, andFox.^[48] Nine more suits were later added with the version 4.0 update, unlockable by using theMega Man,Sonic,Villager,Pac-Man,Toad,Wario,Olimar,Rosalina, andBowser amiibo.^[49]

Technical aspects

The game renders in dynamic 1280x720/1152x648 resolution.

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.

The game supports haptic feedback. This is most noticeable when revving up the engine before the start, with smaller effects for colliding into opponents, using Mushrooms, running over speed boosts, running into Item Boxes, and driving on grass.

Staff

Main article:List of Mario Kart 8 staff

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developedMario Kart 8 in cooperation withBandai Namco Studios, who made roughly half of the 3D visual assets of courses, characters and vehicle parts.^[2] Furthermore, an undisclosed number of 3D models for artwork illustrations have been made by Marza Animation Planet, a subsidiary ofSEGA.^[50] The music composition is credited to Shiho Fujii, Atsuko Asahi,Ryo Nagamatsu, and Yasuaki Iwata, with longtime series composerKenta Nagata serving as sound director with the music performed by theMario Kart Band.Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma were the general producers, though the latter goes uncredited, andSatoru Iwata was the executive producer.

Development

Development forMario Kart 8 started in 2012.^[25] Series producerHideki Konno first revealed that he wanted to produce aMario Kart game for the Wii U in late 2011.^[51] Such a game was later revealed to be in development in the January 2013 Nintendo Direct and confirmed to be shown off at E3 that year,^[52] with the game being officially revealed during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.^[53]

Some ideas that were scrapped inMario Kart 8 included a drill that made drivers drive into subterranean depths. The idea was scrapped because the developers thought it was not as interesting as the anti-gravity idea.^[54]

The anti-gravity concept stemmed from the Wii U being a powerful console, and with the upgraded hardware, the developers wanted to make courses with a 3D plane in mind rather than the 2D plane as the other tracks in theMario Kart series.^[55] The title,Mario Kart 8, also stemmed from the anti-gravity mechanic as, in addition to being the eighth main installment in the series, the "8" used in the official logo was stylized to resemble aMöbius strip.^[55]

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

Pre-release and unused content

Main article:List of Mario Kart 8 pre-release and unused content

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

Glitches

Main article:List of Mario Kart 8 glitches

Spiny Shell attacks incorrect racer

This glitch is most common inN64 Yoshi Valley due to the numerous paths drivers may follow, though it can happen under specific circumstances in other courses such as Bone-Dry Dunes. Occasionally when a Spiny Shell is deployed and the racers in at least first and second place are in a section where the road forks in two, the Spiny Shell may initially follow the racer in first place and then change its target to the one in second place or the highest place out of those in the other path. This is caused by some courses–in particular Yoshi Valley–having the checkpoint markers that determine the place of the racers being inadequately calibrated with the other routes. This is demonstrated by driving down the old bridge path while in first place: the player drops position while in the turn and then returns to first place once the paths join up again.^[56]

Promotion and advertising

Collaboration with Pennzoil

Nintendo andPennzoil teamed up to promoteMario Kart 8 by hosting an event in which participants were able to race on real-life modified karts on a specially-designed track.^[57] Icons representing some of the items in the game were spread in the course as well.

Bonus/Free game promotion

Between May 30 and July 31, 2014,Club Nintendo members in North America, Europe, and Australia who registeredMario Kart 8 could receive a free download code for one of several Wii U games. In Europe and Australia, players had the choice of:Nintendo Land,New Super Mario Bros. U,Game & Wario,Pikmin 3,The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD,Sonic Lost World,Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games,Wii Party U,The Wonderful 101, andMonster Hunter 3 Ultimate^[58] while North American players were limited to onlyNew Super Mario Bros. U,The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD,Pikmin 3, andWii Party U.^[59]

Play Nintendo

ThePlay Nintendo website featured an application titledMario Kart 8 Party Starter, designed for players to hostMario Kart 8 tournaments.

Official competitions

The following are promotionalMario Kart 8 competitions sanctioned by Nintendo, ordered by starting date. For official competitions held in the game's Nintendo Switch version, seeMario Kart 8 Deluxe § Official tournaments.

Title	Location	Period	Banner/logo
Mario Kart 8 promotion tour	Various localities acrossBelgium	July 19–September 13, 2014 CEST	N/A
Mario Kart 8 Champions of San Diego	Online	July 24–July 27, 2014 PST
Camp Miiverse	Online	August 1–August 24, 2014 (as weekend challenges) July 10, 2015–July 13, 2015
Mario Kart 8 Championship 2014	The competition's qualifiers were held online. The grand final took place at theEarls Court Exhibition Centre inLondon,United Kingdom as part of theEGX London 2014 event.	August 16–September 27, 2014 BST

Reception

Critical 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 courses, the music, and the overall gameplay (both single player and multiplayer). The addition of anti-gravity has also been praised, as has the online mode. However, the roster, notably the amount of baby and metal characters and the lack of previous racer veterans, has received some criticism. The Battle mode has a universal negative reaction among reviewers, with most of reviewers preferring the traditional Battle modes that previousMario Kart games did rather than this iteration. The incorporation of the Wii U GamePad has also been a point of contention.

Sales

Over the weekend of its launch,Mario Kart 8 sold 1.2 million units worldwide, making it the fastest-sellingWii U title so far^[60] and the best selling title for the Wii U as well, selling approximately 2.82 million copies worldwide as of July 30, 2014.^[61] As of September 30, the game sold over 3.49 million copies worldwide.^[62] In January 2015, it was announced that over 1.7 million total copies (both physical and digital) had been sold in the United States alone,^[63] and by March sales had reached 1.9 million.^[64] As of March 31, 2015, the game has sold 5.11 million copies worldwide.^[65] By the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, sales have reached to 7.24 million.^[66] At September 30, 2016,Mario Kart 8 has reached 8 million sales, including digital, physical, and bundle sales;^[67] as of March 31, 2018, it reached 8.42 million, although it was exceeded by itsNintendo Switch portMario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold 9.22 million units.^[68] As of September 30, 2021, it had sold 8.46 million units worldwide.^[69]

Awards

Mario Kart 8 won two awards at The Game Awards 2014, being the "Best Family Game" and the "Best Sports/Racing Game".^[70]

Gallery

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

• 

  Mario driving hisStandard Kart inanti-gravity

• 

  Luigi driving hisMach 8

• 

  Rosalina with herStandard ATV

• 

  Peach andYoshi

• 

  Wario andDonkey Kong

• 

  TheKoopalings

Soundtrack

The game's official soundtrack.

Anofficial soundtrack could be ordered byClub Nintendo members in Japan, Europe, and Oceania featuring 68 songs from the game, including those from the two DLC packs.Mario Kart 8 is the first game in theMario Kart series in which none of the courses share background music; all previous installments in the series have had courses that used the same background music. As well, similar toSuper Mario Galaxy andSuper Mario 3D World, the entire soundtrack for this game is orchestrated/live-recorded, including the songs that are electronic-sounding; previous games usually had their music already pre-programmed with only keyboards and synthesized/artificial sounds. A North American release is yet to be announced.

Despite being recorded live, the music still continued to use several virtual instruments, which came from the following synthesizers and sound libraries:Apple'sLogic Pro; Best Service's Gigapack and Orchestral Colours;EastWest Studios' virtual instruments Goliath, Gypsy, Ministry of Rock and Symphonic Orchestra; theKorg Triton;Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU)'s Universal Loops & Instruments;Native Instruments'Kontakt Factory Library;Roland'sFantom-X synthesizer andSound Canvas SC-8850 module; Samplemodelling's The Trumpet;Sonic Reality's World Traveler;Spectrasonics' Omnisphere and Supreme Beats; andSteinberg'sHALionOne.^[71]

The music in the credits, arranged byRyo Nagamatsu, includes melodic quotations fromThwomp Ruins,Mario Circuit,Electrodrome,Mount Wario, andCloudtop Cruise. Additionally, it also has an ending similar to the ending of the credits inMario Kart Wii (also written by Nagamatsu), but much more elaborate.

Multimedia

For the complete list of media files for this subject, seeMultimedia:Mario Kart 8.

Mario Kart Stadium - Music forMario Kart Stadium.

File info ​

Mario Circuit - Music forMario Circuit.

File info ​

Dolphin Shoals - Music forDolphin Shoals

File info ​

Cloudtop Cruise - Music forCloudtop Cruise.

File info ​

Rainbow Road - Music forRainbow Road

File info ​

Help:Media file •Having trouble playing?

References to other games

Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally

• The Mario's Motors logo is seen at the starting line of Mario Circuit.
• Mario's artwork from the game can be faintly seen above the logo itself.

Super Mario Bros.

• Various sprites of enemies and scenery can be seen on pots inBone-Dry Dunes.
• Part ofCloudtop Cruise's course layout involves a large? Block with a beanstalk coming out of it.
• Super Bell Subway features graffiti representingWorld 1-2 in the underground portion, along with an arrangement of the underground theme first heard in that level.

Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic

• The Shy Guy Metals sign seen atToad Harbor says that they've been around since 1987, which is the year of this game's release and the Shy Guys' debut.

Super Mario Bros. 3

• Many aspects of Cloudtop Cruise, particularly the airships, are inspired by this game.
• Bowser Statues that shoot lasers appear inBowser's Castle.
• The sprite of theAngry Sun can be seen in the yellow ornamental fabrics near the start of Bone-Dry Dunes.

Super Mario World

• Various advertisements seen throughout the game reference this game with the original artwork ofDolphins.Spinners appear in Bowser's Castle.
• Cape Feathers appear on desks inSunshine Airport.
• Tanooki Mario's horn uses the same sound effect as theSpin Jump andCape Attack.

Super Mario Kart

• A portion of the title screen music is a cover of "Super Mario Kart Title Screen".
• The Coin item returns with the same function as it does in this game.
• ThePipe Frame returns as kart body, with the single exhaust design from this game.
• Donut Plains 3 returns as a classic course.
• Rainbow Road andN64 Rainbow Road feature similar designs to theRainbow Road course from that game, which also appears as add-on content.
• The desks inSunshine Airport have feather pens with the same design as the Cape Feather from this game and consequentlySuper Mario World.
• The Fun Flower kiosk inSuper Bell Subway features a chalkboard with a drawing referencing the title screen fromSuper Mario Kart.

Super Mario 64

• The merry-go-round music fromBig Boo's Haunt can be heard when near the Aqua Cups ride in Water Park.

Mario Kart 64

• The game features engine sounds during the start-up screen, which this game's start-up screen also had.
• Toad's Turnpike,Royal Raceway,Yoshi Valley, andRainbow Road return as classic courses.
• In Toad's Turnpike, a sign shows a highway advisory radio station running at the frequency "64 MHz", referencing both the system and the game it came from.
• When in two-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of horizontally, a feature originally intended for this game.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

• Mario Circuit returns as a classic course.
• The Cloudtop Cruise is similar to theGBA Sky Garden course, and its name in Japanese is the name of the aforementioned course.
• Cheese Land andRibbon Road return as classic courses in DLC Pack 2.

Luigi's Mansion

• Themansion can be seen in the background ofBaby Park.
• The courseTwisted Mansion contains elements related to this game.

Super Mario Sunshine

• Sunshine Airport has aShine Sprite in its logo. The European release date is used as a serial number on some storage crates in Sunshine Airport (55402MS translates to October 4, 2002).

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

• In both games, characters hold items in their hands and players can honk their horns when they are out of items. In addition, they hold items in their left hands instead of their right.
• Dry Dry Desert andSherbet Land return as classic course.
  • Yoshi Circuit andBaby Park also return as DLC classic course.
• N64 Rainbow Road takes place above a city, much likeRainbow Road from this game.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

• Yoshi's artwork which depicts him using his tongue is used as a firework inN64 Rainbow Road.

• Mario Kart DS
• Cheep Cheep Beach,Tick-Tock Clock, andWario Stadium return as classic courses.
• TheB Dasher, a kart from this game, returns as a part of the first downloadable content pack.
• Both games allow players the option to use the D-Pad to steer.
• In addition, the new Battle mode system is also partially based from this game.

New Super Mario Bros. series

• When selected,Koopa Troopa will swing his arms as he does when reacting to a "Paah" in this series.

Super Mario Galaxy

• An image of a Luma can be seen on an airplane (from Galaxy Air airlines) in Sunshine Airport, as well as on theStar Cup trophy.
• Part of Cloudtop Cruise's music is a cover of "Gusty Garden Galaxy".
• A large rotatingGrand Star is featured inN64 Rainbow Road, as well as theLaunch Stars.

Mario Kart Wii

• Twelve player races andmotorbikes return.
• The ability to perform tricks on ramps and boost panels returns.
• Moo Moo Meadows andGrumble Volcano also return as classic courses along withWario's Gold Mine which returns as add on content.
• Thenew Rainbow Road is set above the Earth, just likeRainbow Road from this game and both Rainbow Roads feature a part that is similar; the road splits into two paths after a launch segment and also have prominent pink shades.
• Super Bell Subway has the Coconut Café and an ad for the Fountain Café, referencing two businesses found inCoconut Mall.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

• One of the planes in Sunshine Airport has a logo forPropeller Toad Transport with an insignia of aPropeller Mushroom.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

• Part of Cloudtop Cruise's music includes a cover of theSky Station Galaxy's music.
• The tunnel at the beginning ofDragon Driftway is modeled afterGobblegut.
• Boulders are modeled afterRock Mario's boulder form, sharing an identical rock plate configuration.

Super Mario 3D Land

• Goomba Towers appear as obstacles inMario Circuit.
• TheBiddybuggy resembles aPara-Biddybud.
• TheBoomerang Flower appears as an item. A silhouette ofTanooki Mario's artwork can be seen on the back of theLeaf Cup trophy.
• Tanooki Mario is an available racer via add-on content, andStatue Mario is one of histricks.

Mario Kart 7

• Gliders and underwater areas return.
• Music Park,Piranha Plant Slide, andDK Jungle return as classic courses whileNeo Bowser City returns as a DLC classic course.
• Vehicle customization returns from this game.
• The beat that is added to the music when the player is in first place also returns from this game.
• Mount Wario,N64 Rainbow Road andBig Blue are split into three sections just likethethreecourses from this game.
• Electrodrome has some similarities with Music Park, which is when players drive on the instruments, they make their own sound.
• Mario Kart 7's point system where each racer gets a point regardless of their position returns.
• Various kart parts that originated from this game return.
• The ability to retract the Gliders while in the air has been removed unless getting hit by items launched by opponents.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

• Twisted Mansion's entrance has a statue of aBoohemoth above it, an enemy from this game.
• Bone Piranha Plants make an appearance in Bone-Dry Dunes.

New Super Mario Bros. U

• TheMecha Cheep appears in this game and there is a glider based on aWaddlewing.

Super Mario 3D World

• ThePotted Piranha Plant appears as an item.
• Most of the fireworks inN64 Rainbow Road usestamp images from this game which replaces the neon-lit signs of the eight playable characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong) and a portrait of a Boo and Mushroom inMario Kart 64.
• An ad on Toad Harbor for Tropical Grocery has aDouble Cherry on it.
• Cat Peach is an available racer via add on content, and the logo for the Bell Cup is theSuper Bell.

Super Smash Bros. series

• Captain Falcon's signature taunt, "Show me your moves!", which originates from this series, appears in several jumbotrons near the end of the track of the DLC courseMute City.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

• Mini Toads appear at the starting line ofGBA Ribbon Road.

References in later media

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Mario Circuit reappears asa stage. The songs "Mario Kart Stadium", "Mario Circuit (MK8)", "Cloudtop Cruise", and "Rainbow Road (MK8)" appear as music tracks for the stage; Cloudtop Cruise was remixed with both the regular and thundercloud versions mixed.

Yoshi's Woolly World

• The Green, Pink, and Light-blue woolly Yoshi plush toys that appear in the background ofGBA Ribbon Road resemble the Yoshis from this game and its compatibleamiibo.

Nintendo Badge Arcade

• Various stamps of the characters and objects are collectible badges.

• Super Mario Maker
• TheGLA body returns as aMystery Mushroomcostume.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

• The Luigi "Death Stare" meme, which originated from this game, is referenced byHuey.
• "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" and the countdown timer sound are used when Mario and Huey are about to go to Rainbow Road.

Super Mario Run

• The final five seconds of aBattle mode match is used inToad Rally along with its sound.

Super Mario Odyssey

• Some of thesponsors from this game appear on Mario's mechanic and racing outfits.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• In addition to the Mario Circuit stage and its aforementioned accompanying songs reappearing fromSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, "Excitebike - Mario Kart 8", "Dragon Driftway", and "Ice Ice Outpost" also appear as music tracks.
• TheMach 8,Biddybuggy,Badwagon,City Tripper, andMaster Cycle appear as spirits.

Yoshi's Crafted World

• Various sponsors fromMario Kart 8 reappear in this game.

Mario Kart Tour

• Most of the Mii racing suits return from this game.
• TheBiddybuggy,Landship,Mach 8,Standard Kart (thered andgreen versions only),Circuit Special,P-Wing,Sports Coupe,Steel Driver,Prancer,Cat Cruiser,Streetle,Tanooki Kart,Badwagon, andWild Wiggler return as karts, along with various tires that are no longer separate parts.
• ThePaper Glider,Wario Wing, andCloud Glider return as gliders.
• The fanfare after winning a cup in Grand Prix mode is reused in this game for the movie ending the tour.
• TheBlooper Shuttle resembles the Blooper space shuttle inMario Kart 8's Rainbow Road.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

See also:List of references in The Super Mario Bros. Movie § Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• The countdown sound is used for theIllumination logo.
• "Selection Screen" is arranged in the film's score.
• A design on the vehicle-building machine references the Wii U GamePad's functionality as a horn.
• The sound of Toad's horn is reused.
• Anti-gravity is used in the Rainbow Road scene.

Mario Kart World

• Several sponsors return fromMario Kart 8.
• Course select icons generally feature prominent track elements superimposed over images of the courses they belong to, like in this game.
• Trick-able, surfboard-bearing vehicles return.
• Karts can illuminate the road ahead of them using headlamps, like in this game.
• Thetrophy presentation screen appears very similar to how it does in this game.
• Many of this game's lobby messages return.^[72]
• The design of thecrown is inspired by its design inMario Kart 8 Deluxe.
• Several Knockout Tour rally icons are based oncup icons from theBooster Course Pass.
• Starview Peak features a segment of road split between a green left path and a yellow right path, similar toIce Ice Outpost.
• The Biddybuggy returns as a kart.

Notes

• Mario Kart 8 is the only game in theMario Kart series:
  • Where no two courses share the same background music (exceptMario Kart Arcade GP VR, which has only one course). This also used to apply toMario Kart 8 Deluxe until the second wave of theBooster Course Pass addedDS Waluigi Pinball, which shares music withDS Wario Stadium, and toMario Kart Live: Home Circuit until its version 1.1.0 update addedBarrel Temple, which shares its music withPiranha Paradise, andFossil Fields, which shares its music withEmber Island.
  • Featuring classic courses to not include aMario Circuit fromSuper Mario Kart.
  • To have a number ofRainbow Road courses not shared by any other game, with three including the DLC.Super Mario Kart,Mario Kart 64,Mario Kart: Double Dash!!,Mario Kart DS,Mario Kart Wii, andMario Kart Live: Home Circuit each have one Rainbow Road course,Mario Kart: Super Circuit andMario Kart 7 each have two, andMario Kart 8 Deluxe andMario Kart Tour each have five.
  • To not have any of its courses appear as classic courses in future entries.

Names in other languages

References