Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8
Wii U cover art
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD[a] Nintendo EPD[a][b]
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Kosuke Yabuki Yusuke Shiraiwa[b]
Producer(s)	Hideki Konno Yasuyuki Oyagi Kosuke Yabuki[b]
Programmer(s)	Yusuke Shiraiwa
Artist(s)	Masaaki Ishikawa Masahiro Kawanishi[b]
Composer(s)	Shiho Fujii Atsuko Asahi Ryo Nagamatsu Yasuaki Iwata Kenta Nagata[b]
Series	Mario Kart
Platform(s)	Wii U Nintendo Switch
Release	Wii U JP: May 29, 2014 NA/EU: May 30, 2014 AU: May 31, 2014[1] Nintendo Switch WW: April 28, 2017 CN: March 16, 2020[2]
Genre(s)	Kart racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Mario Kart 8^[c] is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It retains the gameplay of previous Mario Kart games, with players controlling a Mario character in races around tracks. Tracks are themed around locales from the Super Mario series populated with power-ups that help players gain advantages in races. Different difficulties are selectable prior to a race; harder difficulties make gameplay faster. In the new anti-gravity sequences, players drive on walls and ceilings. Mario Kart 8 contains a variety of single-player and local and online multiplayer game modes, including Grand Prix racing and arena-based battle modes.

Nintendo revealed Mario Kart 8 in 2013 and released it in May 2014. Both paid and free downloadable content (DLC) was released after its launch, including additional tracks and a new difficulty setting. It was rereleased on the Nintendo Switch in April 2017 as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,^[d] with the original DLC for free, a revamped battle mode and other gameplay alterations. From March 2022 until November 2023, Deluxe was given additional DLC, the Booster Course Pass, which added 48 circuits and eight characters.

Mario Kart 8 was a critical success; reviewers praised its gameplay and presentation, but the battle mode was criticized. Critics praised Deluxe as the definitive version for its improved battle modes and presentation. Both releases have been named by critics as among the best Mario Kart games, have won and been nominated for several awards, and have been cited in following years as being among the greatest video games ever made. Mario Kart 8 is one of the best-selling video games of all time, at over 71.36 million sold for both versions combined. The original version is also the best-selling Wii U game at 8.46 million sold and Deluxe is the best-selling Nintendo Switch game at 64.27 million.

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