Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s latest DLC, set to release on August 4, is already proving to be more promising than the first. Mario Kart 8 is the most successful Nintendo Switch game of all time, having sold over 50 million units since its launch in 2014. However, since the base game only features 32 tracks, many have been asking for new tracks to be added to Mario Kart 8’s repertoire in the form of DLC. As a result, the coming DLC will provide 8 different courses for players to race through, including one completely new track called Sky-High Sundae.
Nintendo has promised to add 48 tracks in total to Mario Kart 8 with six DLCs, or Booster Course Pass Waves, to be released at regular intervals throughout 2022 and 2023. The Booster Course Pass Wave 1, which came out on March 18, included two new Grand Prix cups: the Golden Dash cup which comprises Paris Promenade (Tour), Toad Circuit (3DS), Choco Mountain (N64), and Coconut Mall (Wii), and the Lucky Cat Cup which includes Tokyo Blur (Tour), Shroom Ridge (DS) Sky Garden (GBA), and Ninja Hideaway (Tour). While this first DLC only contained remasters of older Mario Kart tracks, some have said the DLC is basically Mario Kart 9 and given it positive reviews. Since Wave 2 will add an original course on top of seven classic courses, it should be even better than the first DLC installment.
Like Wave 1, Wave 2 will add two cups to the game. The Turnip cup will bring back tracks New York Minute (Tour), Mario Circuit 3 (SNES), Kalimari Desert (N64), and Waluigi Pinball (DS); meanwhile the Propeller cup will include Sydney Sprint (Tour), Snow Land (GBA), Mushroom Gorge (Wii), and brand new Mario Kart 8 original track Sky-High Sundae. This treat-themed track is set amongst bright pink, green, and blue ice cream stalls, giant popsicles, cone-shaped helicopters, and chocolate-peaked mountains. With glide ramps and slippery slopes situated high in the air, this will be the fourth ever Mario Kart track to be entirely set in anti-gravity mode, the three others being Baby Park, Big Blue, and Mute City.
All DLC Tracks Can Be Bought At Once
The Booster Course Pass Wave 2 will be included free of charge for those who have subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The Expansion Pack is available for $49.99 a year and includes access to classic Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games, and DLC with new tracks in Mario Kart 8, home designing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and extra missions in Splatoon 2 on top of the benefits of a Switch Online subscription. Conversely, all 48 tracks that are planned to release with each Booster Course Pass Wave can be bought for a one-time fee of $24.99.
With Sky-High Sundae launching in under a week, the upcoming DLC is perfectly timed to compliment the final few hot months of summer. In lieu of an announcement for a new Mario Kart title, the Booster Course Pass may well bring players back to Mario Kart 8 despite the game being seven years old, thanks to Nintendo continuing to make new original tracks available for fans of the franchise.