Nintendo has revealed that the DLC in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can be played without purchasing the Booster Pack. The February 2022 Nintendo Direct revealed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is receiving its first-ever DLC tracks in 2022, even though the game launched in 2017.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will receive 48 DLC tracks, which are remastered versions of existing tracks from previous Mario Kart games. These tracks will be released across six waves, containing eight tracks each. Wave 1 is set to launch on March 18 and it will feature classic tracks like Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii and Choco Mountain from Mario Kart 64. All of the DLC will be released as part of the Booster Pack and the waves cannot be purchased individually. The Booster Pack costs $24.99, but people who have a subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack will have free access to the Booster Pack's content, for as long as they continue to subscribe.
It turns out that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players don't need to purchase the Booster Pack to experience the DLC content in the game. It was revealed on the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe page on the Nintendo website (via Nintendo Life) that there are ways to play MK8's DLC without owning the Booster Pack. The DLC tracks will appear in the Random rotation of tracks when playing the Global or Regional online multiplayer modes. These tracks will enter the rotation on March 22.
MK8's DLC tracks will randomly appear in the online mode, but there is another way to experience the DLC courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It was also revealed that players can play the DLC tracks when using the Friends or Rivals multiplayer modes. Only one player needs to own the tracks for everyone to be able to access them. This decision was likely made so as not to hinder the ability to play with friends. There are lots of people who play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with their friends online and the Booster Pack could have caused issues when someone who doesn't own the DLC tries playing with people who do, so these issues are now moot.
It's surprising that Nintendo waited so long to release DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as it's the best-selling Nintendo Switch game of all time. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has a huge fanbase and many people will likely buy the Booster Pack. It's commendable that Nintendo is giving players the chance to experience MK8's DLC content with others online, as the alternative would involve creating two classes of players, and would risk groups of friends being unable to enjoy the game together.
Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack will be released on March 18, 2022.
Source: Nintendo, Nintendo Life