Despite originally being released on the Nintendo Wii U nine years ago, Mario Kart 8 continues to prove popular for the Nintendo Switch and remains the console's biggest-selling game of all time.
Fans remain desperate for a proper follow-up (let's face it, Mario Kart Tour and Home Circuit don’t count) but in the meantime, they’ve been treated to an entire game's worth of bonus content in the form of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition: Booster Course Pass, the latest of which became available for download today.
The latest update features 2 brand new cups, consisting of 8 additional courses, as well as the first bonus character to be released as part of the Booster Course Pass, Birdo, who returns after previously appearing in Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour.
The first cup in Wave 4, the Fruit Cup, features a brand new track based on the SNES classic, Yoshi’s Island, Amsterdam Drift from Mario Kart Tour and the classic tracks Riverside Park from Mario Kart: Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance and DK Summit from Mario Kart Wii.
The Boomerang Cup features two tracks from Mario Kart Tour; Bangkok Rush and Singapore Speedway, as well as fan favourite Mario Circuit from Mario Kart DS and finally includes a track from Mario Kart: Double Dash, Waluigi Stadium, becoming the first additional track from the Nintendo Gamecube classic to be included in the Booster Course Pass.
The latest update marks the beginning of a huge month for Mario fans, with a slew of discounted titles being made available on the Nintendo eShop as a part of MAR10 Day (March 10th) and the release of the long-awaited Super Mario Movie from Illuminati Studios starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black and Anya Taylor-Joy, which is set for release on the 5th April.
The final two waves of the Booster Course Pass (which will include the Feather Cup, the Cherry Cup, the Acorn Cup and the Spiny Cup) are due for release before the end of 2023 and will bring yet another 16 courses to the Nintendo Switch, which should be enough to keep fans going until any potential follow-up to Mario Kart 8 is announced. There is currently no word on whether the final two waves will feature any additional characters.
Wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass will be added automatically to subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack and is available for purchase separately for $24.99 / £22.49.