User:ShyGuy8/sandbox

Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 is a game for the Wii U. It is the eighth installment in the main Mario Kart series and including the arcade games, the eleventh overall. This installment is a follow-up game of the Nintendo 3DS title Mario Kart 7. Like other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games, this game can be purchased both physically at retail and digitally through the Nintendo eShop, with the digital version requiring 4949.8 MB (approx. 4.83 GB) of memory to be installed.

A prominent new addition is anti-gravity, allowing players to drive on almost any surface. Elements from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 are reused, such as Bikes and 2-Player online from Mario Kart Wii, and gliding, underwater driving, and kart customizing from Mario Kart 7. In addition, ATVs join the returning karts and bikes as a new class of vehicle. The game also features more detail in courses, specifically Retro Tracks, which appear more redesigned than their original appearance.

Gameplay

The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previous Mario Kart games, mostly from the two recent installments on the Wii and Nintendo 3DS respectively. Karts, which feature similar designs from Mario 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, as well as Coins, with the player being able to collect up to ten in one race as in Mario Kart 7. Like Mario Kart Wii, twelve racers are present in normal races. Tricks and the ability to look behind also return in this game.

The newest feature for the series is anti-gravitational 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 spin boosting.

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. 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 also Miiverse integration, which allows players to share their replay videos and comment on others' videos, in a feature called Mario Kart TV. Another change is that in 2-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of the horizontally in the other console Mario Kart games, a feature that was originally intended to be in Mario 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 to Mario Kart Wii, except that racers below top 3 get an extra point. Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these eight games:

Point Spread Comparisons (GP)
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
Super Mario Kart Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart: Super Circuit	9	6	3	1	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	-
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Kart DS	10	8	6	4	3	2	1	0	-	-	-	-
Mario Kart Wii	15	12	10	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
Mario Kart 7	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
Mario Kart 8	15	12	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
Grove-green bg signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), best after-race music Yellow-limegreen bg signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction), same music in Wi-Fi as winner (different in MKDS GP) Normal bg signifies losing results, losing music; - means not available In Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, and Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this badly three times, the Grand Prix must be started over. Starting with Mario Kart: Double Dash to recent installments including this one, the Grand Prix normally goes forth.

Controls

Action(s)	Input(s)
	Wii U GamePad Wii U Pro Controller Wii Classic Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Wheel
Navigating menus
Select	Template:Button / Template:Button	Template:Button	Template:Button
Confirm	Template:Button	Template:Button	Template:Button
Cancel	Template:Button	Template:Button	Template:Button
Racing
Accelerate / Rocket Start	Template:Button / Template:Button / Template:Button (tilt forward)	Template:Button	Template:Button
Brake/reverse	Template:Button / Template:Button (tilt back)	Template:Button	Template:Button
Steer	Template:Button / Template:Button / Tilt GamePad	Template:Button	Tilt Wii Remote / Template:Button
Hop / drift	Template:Button / Template:Button	Template:Button / Template:Button
Trick		Template:Button / Flick Wii Remote / Template:Button
Use item / stop item roulette / honk	Template:Button / Template:Button	Template:Button	Template:Button / Template:Button
Pause / Resume	Template:Button
Display/remove TV Map	Template:Button
Home Menu	Template:Button
Rear view	Template:Button	Template:Button	Template:Button

Game modes

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

Grand Prix

File:ElectrodromeGlidingSecond.png

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. 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. The player starts out with five coins on the first race of any cup. There is the usual four-race marathon. Players now have the option to do a multiplayer Grand Prix up to four players, unlike in most previous home console Mario Kart games, where only up to two players can race in Grand Prix. Template:Br

Time Trials

File:Rocket Start (Mario Kart 8).jpg

A Time Trial run has started 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 viewing ghost 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 in Mario Kart Wii also return. Template:Br

VS Race

File:MK8 Multiplayer Race.jpg

Four Miis in a multiplayer race.

VS mode can be played locally with up to four players. Players can set rules like which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, and Team or Solo racing. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all tracks randomly or in order. In this game, Mirror Mode appears as a default engine class, even if it isn't unlocked in Grand Prix. Template:Br

Battle

File:MK8 Battle Mode.png

A team battle.

Battle mode now features race tracks remixed to fit battle 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 from Mario Kart DS and earlier installments and the timed points battle mode introduced in Mario 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 a Mushroom or a Super Star), and if all balloons are lost, points can no longer be lost or gained. Defeated players can still drive and attack players as a Ghost, 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. Template:Br

Online

File:MK8 Online Menu.jpg

Main menu for the Online mode.

As with Mario Kart Wii, one or two local players can play over the Internet against other remote players. Players can race and battle with up to eleven other players from around the world or in their region, and can join and race with friends from the Friends menu. Finally, players are able to join a worldwide room using custom rules. Players can 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 players or not. As of version 3.0, players can 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 Template:Button after selecting Worldwide or Regional, as well as when setting up a room for friends. When playing online worldwide or regional, players once again earn VR points based upon their ranking at the end of a race or battle like in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7; like in Mario Kart 7 a player's VR starts at 1000, though like Mario Kart Wii players have different VR rankings for races and battles.

Players can also create their own tournaments, similar to the communities from Mario Kart 7. When creating a tournament, players can choose an icon and a name for their tournament as well as set the rules, including engine class, whether to play in teams or not, whether to have items or not, vehicle types, whether there are computer players or not, 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 can also set times in which the tournament is 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 shuffle after every four matches or not. Finally, the availability can be set, including whether it is open or a code is required or it is open to anybody, whether it is open to anyone worldwide or just regional, and whether only players of certain ratings can play. When looking for a tournament, players can enter a code, search by type, or look at active tournaments. In addition, playing in a tournament that allows the DLC tracks to be selected requires purchasing the DLC before the player can enter.

After entering a room, players can choose one of three predetermined tracks or "Random", which chooses one of any of the game's tracks at random if the player's option is ultimately chosen; when playing with friends, however, players can select from any of the tracks available depending on the settings. Once every player has selected a track a roulette selects one of these options as the track to be raced on.

Mario Kart TV

File:MK8 Mario Kart TV.jpg

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 can also share their highlights on Miiverse and YouTube; up to sixty seconds of video can be uploaded at one time, however. Template:Br

Characters

Drivers

File:CharSelect-DLC-MK8.jpg

The full character select screen, including the downloadable characters.

There are 36 total playable characters in Mario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters, 14 unlockable characters, and 6 characters obtainable by purchasing the add-on packs. Including the add-on characters, there are 14 new playable characters, being the seven Koopalings (indicated by an * in the gallery), Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach (indicated by an **), Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link, Villager, and Isabelle. There are three weight classes dependent on the size of the vehicle the characters drive (with the exception of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach): light, medium, and heavy.

The add-on packs contain three new characters each (see here for more info), but if both are purchased, the player will gain access to eight new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy, ultimately expanding the character roster by 22 characters. Updates have been released that allowed suits to be unlocked by using amiibo, which allow Miis to resemble characters such as Samus Aran and Sonic the Hedgehog. Template:Br

Starting drivers

• MK8 Mario.png

  Mario
  Medium

• MK8 Luigi.png

  Luigi
  Medium

• MK8 Peach.png

  Peach
  Medium

• MK8 Daisy.png

  Daisy
  Medium

• MK8 Yoshi.png

  Yoshi
  Medium

• MK8 Toad.png

  Toad
  Light

• MK8 Koopa.png

  Koopa Troopa
  Light

• MK8 ShyGuy.png

  Shy Guy
  Light

• MK8 BabyMario.png

  Baby Mario
  Light

• MK8 BabyLuigi.png

  Baby Luigi
  Light

• MK8 BabyPeach.png

  Baby Peach
  Light

• MK8 BabyDaisy.png

  Baby Daisy
  Light

• MK8 Bowser.png

  Bowser
  Heavy

• MK8 DonkeyKong.png

  Donkey Kong
  Heavy

• MK8 Wario.png

  Wario
  Heavy

• MK8 Waluigi.png

  Waluigi
  Heavy

Unlockable drivers

• MK8 Rosalina.png

  Rosalina
  Heavy

• MK8 MetalMario.png

  Metal Mario
  Heavy

• MK8 Lakitu.png

  Lakitu
  Light

• MK8 Toadette.png

  Toadette
  Light

• MK8 BabyRosalina.png

  Baby Rosalina**
  Light

• MK8 PinkGoldPeach.png

  Pink Gold Peach**
  Heavy

• MK8 Iggy.png

  Iggy*
  Medium

• MK8 Roy.png

  Roy*
  Heavy

• MK8 Lemmy.png

  Lemmy*
  Light

• MK8 Larry.png

  Larry*
  Light

• MK8 Wendy.png

  Wendy*
  Light

• MK8 Ludwig.png

  Ludwig*
  Medium

• MK8 Morton.png

  Morton*
  Heavy

• MK8 Mii.png

  Mii
  Any^***

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

Downloadable characters

Included in the game's two downloadable content packs (The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 and Animal 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 the Animal Crossing pack, also has both a male and female variant.

Additional characters
Pack	Characters
The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8	32x32px32x32px32x32px
Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8	50px 32x32px 32x32px
Color skins
Colored Yoshis	32x32px32x32pxLight-blue Yoshi32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px
Colored Shy Guys	Green Shy GuyBlue Shy GuyLight-blue Shy GuyYellow Shy GuyPink Shy Guy32x32px32x32pxOrange Shy Guy

Unlocking criteria

Unlike previous Mario 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 only Mario Kart game that was done so. 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.

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 players.

Driver statistics

Like in Mario Kart 7, drivers in a specific group have their own stats.

• Speed: The top speed of the vehicle. Does not affect off-road travel.
  • Ground Speed: The top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
  • 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.
• Acceleration: The rate of the vehicle it takes to reach its top speed from a standing position.
• Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
• Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
  • Ground Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
  • 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.
• Traction (Grip in PAL version): 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.
• Mini-Turbo: The strength of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts.

Only ground speed, acceleration, weight, ground handling, and traction are visible in-game. The other stats, known as hidden stats, exist, but are not visible in-game.

The units are out of 6, displaying the different stats. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight. Character icons are sorted by how they're ordered in-game.

Driver Statistics
Weight Class		Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
Light	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px 32x32px32x32px32x32px	2.25	2.75	2.25	2.5	3.25	2.25	4.75	4.75	4.5	5	4.5	3
	32x32px32x32px32x32px*32x32px 32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px	2.75	3.25	2.75	3	3	2.75	4.25	4.25	4	4.5	4.25	2.75
Medium	32x32px32x32px	3.25	3.75	3.25	3.5	3	3	3.75	3.75	3.5	4	4	2.5
	32x32px32x32px32x32px*	3.25	3.75	3.25	3.5	2.75	3.25	3.75	3.75	3.5	4	4	2.5
	32x32px32x32px	3.75	4.25	3.75	4	2.75	3.5	3.25	3.25	3	3.5	3.75	2.25
	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px	3.75	4.25	3.75	4	2.5	3.75	3.25	3.25	3	3.5	3.75	2.25
Heavy	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px	4.25	4.75	4.25	4.5	2.25	4.25	2.75	2.75	2.5	3	3.5	2
	32x32px32x32px	4.25	4.75	4.25	4.5	2	4.75	2.75	2.75	2.5	3	3.25	1.75
	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px	4.75	5.25	4.75	5	2	4.75	2.25	2.25	2	2.5	3.25	1.75

* Denotes a character with multiple color changes, see here for more info.

Body frame sizes

Depending on the character, the size of the vehicle can change. The size can influence how big of a target the vehicle is. The body frame size that the Mii uses depends on its weight class.

Vehicle Body Frame Sizes
Size	Characters
Small	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px
Medium	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px50x50px
Large	32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px32x32px

Other characters

Ball 'n' Chains Bone Piranha Plants Boos Boomerang Bros. Boulders Bouncing Notes Chain Chomps Cheep Cheeps

Chomps Cows Dolphins Dry Bones Fire Bros. Fire Snakes Fish Bones Fishin' Lakitu

Freezies Frogoon Gingerbread cookies Goombas/Goomba Towers Gray Bowser Statues Hammer Bros. Jellybeams Koopa Paratroopas

Lakitu Mantas Mecha Cheeps Mecha-Koopas Mini Toads Monty Moles Nokis Piantas

Piranha Plants Pokeys Screaming Pillar Shy Guys Sidesteppers Snowmen Super Thwomp Swoopers

Thwomps Tiki Goons Toads Unagi Yoshis

Vehicle parts

There are 17 karts, 9 bikes, 3 ATVs (26 bodies in total), 19 tires, and 12 gliders. Eight additional karts are also included in the downloadable content packs, four of them appearing in each one, with the Blue Falcon, B Dasher, Master Cycle and Tanooki Kart downloadable in the The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 pack, and the Streetle, City Tripper, P-Wing, and Bone Rattler in the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 pack. The parts are listed as they appear in-game, and the stat boost/drop values are out of 6 and are relative to the standard parts for each type. However, it is impossible for a vehicle to have any stat less than 1 or greater than 5.75. The "8" logos on the parts are replaced with the character's symbol, except on the Gold Standard and Gold Glider.

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 in Mario Kart 7, players can see how many coins they've collected by viewing the statistics screen from the main menu (this feature is available for only Ver. 2.0 and further of Mario Kart 8, however).

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

850 900 950 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400

1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800

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 all 32 non-DLC courses.
• Gold Glider: Obtain 10,000 coins.

Courses

There are 32 tracks in the main game (excluding DLC Cups), consisting of 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks, featuring one track each from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, four tracks from Mario Kart 64, two each from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii, and three each from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7. As with the retro tracks from the 3DS installment, the retro tracks in this game feature altered sections that incorporate the game's hang-glider, underwater, and anti-gravity features. The game features live-recorded music for all of the new tracks and most of the retro tracks. The tracks have been described as more narrow when compared to previous Mario Kart tracks, specifically those from Mario Kart Wii. Names in italics are names used in the PAL version.

Nitro Courses

File:MK8 MushroomCuptv.svg Mushroom Cup	File:MK8 FlowerCuptv.svg Flower Cup	File:MK8 StarCuptv.svg Star Cup	File:MK8 SpecialCuptv.svg Special Cup
File:MK8- Mario Kart Stadium.PNG white	File:MK8- Mario Circuit.PNG white	File:MK8- Sunshine Airport.PNG white	File:MK8- Cloudtop Cruise.PNG white
File:MK8- Water Park.PNG white	File:MK8- Toad Harbor.PNG Toad Harbour	File:MK8- Dolphin Shoals.PNG white	File:MK8- Bone-Dry Dunes.PNG Bone Dry Dunes
File:MK8- Sweet Sweet Canyon.PNG white	File:MK8- Twisted Mansion.PNG white	File:MK8- Electrodrome.PNG white	File:MK8- Bowser's Castle.PNG white
File:MK8- Thwomp Ruins.PNG white	File:MK8- Shy Guy Falls.PNG white	File:MK8- Mount Wario.PNG white	File:MK8- Rainbow Road.PNG white

Retro Courses

File:MK8 ShellCuptv.svg Shell Cup	File:MK8 BananaCuptv.svg Banana Cup	File:MK8 LeafCuptv.svg Leaf Cup	File:MK8 LightningCuptv.svg Lightning Cup
File:MK8- Wii Moo Moo Meadows.PNG white	File:MK8- GCN Dry Dry Desert.PNG white	File:MK8- DS Wario Stadium.PNG white	File:MK8- DS Tick-Tock Clock.PNG white
File:MK8- GBA Mario Circuit.PNG white	File:MK8- SNES Donut Plains 3.PNG white	File:MK8- GCN Sherbet Land.PNG white	File:MK8- 3DS Piranha Plant Slide.PNG 3DS Piranha Plant Pipeway
File:MK8- DS Cheep Cheep Beach.PNG white	File:MK8- N64 Royal Raceway.PNG white	File:MK8- 3DS Music Park.PNG 3DS Melody Motorway	File:MK8- Wii Grumble Volcano.PNG white
File:MK8- N64 Toad's Turnpike.PNG white	File:MK8- 3DS DK Jungle.PNG white	File:MK8- N64 Yoshi Valley.PNG white	File:MK8- N64 Rainbow Road.PNG white

Downloadable courses

4 additional cups, each one containing 4 tracks for a total of 16, are included in the game's two downloadable content packs. Of those 16 tracks, 7 of those are retro tracks, adding one track from Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 and two from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The other nine tracks consist of four original tracks and five tracks based upon other Nintendo franchises, including Excitebike, F-Zero, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing.

The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8		Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8
File:MK8 EggCuptv.svg Egg Cup	File:MK8 TriforceCuptv.svg Triforce Cup	File:MK8 CrossingCuptv.svg Crossing Cup	File:MK8 BellCuptv.svg Bell Cup
File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-GCN YoshiCircuit.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-Wii Wario'sGoldMine.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-GCN BabyPark.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-3DS NeoBowserCity.png 3DS Koopa City
File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-ExcitebikeArena.PNG white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-SNES RainbowRoad.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-GBA CheeseLand.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-GBA RibbonRoad.png white
File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-DragonDriftway.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-IceIceOutpost.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-WildWoods.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-SuperBellSubway.png white
File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-MuteCity.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-HyruleCircuit.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-AnimalCrossing.png white	File:MK8-DLC-Course-icon-BigBlue.png white

Battle stages

Unlike previous installments of the series, there are no stages unique to Battle Mode; instead, 8 of the original 32 tracks in standard race modes are modified and used as stages for battles and can all be played from the start of the game, including those that are originally in cups that need to first be unlocked in the race modes. Tracks enabled for Battle mode are the following:

File:MK8- Wii Moo Moo Meadows.PNG	File:MK8- GCN Dry Dry Desert.PNG	File:MK8- SNES Donut Plains 3.PNG	File:MK8- N64 Toad's Turnpike.PNG
File:MK8- Mario Circuit.PNG	File:MK8- Toad Harbor.PNG	File:MK8- GCN Sherbet Land.PNG	File:MK8- N64 Yoshi Valley.PNG

Ghosts

Staff Ghosts

Just like in Mario Kart Wii and Mario 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 past Mario Kart installments, Expert Staff Ghosts (or Fast Staff Ghosts) do not appear in this game. Beating the Staff Ghost for each of the game's standard courses unlocks a stamp that can be used in Miiverse posts.

Course	Staff Name	Country	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
					Body	Tires	Glider
Mario Kart Stadium	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:59.781	Mario	Sports Coupe	Standard	Super Glider
Water Park	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:02.954	Baby Luigi	Mr. Scooty	Roller	Super Glider
Sweet Sweet Canyon	Nin★Fausti	France	2:12.107	Baby Peach	Teddy Buggy	Wood	Peach Parasol
Thwomp Ruins	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:11.157	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
Mario Circuit	Nin★Sho	Japan	2:07.436	Mario	Standard Kart	Standard	Super Glider
Toad Harbor	Nin★Alice	United States	2:31.066	Toadette	Cat Cruiser	Retro Off-Road	Plane Glider
Twisted Mansion	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	2:16.195	Luigi	Mach 8	Slim	Super Glider
Shy Guy Falls	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	2:19.528	Shy Guy	Flame Rider	Retro Off-Road	Super Glider
Sunshine Airport	Nin★Leonel	United States	2:24.429	Rosalina	Circuit Special	Standard	Super Glider
Dolphin Shoals	Nin★Skip	United States	2:19.160	Wendy	Landship	Wood	Bowser Kite
Electrodrome	Nin★Yuya	Japan	2:24.747	Larry	Sport Bike	Monster	Super Glider
Mount Wario	Nin★Elena	Russia	2:06.283	Waluigi	The Duke	Monster	Wario Wing
Cloudtop Cruise	Nin★Maria	Portugal	2:26.347	Baby Rosalina	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
Bone-Dry Dunes	Nin★Elena	Russia	2:13.391	Morton	Tri-Speeder	Monster	Super Glider
Bowser's Castle	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	2:23.872	Bowser	Badwagon	Standard	Super Glider
Rainbow Road	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	2:23.967	Pink Gold Peach	Comet	Slim	Super Glider
Wii Moo Moo Meadows	Nin★Chris	United Kingdom	1:46.099	Daisy	Varmint	Hot Monster	Super Glider
GBA Mario Circuit	Nin★Rie	Japan	1:49.158	Baby Mario	Yoshi Bike	Standard	Super Glider
DS Cheep Cheep Beach	Nin★Massim	Italy	2:11.220	Koopa Troopa	Steel Driver	Metal	Parachute
N64 Toad's Turnpike	Nin★Alice	United States	2:08.059	Toad	Standard Bike	Standard	Parachute
GCN Dry Dry Desert	Nin★Maria	Portugal	2:29.678	Peach	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
SNES Donut Plains 3	Nin★Frank	United Kingdom	1:39.148	Lakitu	Pipe Frame	Monster	MKTV Parafoil
N64 Royal Raceway	Nin★Skip	United States	2:21.371	Peach	Prancer	Wood	Peach Parasol
3DS DK Jungle	Nin★Rie	Japan	2:26.900	Donkey Kong	Varmint	Monster	Super Glider
DS Wario Stadium	Nin★Mizuho	Japan	2:14.213	Wario	Tri-Speeder	Off-Road	Wario Wing
GCN Sherbet Land	Nin★Fausti	France	2:21.192	Lemmy	Sneeker	Standard	Super Glider
3DS Music Park	Nin★Sho	Japan	2:24.468	Baby Daisy	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
N64 Yoshi Valley	Nin★Mark	Netherlands	2:28.814	Yoshi	Wild Wiggler	Standard	Flower Glider
DS Tick-Tock Clock	Nin★Sophia	Germany	2:13.712	Iggy	Standard Bike	Monster	Super Glider
3DS Piranha Plant Slide	Nin★Polly	United Kingdom	2:23.991	Ludwig	Jet Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Wii Grumble Volcano	Nin★Yuya	Japan	2:18.305	Roy	Badwagon	Off-Road	Super Glider
N64 Rainbow Road	Nin★Leonel	United States	1:33.731	Metal Mario	Standard ATV	Monster	Super Glider
GCN Yoshi Circuit	Nin★Adrien	France	2:11.299	Red Yoshi	B Dasher	Standard	Super Glider
Excitebike Arena	Nin★Pedro	Spain	2:06.483	Mario	Standard Bike	Slim	Super Glider
Dragon Driftway	Nin★Kaori	Japan	2:05.487	Lakitu	Varmint	Monster	Cloud Glider
Mute City	Nin★Laura	United States	2:10.427	Mario	Blue Falcon	Roller	Super Glider
Wii Wario's Gold Mine	Nin★Pit	Germany	2:19.782	Wario	Standard Kart	Monster	Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road	Nin★Anne	Netherlands	1:46.599	Cat Peach	Cat Cruiser	Retro Off-Road	Super Glider
Ice Ice Outpost	Nin★Pavel	Russia	2:07.868	Tanooki Mario	Tanooki Kart	Monster	Super Glider
Hyrule Circuit	Nin★Claudi	United Kingdom	2:11.156	Link	Master Cycle	Triforce Tires	Hylian Kite
GCN Baby Park	Nin★Joost	Netherlands	1:22.562	Baby Mario	Biddybuggy	Standard	Super Glider
GBA Cheese Land	Nin★Aracel	Spain	2:09.601	Orange Yoshi	Pipe Frame	Monster	Parafoil
Wild Woods	Nin★Akira	Japan	2:04.480	Villager (Boy)	Streetle	Leaf Tires	Paper Glider
Animal Crossing	Nin★Marie	United States	1:58.273	Isabelle	City Tripper	Slim	Paper Glider
3DS Neo Bowser City	Nin★Guile	United States	2:09.513	Dry Bowser	Bone Rattler	Metal	Super Glider
GBA Ribbon Road	Nin★Giulia	Italy	2:11.839	Villager (Girl)	Teddy Buggy	Button	Super Glider
Super Bell Subway	Nin★Juliet	France	2:07.175	Pink Shy Guy	City Tripper	Slim	Super Glider
Big Blue	Nin★Dylan	United Kingdom	1:44.100	Mario	P-Wing	Blue Standard	Super Glider

Kart of Champions

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

Course	Staff Name	Time	Character	Vehicle Combination
				Body	Tires	Glider
Mario Kart Stadium	Addison K.	1:44.503	Bowser	Sport Bike	Slick	Bowser Kite
Water Park	Jeff C. M.	1:48.231	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Sweet Sweet Canyon	Jeff C. M.	1:57.071	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Thwomp Ruins	Greg R.	1:57.193	Mii	Gold Standard	Slick	Bowser Kite
Mario Circuit	Addison K.	1:53.017	Bowser	Sport Bike	Slick	Bowser Kite
Toad Harbor	Jeff C. M.	2:11.578	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Twisted Mansion	Jeff C. M.	2:01.605	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Shy Guy Falls	Jeff C. M.	2:08.775	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Sunshine Airport	Jeff C. M.	2:08.177	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Dolphin Shoals	Jeff C. M.	2:09.590	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Electrodrome	Jeff C. M.	2:07.774	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Mount Wario	Jeff C. M.	1:53.516	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Cloudtop Cruise	Jeff C. M.	2:11.595	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
Bone-Dry Dunes	Jeff C. M.	2:02.028	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Bowser's Castle	Jeff C. M.	2:15.686	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Rainbow Road	Jeff C. M.	2:15.895	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Wii Moo Moo Meadows	Jeff C. M.	1:31.643	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
GBA Mario Circuit	Jeff C. M.	1:35.290	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
DS Cheep Cheep Beach	Addison K.	1:57.169	Bowser	Sport Bike	Slick	Bowser Kite
N64 Toad's Turnpike	Addison K.	1:50.089	Bowser	Sport Bike	Slick	Bowser Kite
GCN Dry Dry Desert	Jeff C. M.	2:14.415	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
SNES Donut Plains 3	Jeff C. M.	1:24.754	Morton	Gold Standard	Cyber Slick	Cloud Glider
N64 Royal Raceway	Jeff C. M.	2:04.626	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
3DS DK Jungle	Jeff C. M.	2:14.917	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
DS Wario Stadium	Jeff C. M.	2:04.685	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
GCN Sherbet Land	Jeff C. M.	2:02.291	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
3DS Music Park	Jeff C. M.	2:06.354	Wario	Sport Bike	Cyber Slick	Parafoil
N64 Yoshi Valley	Jeff C. M.	2:08.495	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
DS Tick-Tock Clock	Jeff C. M.	1:59.372	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
3DS Piranha Plant Slide	Jeff C. M.	2:12.079	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
Wii Grumble Volcano	Jeff C. M.	2:10.129	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil
N64 Rainbow Road	Jeff C. M.	1:26.548	Wario	Sport Bike	Slick	Parafoil

Items

As in all Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 keeps the use of items during the races. Four new items have been added to the list, being the Boomerang Flower, the Piranha Plant, the Super Horn, and the Crazy Eight. The Coin also makes a return as an item since its first appearance in Super Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 8 also features changes to the items' mechanics. While past Mario Kart games allowed the users to gain a different item from the Item Boxes while dragging some other such as a Green Shell or a Banana, in Mario 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 notably Lightning and the Spiny Shell. Additionally, the Triple Bananas and the Triple Mushrooms 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 the triple mushrooms. Racers do not lose their items if they fall from the track. 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
x75px Item Box	Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's position.
x75px Coin	Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a maximum of ten.
x75px Rupee	The equivalent of a coin found only in Hyrule Circuit. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
x75px Bell	The equivalent of a coin found only in Animal Crossing. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
New items
x75px Boomerang Flower	Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward and when it returns.
x75px Piranha Plant	Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite.
x75px Super Horn	Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles and items.
x75px Crazy Eight	Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.
Returning items
x75px Coin	Grants the player two extra coins and a micro boost.
x75px Green Shell	Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
x75px Triple Green Shells	Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
x75px Red Shell	Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
x75px Triple Red Shells	Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
x75px Banana	Protects the player from incoming items, and spins out other racers that hit it.
x75px Triple Bananas	Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
x75px Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
x75px Triple Mushrooms	Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts.
x75px Golden Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time.
x75px Fire Flower	Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact.
x75px Star	Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
x75px Blooper	Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
x75px Bob-omb	Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
x75px Spiny Shell	Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
x75px Lightning	Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
x60px 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 stamps in Mario Kart 8

As in Super Mario 3D World, NES Remix, and NES Remix 2, players can obtain stamps to use in Miiverse 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, like New Super Mario Bros. 2, includes an in-game shop feature through which players can purchase and pre-order downloadable content, as well as adding prompts where the character and cup icons are when purchased. Alternatively, players can purchase content through the Nintendo eShop like normal. Nintendo has released free kart 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 karts, and eight courses in two cups.

Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8

File:Mercedes.jpg

Mario driving a kart based on the Mercedes-Benz GLA.

As part of a collaboration between Nintendo and Mercedes-Benz, a free downloadable content pack was released featuring kart bodies based on several Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including the Mercedes-Benz GLA, W 25 Silver Arrow, and 300 SL Roadster, as well as a set of GLA tires. The content was released in all regions on August 27, 2014. Template:Br

The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8

Main article: The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8

File:Add-On Packs.jpg

Screenshots of Add-On Pack 1.

The first pack, titled "The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8", which was released on November 13, 2014, includes Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Link from The Legend of Zelda franchise, as well as the Blue Falcon, the B Dasher and the Tanooki Kart as three of the four karts, as well as a new bike part called the Master Cycle. The cups included are the Triforce Cup and the Egg Cup. New courses include both retro ones, such as Wario's Gold Mine from Mario Kart Wii, new courses inspired by non-Mario franchises such as F-Zero and Excitebike, and completely new ones such as Dragon Driftway.

Purchasing both this and the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 pack automatically gives the player eight alternate color skins for Yoshi and Shy Guy each. Template:Br

Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8

Main article: Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8

File:MK82ndDLC.png

Screenshots of Add-On Pack 2.

The second pack, titled "Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8" which was released on April 23, 2015, includes Villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Leaf as well as Dry Bowser. The cups included are the Crossing Cup and the Bell Cup. New courses include a new '

Updates

Ver. 2.0

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 past Mario Kart games) by pressing Template:Button on the Template:Button, and a records section, which shows how many coins have been collected, online wins and losses (just like Mario 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 in Mario 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's 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. Players must download the update in order to continue playing online.

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 download the Mercedes DLC, and pre-order Add-On Content. Nintendo adds three Mercedes-Benz cars and enhancements to Mario Kart 8 from the 27th of August. 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 with amiibo figures and enables the first downloadable content pack for those who purchased it.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. 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

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. ComcingSon new Miiverse stamps have also been added. The update also allows players to enable the on-screen map using any controller, rather than just the Template:Button.

In online mode, players can add CPU players when playing with custom rules, though only human players will count for scoring. 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. Lastly, additional tournament settings have been added to support 200cc and the two cups in the second DLC pack. Template:Br

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.<ref>King, Ashley. (May 1, 2015.)