Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Review

The game you put on when four people arrive and nobody agrees

Short verdict: if you own a Switch and you ever have people over, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most useful game you can own. Four players on one console with no explanation required, up to twelve online, and a design that keeps every race close regardless of who plays a lot. Its one hard limit is that it is Switch-only, so it does nothing for a group split across consoles.

It is a kart racer where items - shells, bananas, lightning bolts - matter as much as driving. That sounds like a small distinction and it is the entire reason the game works socially: the person in first place is under constant threat, and the person in last gets the best items to catch up.

Why it beats better racing games for a group

A skilled player will still usually win, but not by enough to make the evening pointless for everyone else. The item balancing actively props up whoever is behind, races last about four minutes, and a bad race costs you nothing beyond a bad race.

Add smart steering - an assist that keeps a kart on the track - and a genuine beginner can finish mid-pack on their first try. That is why it is one of our top picks in games for friends who don't play games and in games to play with family.

Four locally, twelve online

Local split-screen takes four players on one Switch, which is the mode most groups buy it for. Online supports up to twelve, so a group spread across houses can race together - provided everyone owns a Switch and a copy, since there is no crossplay and no Friend's Pass equivalent.

Two practical costs people forget: local four-player needs four controllers, and online play on Switch requires Nintendo's subscription. Neither is a dealbreaker, both are money.

What is in the box

The Deluxe edition is a substantial package - it collects the Wii U game's content and adds to it, and Nintendo later sold a large expansion of extra courses on top. Even without the expansion, the base track list is far bigger than most party games offer, and the battle modes give you something to do when everyone is tired of racing.

Who should buy it

Any Switch household that has visitors. It is the default social game on the console and it never stops being useful.

Families with a wide age range. The assists mean a seven-year-old and a grandparent can be in the same race without it being a farce.

Groups who want short sessions. A four-race cup is fifteen minutes. You can start and stop whenever.

People buying a gift. It is the safest game gift there is for a Switch owner - see our gift guide.

Who should skip it

Mixed-platform groups. Switch-only.

Anyone wanting a simulation. This is not a driving game in the way a racing sim is. The items are the point, and players who find that unfair will find it unfair every single race.

Groups who want a long evening as a single activity. Mario Kart is brilliant for an hour. For a full three-hour session you probably want to rotate it with something else - our game night guide has the running order.

How it compares

vs Super Mario Party Jamboree. The classic Switch game-night decision. Mario Kart is short, instant, and endlessly repeatable; Mario Party is a two-hour commitment with a board game structure. We settle it in Mario Kart 8 vs Mario Party Jamboree.

vs Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Smash takes eight players locally, which Mario Kart cannot match, and it has far more depth for people who want to master something. It is also much harder for a beginner to enjoy against experienced players. Full comparison in Smash Bros. vs Mario Kart.

vs Nintendo Switch Sports. Switch Sports is better for people who have genuinely never played a video game, because the input is a physical action. Mario Kart is the better long-term purchase for almost everyone else.

Controllers: the hidden cost of four-player

A Switch ships with a pair of Joy-Con that can be split into two single-player controllers, so two players are covered out of the box. Four players means finding two more - either another pair of Joy-Con or a couple of Pro Controllers - and that spend can exceed the price of the game itself.

Playing with a single sideways Joy-Con is entirely viable and how most parties actually do it. It is a smaller controller with fewer buttons, but Mario Kart only really needs accelerate, steer, and item, which is exactly why it works so well as a party game.

Online, and whether it is worth it

Online racing against strangers is fine and mostly beside the point. What matters for this site is racing your friends in other houses, which works well - up to twelve people, low friction, stable. The requirement is that everyone owns a Switch, everyone owns the game, and everyone has the subscription.

That is three barriers, and for a lot of groups the cheaper answer is a free crossplay game instead. If your friends are not already Switch owners, do not buy hardware for this - read the free hub first.

Verdict

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most reliable four-player game in the house and one of the few purchases that stays useful for years without a single update. Everybody can play it, nobody needs it explained, and the races stay close. Buy it if your group is on Switch; ignore it entirely if they are not, because there is nothing to bridge. Our Switch page ranks it against everything else on the console.