Nintendo has announced a release date — August 4th — for the next DLC courses coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This second wave includes eight courses, the same as what we saw when the first wave launched in March. They’re mostly based around tracks found in previous Mario Kart games, but there’s one that’s brand new: an ice cream-themed course called Sky-High Sundae.
Running down the returning tracks from previous games, there’s Kalimari Desert from the N64 version of Mario Kart, Mario Circuit 3 from the SNES, Mushroom Gorge from the Wii, Waluigi Pinball from the DS, Snow Land from the GBA, and New York Minute and Sydney Sprint, which both previously appeared in the mobile-focused title Mario Kart Tour. Nintendo’s announcement notes that Sky-High Sundae is due to come to Mario Kart Tour at a later date.
Image: Nintendo
Image: Nintendo
Image: Nintendo
Image: Nintendo
The wave is the second of six that Nintendo has announced, which in February it said would release over the next two years. In total, Nintendo is adding 48 tracks to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, doubling the amount of tracks that the game included at launch in 2017. The game is one of the most successful titles to have been released for the Nintendo Switch, having sold over 45 million copies.
The second wave of tracks is included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription or can also be purchased as part of the Booster Course Pass for $24.99. That price includes all 48 DLC tracks that will eventually be released for the game.
Personally, I was a little underwhelmed by the first set of eight tracks, which I didn’t think were bursting with life like the courses found in the base game. But, with more of this second wave of tracks based on mainline console Mario Kart entries rather than Tour, hopefully they’ll feel more energetic.