Whenever exasperated racing fans ask why we're still playing a rather good expanded port of a Wii U game on Switch, the answer is always the sale figures. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch included all previous DLC and added a Battle Mode when it arrived, but otherwise we've been playing the same MK game since May 2014. Why? Because people keep buying it.
As Switch hardware sales stay high, plenty of new adopters naturally grab the brilliant racer as well. It's become the ultimate evergreen title since its Switch release in April 2017 - in the first two quarters of this year alone it's shifted another 3.34 million units. In those six months (up to 30th September) it was the second-best seller on Switch, only behind newcomer The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD; that's crazy.
And now it's overtaken what was considered the untouchable leader of racing games, in terms of sales. Yes, it's surpassed Mario Kart Wii.
- Mario Kart Wii lifetime sales - 37.38 million
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe so far - 38.74 million
It's the best-selling Switch game to date, too, ahead of Animal Crossing: New Horizons; the racer has stronger ongoing momentum, too.
It's wonderful success for Nintendo and it is an absolutely fantastic entry in the series. This continued momentum perhaps helps to explain why the next entry in the series is taking so long to emerge. What's the rush when the existing game is still doing so well? And no, Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit don't count as 'main' entries in our book.
So there you have it, MK8 Deluxe is still dominant. MK9 still feels quite far away, as a result.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 66
Color me impressed. I wonder what kind of numbers the next entry will put on the board. 😯
It is a brilliant game!! Had it on WiiU and instant purchase on switch. Sometimes I dont race and just explore checking out the details around me, its a stunning game.
It's official. Nintendo are going to pull a GTA V and re-release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch's successor.
Mario Kart 9 won't be released until our great-grandchildren are pushing daisies.
I'd be happy with some DLC, but for some reason Nintendo don't seem interested.
Definitely no MK9 until Nintendo release their next gen console.
Launch aligned cumulative sales:
Mario Kart 8 DX sold well below what Mario Kart Wii sold in its first year, but non-stop legs have propelled it to become Nintendo's 3rd best-selling game of all time.
It will outsell Super Mario Bros (NES) by the end of the year if Nintendo ships a Black Friday/Christmas Mario Kart 8 bundle like they have since 2018.
Unless you only care about the main games, there's also Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart Live which you could also try for a different change of pace until Mario Kart 9 or you could skip a lot of numbers ahead and just play Mario Kart 64 on NSO.
I still haven't bought it. So unfortunately I might end up contributing with Mario Kart 9 not being made.
But 7 ate 9 so it will probably be Mario Kart 10 right? Plus they could use it as an excuse to call Mario Kart Tour the 9th entry.. eye roll
Mario Kart's 20th anniversary is next year so I could see something happen then. Leaning towards DLC for MK8 Deluxe which also gets added to NSO Expansion Pack much like Happy Home Paradise.
Switch is not gonna get a MK9. Same reason why GTA VI is not out yet. People are still buying those games showing the crazy legs
What do we think that Mario Kart 9 would bring? I am no expert on the series (but I do own 8 Deluxe), but 8 seems to include a tonne of tracks from across the series - what would 9 need to do to differentiate itself from 8? Entirely new tracks? New characters etc?
@SaucyBrotato I just want new tracks, that's it. Don't even need MK9, DLCs for MK8 would be more then enough for me
@mariomaster96 Same. MK8 is great, and I honestly thought when Deluxe was announced that they’d just use it as a platform to build on with DLC for a few years rather than make a new game. A shame really.
Poor Switch. Arguably Nintendo's best console...will never get it's own version of Mario Kart.
I'd hazard Nintendo hopes that tour can stand in for a Mario kart 9.
Just think of the profit margin. Full price for a port.
I bought a Wii U just so I could play MK8, and played the heck out of it + the dlc.
I picked up the Switch release for the convenience, but have barely touched it these last 4 years. It’s been an endless wait for MK9, while Nintendo wastes resources updating their mobile time-waster instead.
At least throw us fans a bone with some fresh DLC or something! 😖
Mario Kart Tour is MK9. We'll see MK10 on Switch 2. They might even do MK: Ultimate.
We dont need Mario Kart 9 at all. What we should have got are regular updates of DLC cups (free or paid) mixing randomised tracks together to make existing cups feel fresh etc. They do it with the crummy mobile version so why not the best selling one? An adventure mode with bosses wouldnt have gone a miss either like in Diddy Kong racing which is still my favorite kart racer to date. I cant believe they didnt even give the option to keep unlocks locked liked in WiiU version. Half the fun is unlocking the next cup or the next character. Dont get me wrong as i love MK but i feel alot more could have been done with this version of the game.
The ink weapon ruins this version of Mario Kart for me and prevents it from being the best MK version. I struggle to see what's going on as it is, so making that even more difficult frustrates me like hell.
I'm also not a fan of the increases in kart setups to choose from. Mario Kart is at its best when simple.
@Ogbert I wouldn’t call it a console. It’s a handheld you can hookup to a tv if your want.
Switch is a great place for ports and a few good Nintendo titles. Even most new Nintendo games on it are HD versions of what we had before. BOTW was a WiiU title. No franchises have been pushed to the next level like MK8 was.
@Dethmunk MK9 is coming. Zero
Doubt. MK 8 is a great game but to say you can’t top it so why try is very short sighted. Not many developers can compete with an in house Nintendo title when they really want to push the bar. They haven’t pushed anything because people are paying full price for ports.
@AlexHarford
The Blooper has been in every Mario Kart game since Mario Kart DS. It is supposed to obstruct your vision when used.
Seriously, why do people want a new mario kart when Deluxe is just fine the way it is? ...Unless the next mario kart is a remaster of Double Dash, gimme gimme gimme!
Personally I'm very please that Mario kart Wii got outsold but damn it wasn't all that great looking back at it.
@WOLF13 Of course it's a console. Handhelds are also consoles, they're handheld consoles.
And I was including handhelds anyway.
Hey, don't blame me, I bought it 4 years ago. In spite of having multiple Switch consoles, I only have 1 copy. Although I guess I'm part of the problem since I bought the OG back in 2014. Lol
This is certainly a new milestone. Last year, it took the combined sales of both the Wii U and Switch versions to beat Wii, but now Mario Kart 8 had legitimately surpassed Mario Kart Wii in sales.
When it was released, it think NO ONE would bet it surpassing its Wii brother. Still unbelievable.
@AlexHarford if you use a mushroom or hit a boost, the ink will be blown off early.
@westman98 Granted on DS/3DS you could use the touch screen to wipe the ink away.
Switch got 2 new Mario Party and 2 new Splatoon games, but no new Mario Kart.
Perhaps Mario Kart 9 will be the ultimate one like Mario Party Superstars.
The old game GTA 5 still sells like hot cakes, and is why they never release GTA 6.
Does this number include Wii U version?
It's a fantastic game, this sales at very well deserved.
@Ventilator No, this is only the Switch version. The Wii U version sold another 8.46 million copies. Read the other articles here.
@Dethmunk what can you do to elevate a mario kart 9? It’s pretty easy.
Bring in character costumes, MKTour has already made plenty.
Bring in the alternate modes of tracks from MK tour. Hell, bring in all the custom “world tour” tracks from that game.
Make a new mission mode (with battle mode bosses) like MKDS.
Make a separate additional option for double dash mode, complete with new and retro tracks, and new double dash karts and kart parts. Double Dash mode would be able to toggle on or off “character specific items”.
Throw in Kirby and a Kirby stage to celebrate his move to 3d and as a cheeky air ride nod.
I’m good here.
I'm gonna get Mario Kart 9 Deluxe on Switch 2 when it launches in 2026, we all know MK9 will be a late Switch 1 game with a season pass so may as well wait a few years for the Deluxe bundle
@Grandiajet 'Yeah it is crazy. The DLC for it on Wii U surely made them lots of money for not too awfully much effort? A new DLC pack at the same price as the original one and now with almost 40 million copies out there... should have been a no-brainer for Nintendo.
At this point I don’t expect Mario Kart 9. They shouldn’t even release it as a cross-generational game. Force people to buy Switch’s successor.
@Sahnec They'll do an Apple and call it Mario Kart X
@BTB20 Okay then.. Soon 50 millions combined.
Mario Kart confessions…
I purchased MK8 the first day it came out but did not get into it into it obsessively until months later (I was still in love with MK7 at the time). I continued to play MK8 until April 2017 when MK8D was released. 70000 VR points and four and a half years later and I still continue to play MK8D! I’ve never been a fan of battle, but the addition of the double item and the ultra drift (the blue color spark), are game changing additions that I welcome. it’s the best Mario Kart in the series and no surprise as to why it’s the best selling kart ever! to overtake MK Wii is quite the accomplishment. can’t wait to see what MK9 (or whatever it may be called) brings next!
"Please stop buying it, people, we want Mario Kart 9"
This, please.
I say, if MK8 keeps selling like this, we will never get a new F-Zero
With this new and agressive way that nintendo has been showing to get the maximum profit possible from fan base and nostalgia, I doubt mario kart 9 is on the horizon
I'm in the MK Ultimate group for 9. all previous game's tracks with 8's anti-grav style, karts/bikes, weapons, & characters return + new stuff would satisfy for a long time.
It's wild that MK8D is not just the best selling Switch game or the best selling Mario Kart game, but literally the best selling racing game there is.
Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart Live.
Soooo Nintendo, since people clearly like racing games, and Mario Kart 9 development takes time... how about tending to another one of your racing IPs such as idk F-ZERO?!? Or Diddy Kong Racing?? Or even something different like that rumoured Star Fox racing game from way back?
Could even have a 3rd party like Sega develop with Ninty oversight. Please Nintendo!
... Wun can only hope.
@wuntyme8 They did just gave us Cruis'n Blast if that counts. Not only that there's also Team Sonic Racing, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fuel, Fast RMX, Riptide GP: Renegade, Sega Ages: Virtua Racing, Trailblazers, Horizon Chase Turbo, Hotshot Racing, Star Fruit Racing, Beach Buggy Racing 1 & 2 (good arcade style kart racer even though both are just indie kart games), and the upcoming Chocobo GP if you want more arcade style kart or vehicle racing titles on Switch. Just avoid craps like Redout, Xenon Racer, Hello Kitty Racing, and Nickelodeon Kart Racers GP 1 (part 2 is okay though).
"Please stop buying it, people, we want Mario Kart 9" truer words were never spoken.
@Specter_of-the_OLED Cruisn' Blast is barely a pass for Nintendo as it was Raw Thrills that came to them asking to do it (in quarantine last year).
@Nico07 But it is still something from Nintendo. They gave their seal of approval for it and it's actually a brand new entry and not just a straight port of the arcade game.
It’s not hard to see why, cause this was easily the most polished game in the series it may not be the best but it’s still pretty good.
@Specter_of-the_OLED
Yea I was speaking to legacy Nintendo IPs and development and/or lending those IPs out to a respected, trustworthy 3rd party developer for publishing.
As an aside Chocobo GP does have my interest. Hope it turns out well!
stop hyperboling it guys, mario kart sequel will eventually come.
I'm all fine with them delaying MK9. Just release some bonus content for this game already! They could easily giveaway some free DLC to celebrate this milestone. Skins, new characters, a rebalance, new tracks... SOMETHING!
Why do you all want Mario Kart 9 though? Mario Karts are all the same deal. I can't think of anything that would improve Mario Kart 8 to be honest. New tracks? New carts? New characters? There's plenty enough variety. It's hard to even keep track.
@Purgatorium . . .
I think new tracks would be huge.
My wife, kids and I have been playing the same tracks since we got Mario Kart on our Wii U. LOL.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they hit the ground running with a Mario Kart on Switch. Not like the Wii U where we had to wait for both Mario Kart and Super Smash. But I personally think the Switch deserves its own Mario Kart. LOL.
@westman98 There must be something about the ink on the Wii U/Switch version that's worse than the others - maybe it blocks the vision more than the older games and lasts longer? I know it's supposed to block the vision, but I hate it because I struggle to see what's happening in the first place.
@NintendoDad
Yeah I could see that. I feel like Mario Kart 8 is as good as the gameplay is going to get. (not as good as it can get but as good as Nintendo is going to get it) More tracks would add more variety for sure.
Both outstanding games and an immense amount of fun for many kinds of gamers.
Calling it now, MK ultimate as a launch window title for the next console makes sense, every track and racer we've ever had with extra themed tracks and drivers in dlc.
Why replace what's still selling ridiculously when you can save it to push your new hardware sales right out the gate. I fully expect Nintendo to save their AAA system selling games for the release of the next console to knock it out the park right from the beginning like the switch did. All the big IPs in year 1 then slowly work down them until we get metroid 6.
I would surely love to have Mortal Kombat 9 on Switch.
...
@Sahnec I mean, it technically is.
@Dethmunk Nintendo already improved on MK8 with the deluxe version. If they wanted to I have no doubt they could improve it further.
@mariomaster96
Agreed! Considering the sales of this game, Ninty could very well release some celebratory DLC. I'd settle with a few skins, and two new cups. One new, one retro. I really don't think considering the sales of this game.
I just reached 25K VR, planning on working toward 50K. They can take all the time they want with MK9.
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