Mario Kart 8 Deluxe booster course pass: Release date, where to buy and confirmed tracks

Fans of the racing game can finally look forward to some new content

Some fan favourite courses will be returning to the Switch (iStock/The Independent)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been a money-printing machine for the Nintendo Switch. Despite the fact that the game was originally released in 2014, it continues to be the Japanese gaming giant’s best-selling title and is regularly included in bundles with the Switch.

While many Nintendo fans were hoping to hear news about the release of Mario Kart 9, the latest direct event promised something slightly different for the franchise.

The last time the series received downloadable content, was when Mario Kart 8’s original release – on the Wii U back in 2014 and 2015 – saw new tracks and playable characters added in two separate expansions. Those eight extra courses and six extra racers were then included in the Switch’s updated release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe back in 2017. But since then it has received very few updates.

Now Nintendo are trying a different tack by creating a season pass for new courses for people who already own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The booster course pass will add up to 48 remastered courses from the series in six waves, with the final wave arriving before the end of 2023.

If you want to find out how to order the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe booster course pass, when the first wave will be released and what courses we can expect, then keep reading the rest of the article below.

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‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ booster course pass release date

The first wave will feature 8 of the 48 courses in total and will be made available on 18 March 2022 on Nintendo Switch consoles, including the Switch lite and OLED models.

Which tracks will be featured on the booster course pass?

Nintendo have already revealed what the first wave of courses will feature. There will be two new cups, the “Golden Dash” cup and the “Lucky Cat” cup which will have four courses each. Here is a list of the tracks featured in the first wave of the booster pass and the games they originally featured on:

• Paris Promenade, Mario Kart Tour
• Toad Circuit, Mario Kart 7
• Choco Mountain, Mario Kart 64
• Coconut Mall, Mario Kart Wii
• Tokyo Blur, Mario Kart Tour
• Shroom Ridge, Mario Kart 7
• Sky Garden, Mario Kart Super Circuit
• Ninja Hideaway, Mario Kart Tour

Where to buy ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ booster course pass

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe booster course pass is currently being sold on the Nintendo e-shop for £22.49 (Nintendo.co.uk) and is currently also on sale at ShopTo (£16.85, ShopTo.net).

The booster course pass is also being included with the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack. Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription service for the console that allows users to play online, save cloud backups and access a library of retro games from the Nintendo entertainment system and Super Nintendo entertainment system.

The expansion pack is a higher tier of this subscription which also allows players to access Nintendo 64 and Sega mega drive games, as well as access the Animal Crossing: New Horizon DLC Happy Home Paradise as well as the booster course pass. A year’s subscription to the service starts from £34.99 (Nintendo.co.uk) for a single user or £59.99 (Nintendo.co.uk) for a family account.

Voucher codes

If you’re looking for discounts on technology or videogames then try one of these codes:

• AO discount codes
• Very discount codes

Looking to get your hands on the latest Nintendo console? These are the best deals on the Switch this month