Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 Switch
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2774 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,427 out of 2774
  2. Mixed: 176 out of 2774
  3. Negative: 171 out of 2774
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  1. Xaphnir
    May 6, 2020
    4
    This is the most frustrating game I've ever played, and that's say a LOT. Skill doesn't feel like it factors into the game at all. To give an example:

    I spent 4 hours trying to win a 150cc grand prix. Was it due to lack of skill? Was I improving consistently throughout these four hours? No. All I was doing was rolling the RNG over and over and over again trying to get one attempt    This is the most frustrating game I've ever played, and that's say a LOT. Skill doesn't feel like it factors into the game at all. To give an example:

    I spent 4 hours trying to win a 150cc grand prix. Was it due to lack of skill? Was I improving consistently throughout these four hours?

    No.

    All I was doing was rolling the RNG over and over and over again trying to get one attempt where I didn't get repeatedly screwed over by blue or red shells right before the finish line, or didn't get targeted 10 times per lap by items. And when I finally won, I was also helped by different AI doing better in different races, reducing their score and allowing me to win by one point.

    I could see this being fun if you have friends or family to play on the same console with. The core game mechanics are solid, and the tracks are quite good. But if all you're going to do is play against the AI or online? Don't waste your time or money.

    Overall, it's a game with potential ruined by excessive RNG.    … Expand
  2. Luanneto
    Sep 22, 2019
    4
    Tudo que foi adicionado na versão do switch poderia ter adicionado na versão do Wii U, movimentação travada e animações pobres, fica bem claro seus defeitos se comparado com crash team racing
    .
  3. Malim100
    Mar 20, 2022
    4
    Cobrarme por los mismos mapas una y otra vez me parece penosa política, a ver si se le da más caña a Nintendo...
  4. Magolor21
    Aug 26, 2020
    4
    This game is the perfect example of the Nintendo casual approach post 2010: confusion rules over everything. From a racing game, Mario Kart has officially become a Party game where luck is almost as important as skills.
    Most of the choices, from the blue shell running through racers, to the lightning for not mentioning the green shells bouncing crazily everywhere seemed to be done in order    This game is the perfect example of the Nintendo casual approach post 2010: confusion rules over everything. From a racing game, Mario Kart has officially become a Party game where luck is almost as important as skills.
    Most of the choices, from the blue shell running through racers, to the lightning for not mentioning the green shells bouncing crazily everywhere seemed to be done in order to create confusion and help gamers without skills to obtain decent results.
    The Mirror mode is totally useless and the 200cc doesn’t suit a track design which wasn’t intended to that.

    The only good notes are the graphics, colorful and gorgeous, the nice Ost and the control system almost all the time price and reliable.    … Expand
  5. DolphinReviews
    Jul 20, 2022
    4
    This is a very mediocre Mario Kart experience compared to earlier entries. The anti gravity is boring. Even though this has the most tracks out of all the mainline games, they all feel the exact same compared to the Wii game which managed to make them all feel unique. Feels as if you are watching the race rather than playing.
  6. vahn
    Oct 29, 2017
    3
    You got Mario kart 8 on the wii u with all the dlc? Don't bother: you're basically going buying the same EXACT game, with just all the dlc included and an insane full price retail (because if you gotta milk your fans, do it at full force!). Hence this game is a zero. Because it has zero value.

    You DON'T have Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U? Well..give it a 3 because it's a pretty shallow game    You got Mario kart 8 on the wii u with all the dlc? Don't bother: you're basically going buying the same EXACT game, with just all the dlc included and an insane full price retail (because if you gotta milk your fans, do it at full force!). Hence this game is a zero. Because it has zero value.

    You DON'T have Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U? Well..give it a 3 because it's a pretty shallow game with content that can last a day even if you play on the highest difficulty, since it's only hard for you and nobody else. Infact I gave 7 out of 10 on the wii u because while I enjoyed it, It really had nothing going on for me, literally nothing, and the extra characters were essentially all bloody reskins of baby bowser or toads. Genius Nintendo is genius.

    Honestly, there are better kart games around: I'm not a fan but I still think Sonic all stars racing and its sequel Transformed to be far superior "kart" games and I lost countless hours on those games - they only lack is the online but I usually count it as a plus, not as the main feature (with exceptions of course)

    Infact I dare say, if you got people to play with, and you only care about playing online, then this game might be slightly higher on the numbers and maybe a good 5 out of 10.

    But as a solo experience, don't waste 60 euros/dollars on it: it has so little content and so much unbalanced gameplay (hello money coins every freaking time!) that I was just glad to have tried it without purchasing it.

    Minus plus minus always equals a minus afterall and they sure as heck didn't try to multiply what was fun in it!    … Expand
  7. Fusy
    Mar 12, 2021
    3
    I loved Mario Kart Wii. While the core gameplay remains solid, aspects of this game stop me from finding enjoyment. The twisted tracks are incredibly uncomfortable to drive on. This is especially true for wall riding when your character drives diagonally at the side of the screen. I don't know if it's the angle of my character or the track, or if the camera is too close to the road, but II loved Mario Kart Wii. While the core gameplay remains solid, aspects of this game stop me from finding enjoyment. The twisted tracks are incredibly uncomfortable to drive on. This is especially true for wall riding when your character drives diagonally at the side of the screen. I don't know if it's the angle of my character or the track, or if the camera is too close to the road, but I can't stand these sections. It's weird that no body else seems to have this problem. I'm hoping Nintendo lay off the twists in any sequels or I won't be buying.… Expand
  8. jesuskills
    Jun 21, 2019
    3
    overrated. ugly graphics. Im pretty sure the reviewers got paid to give high ratings.
  9. mayday2592
    Jul 24, 2019
    3
    Rehashed port of a Wii U game with minimal new content that's being sold for 60 bucks. Save your money and get a better kart racer instead.
  10. Mr_Nobody34
    Jan 14, 2022
    3
    Ratings for the time period it came out
    Story : 0
    Gameplay : 3
    Graphics : 4
    Fun Factor : 4
    Environment interaction : 1
    Sound effects : 4
    Overall Immersion : 3
  11. Potentdestiny
    Mar 12, 2022
    3
    The item selection system is trash even though it is supposed to be random . Some items are also useless. There’s not enough options to go after first place. The races aren’t close. First place runs away with the race while 2nd-12th crush each other. The base stats for characters is flawed. You can run a perfect race and lose because a character while they are using the same kart as you.
  12. Altergame
    Oct 20, 2022
    3
    It's alright when it functions. Very soulless or outright confusing track design, drift controls don't work when I'd like them to and *do* work when I'd not like them to. Many unnecessary characters -- like, who was asking for Pink Gold Peach? -- and to be honest, do we really need 14 Mario Kart games total?

    Playing teams races is outright obnoxious. Many of your teammates attacks can    It's alright when it functions. Very soulless or outright confusing track design, drift controls don't work when I'd like them to and *do* work when I'd not like them to. Many unnecessary characters -- like, who was asking for Pink Gold Peach? -- and to be honest, do we really need 14 Mario Kart games total?

    Playing teams races is outright obnoxious. Many of your teammates attacks can still hit you, including something as simple as a green shell.    … Expand
  13. Hydrazine
    Dec 10, 2022
    3
    Played Mario Kart for the first time ever...

    And i can say that it may be fun with friends, but and a solo player, it gets boring really fast. There is no content for the game, besides race and battle, there is no sense of completion nor of achievement. Edit: After some hours, the game become extremely easy, to the point that it stop giving good items to you to start giving OP    Played Mario Kart for the first time ever...

    And i can say that it may be fun with friends, but and a solo player, it gets boring really fast.

    There is no content for the game, besides race and battle, there is no sense of completion nor of achievement.

    Edit: After some hours, the game become extremely easy, to the point that it stop giving good items to you to start giving OP items to the bots.    … Expand
  14. Sidian
    May 10, 2017
    2
    I've been playing since the SNES version and this is EASILY, by FAR the worst Mario Kart game I have ever played.

    - Impressively, the AI cheats more than it ever has before. In every other Mario Kart game I could lap the other racer with ease, in this one that is simply not possible because of the absolutely insane level of rubber banding. Getting 1st place is often down to luck due to    I've been playing since the SNES version and this is EASILY, by FAR the worst Mario Kart game I have ever played.

    - Impressively, the AI cheats more than it ever has before. In every other Mario Kart game I could lap the other racer with ease, in this one that is simply not possible because of the absolutely insane level of rubber banding. Getting 1st place is often down to luck due to the absurd amount of cheating the AI does; the amount of times I've been screwed over literally seconds before the finish line is beyond counting. Not to mention the much more blatant cheating I've seen, such as items going directly through defences I have prepared, blue shells ignoring the racer in 1st place to go for me, I've even seen racers teleporting ahead.

    Well, at least there's online mode, right? Wrong.

    - Online mode is completely and utterly ruined by several things. Firstly, it allows you to use cheats. That's what I'm calling 'smart steering' because unless it's a map with great, hard to access shortcuts then it is effectively cheating and there is no real disadvantage to using it. Remember the fun of playing on maps like Rainbow Road in the past and laughing as people fell off? Those days are gone, as it's impossible to do so now.

    - As usual Nintendo fails to offer basic online functionality. Want to play in 200cc races? Too bad! You have to randomly search for a match and it will often be much slower. You want a balanced match? Too bad! There is seemingly no matchmaking whatsoever and people with triple the average rating of the match will be in the race for no good reason.    … Expand
  15. lilbagginz
    Mar 24, 2019
    2
    I've played this game for a long time and YES, it was fun at the beginning. But when I kept on playing I realised how broken it was. I was frustrated and discouraged by bad game mechanics.

    Threre are so many flaws that I don't even know where to start, but I try to be brief. 1. UNBALANCED: There are different weight classes. But everyone just plays heavies because they've got unfair    I've played this game for a long time and YES, it was fun at the beginning. But when I kept on playing I realised how broken it was. I was frustrated and discouraged by bad game mechanics.

    Threre are so many flaws that I don't even know where to start, but I try to be brief.

    1. UNBALANCED: There are different weight classes. But everyone just plays heavies because they've got unfair advantages if you build them right (great speed, high acceleration + turbo, can knock around lightweights).

    2. CHEAT MODE: There is literally a cheat option in the settings called 'smart steering'. Actually it's for kids or absolute newbies who have trouble staying on a course without knocking into walls or falling right off. But it's a clear advantage over your opponents on certain tracks like Rainbow Road or in 200cc and destroys any sense of competition.

    3. ONLINE: Just horrific! For playing online it's required to pay 20€ anually but getting nothing in return. With nothing I actually mean NOTHING. There aren't any dedicated servers, just Peer-to-Peer!!! The result: everyone lags, only lags, everywhere lags. Nintendo, what are you doing with my money?!
    Another side effect of lagging players is that everyone just gets mushrooms instead of other items.

    4. MATCHMAKING: As mentioned before there is no real competition because of babysitting/smart steering. High-skilled pros are tossed together with newbies. The philosophy: Everybody can beat/cheat everyone.
    Because of the item roulette It's more luck- than skill-based. There is no advantage of being the first because when picking up boxes you get only coins. Meanwhile the guy behind you gets triple red shells and beat the **** out of you right before the finish line.

    A typical game looks like this: You lead the whole game and defend your first position like a rabid dog. Then right before the finish line you will ultimately pay the price for your ignorance! Here it comes: First a lightning bolt to take away your items, then a blue shell, a red shell and finally a passing star and rocket. So you drop from your deserved first place to an embarrassing eighth place.    … Expand
  16. Turnipking123
    Mar 15, 2023
    2
    Frustrating. They sell us a game at full
    Price on the switch that was originally released for the Wii U over 5 years ago. I forgot how
    Much I had despised beating it before they added these new maps. And to have the audacity to charge for new maps and full price on an old game. Nintendo is lucky it has my nostalgia. I will Only ever buy Nintendo systems for Zelda games. The rest is going    Frustrating. They sell us a game at full
    Price on the switch that was originally released for the Wii U over 5 years ago. I forgot how
    Much I had despised beating it before they added these new maps. And to have the audacity to charge for new maps and full price on an old game. Nintendo is lucky it has my nostalgia. I will Only ever buy Nintendo systems for Zelda games. The rest is going down hill in my opinion. This game rewards playing poorly and sandbagging. There is no benefit to being good at racing. This game does not incentivize getting better at it.

    I will be returning my newly purchased copy tomorrow. What a waste of money.    … Expand
  17. Shannoni
    Jun 9, 2023
    2
    This game is the most rigged game I have ever seen!!! Never before have I been leading the entire race with a large gap and suddenly without any obstacles in my way I start getting hit by absolutely everything when I'm about 300 feet from the finish line to always end up in 3rd,4th or whatever! Makes me want to throw my vonroller right out the window
  18. Rmiles801
    Jun 20, 2017
    1
    I've been away from Nintendo systems for quite some time, but I used to love the old Mario Kart's, obviously the game and platform are very different now, I really didn't set expectations high, I knew what I was getting into for the most part, as someone who plays a lot of Forza, obviously I don't expect some race sim mechanics.

    That being said, I played about 2 races of this with my GF    I've been away from Nintendo systems for quite some time, but I used to love the old Mario Kart's, obviously the game and platform are very different now, I really didn't set expectations high, I knew what I was getting into for the most part, as someone who plays a lot of Forza, obviously I don't expect some race sim mechanics.

    That being said, I played about 2 races of this with my GF who isn't a 'gamer", even she thought it was beyond bad, I am not even being dramatic when I say I was bored by about lap 2. There is absolutely zero mechanics in the game that make you feel like you're in any sort of a "cart" or "anything with wheels", it just feels like you're hopping on something that's moving, and it moves.. that's it, if it wrecks, you just go, there's no feeling like you're accelerating and the turning mechanism is about as broken as can be, it's SO bad I actually logged into my PC, signed in here just so I could spare some other soul the pain of spending 70$ on something that is less enjoyable than sitting in a rush hour traffic jam. There are just so many things wrong, I'm not going to even rant about everything because I'll be typing about 15k words, just know that if you buy this and have anyone play it over the age of 12, unless they are completely numb to what's "good", then they're going to think it's dumb, but for children, it's great, they don't realize just how bad it sucks... yet.    … Expand
  19. Broyax
    May 2, 2023
    1
    Ouais donc... c'est Mario qui fait le mariol sur son kart de manouche avec ses amis bizarres et idiots... Mario le petit plombier communiste, l'ouvrier du mois ! et donc on tourne en rond sur des circuits et on ramasse des trucs qu'on envoit sur les con-currents... un peu comme un Wipeout en fait... sauf que c'est pas bien, même pas aussi bien que le plus mauvais, le plus lourdingue desOuais donc... c'est Mario qui fait le mariol sur son kart de manouche avec ses amis bizarres et idiots... Mario le petit plombier communiste, l'ouvrier du mois ! et donc on tourne en rond sur des circuits et on ramasse des trucs qu'on envoit sur les con-currents... un peu comme un Wipeout en fait... sauf que c'est pas bien, même pas aussi bien que le plus mauvais, le plus lourdingue des Wipeout !

    Et quel ennui, quel ennui ici ! ce jeu est un simulateur d'ennui en fait. La conduite est totalement dénuée d'intérêt, même pour de la simple, très simpliste arcade... et les bruitages prennent la tête, c'est juste horrible... mais pas aussi horrible que cette horrible musique débile qui ne s'arrête jamais ! d'ailleurs, j'ai pas trouvé l'option pour lui couper le sifflet.

    Cela étant, le jeu est beau et de ce que j'ai tenté de jouer, tout à fait fluide (il semble tenir ses 60 im/s sans faillir) et les temps de chargement sont assez courts. D'autant que je précise avoir tenté d'y jouer sur la switche en mode portable. Cela nous fera donc un point (quand même) au lieu de zéro. Et puis, je l'ai pas trop mal revendu, finalement !    … Expand
  20. manusax
    Mar 4, 2018
    1
    Es imposible girar, los vehiculos no giran en ciertas curvas, a veces ni derrapando.
    se ha hecho demasiado hincapié en la utilización del derrape para girar, no como en otros mariokart que podias derrapar pero la curva la cogias igual girando, en el mariokart Wii era mucho mas divertido y entretenido.

    este es frustante, de verdad,
  21. Sinbaddusnavy
    Jun 29, 2017
    1
    Just another rehash of the same game that has been made so many times it is hard to keep count. Sad that one of the most inventive gaming companies in the world has resorted to repackaging the same game over and over and charging full price for it. It is folly to believe that this is anything new or imaginative or is gaming nirvana in any way. It is the same game on a slightly newerJust another rehash of the same game that has been made so many times it is hard to keep count. Sad that one of the most inventive gaming companies in the world has resorted to repackaging the same game over and over and charging full price for it. It is folly to believe that this is anything new or imaginative or is gaming nirvana in any way. It is the same game on a slightly newer platform depending on your view of a switch which is really just a repackaged wii u gamepad with controllers on the side.… Expand
  22. Technickle
    Aug 11, 2020
    1
    This game is a lot worse compared to it's Wii U release, and the luck factor that comes into play even makes it's a worse experience. Unlike the Wii U version where skill was a factor, luck felt more reasonable. $60 for this? no, no more like $30 maximum. For someone who played A LOT of the Wii U version, I can tell you that, this is not any better. If you still like Mario Kart 8, makeThis game is a lot worse compared to it's Wii U release, and the luck factor that comes into play even makes it's a worse experience. Unlike the Wii U version where skill was a factor, luck felt more reasonable. $60 for this? no, no more like $30 maximum. For someone who played A LOT of the Wii U version, I can tell you that, this is not any better. If you still like Mario Kart 8, make sure to keep the Wii U version and dump the Switch version entirely. Coming from someone who spent all their time on the Wii U Version (13K) it's recommended to skip this.… Expand
  23. DIOS_GAME
    Jun 23, 2019
    1
    Una copia barata del crash nitro kart deberían ser más originales y no an dar robando ideas al crash nitro kart
  24. KohakuGaming
    Jan 6, 2022
    1
    This is by far the worst racing game I have ever played completely RNG based not very fun and a $60 remake of a wiiu game This game is not fun at all and evil.
  25. Baxter2477
    Apr 2, 2022
    1
    This Game should be Rated R for Gamblin.
    Need no Skil just Luck at the Boxes like in CoD with the Aliengun.
    I don't understand the "Hype" of this. Ist like an 60$ Handygame with Gamblin.
  26. Nhumme
    Jun 1, 2023
    1
    The game is cool, but it is not compatible with the game boy advance, and you can’t eat the game cartridge.
  27. FrostNovaRanger
    Jun 9, 2020
    0
    Complete rng trash on 200cc. Why try and be good at a game when it is 100% luck based on higher difficulties.
  28. NeedleBanger
    May 29, 2017
    0
    This isn't even a racing game, its a totally rigged joke for children. It pretty much follows nintendo's subliminal brainwashing of the idea that "1st place always loses, you never want to be in 1st place EVER in life!" I remember them starting that crap back around the time Mario Party 2 was released for N64. This game is more rigged than a slot machine, pathetic waste of time & moneyThis isn't even a racing game, its a totally rigged joke for children. It pretty much follows nintendo's subliminal brainwashing of the idea that "1st place always loses, you never want to be in 1st place EVER in life!" I remember them starting that crap back around the time Mario Party 2 was released for N64. This game is more rigged than a slot machine, pathetic waste of time & money that only satisfies brain-dead morons with its flashy lights & noises. Mariokart 64 & the SNES version blow this crap out of the water.… Expand
  29. vgmkyle
    May 3, 2017
    0
    Anyone else find it puzzling that a game as old as this one with hardly any new content is getting better reviews than a brand new idea or even the original source material? I played it and there is not a big difference at all in the graphics. None of these reviews has convinced me the SIXTY DOLLARS is justified. If anything all of this positive enforcement will result in us getting EVENAnyone else find it puzzling that a game as old as this one with hardly any new content is getting better reviews than a brand new idea or even the original source material? I played it and there is not a big difference at all in the graphics. None of these reviews has convinced me the SIXTY DOLLARS is justified. If anything all of this positive enforcement will result in us getting EVEN MORE WIIU remakes instead of NEW games.… Expand
  30. SonicCam91
    Jun 30, 2017
    0
    I feel this is a missed opportunity on Ninendo's part as a lazy port for the Switch version of Mario Kart 8. I loved the original Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U But have grown to really hate the new version for the Switch. What's new? Not much. 5 new characters (some are copies of gendered Squid characters from Splatoon), some new Battle mode tracks, and um, that's pretty much it.
    It's kind of    I feel this is a missed opportunity on Ninendo's part as a lazy port for the Switch version of Mario Kart 8. I loved the original Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U But have grown to really hate the new version for the Switch. What's new? Not much. 5 new characters (some are copies of gendered Squid characters from Splatoon), some new Battle mode tracks, and um, that's pretty much it.
    It's kind of like Nintendo said "Hey we forgot to add this stuff in the last game. How do we cash in on this? Let's just turn this into a new game and port it!"
    I hate how the game encourages you to replay all of the cups over and over again to unlock certain rewards like the exclusive character Gold Mario. To unlock his vehicle parts you need to replay the same game over and over again. Soon it becomes more tedious than fun and I actually started to get very angry at being bored with it. Then I thought "Is doing all this just for a new character skin really worth it?" No, it's not.
    I guess i'm also negative about it because I had the Wii U version already, but I honestly enjoyed the Wii U version a lot better.
    I know it's probably good for people who never played the Wii U version, but this port isn't for me.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2017
4
#4 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
4
#4 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 95 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 95
  3. Negative: 0 out of 95
  1. Power Unlimited
    Oct 19, 2017
    85
    You could see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as an easy port, because it is to a certain extent. But it would be silly to disregard the ultimate fun this kart experience offers because of this. If you have a Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an essential purchase you will play for over three years and never regret buying.
    Read full review
  2. Wired UK
    Aug 30, 2017
    90
    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a refinement rather than a remaster, but one that corrects the few flaws of its predecessor. It would be nice if there was just a bit more new content to help justify the full price release, or if you didn't have to unlock kart mods all over again, but for the foreseeable future, this is the definitive – and best – Mario Kart experience.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 5, 2017
    60
    Funny racing game featuring the most popular tracks from all older sequels and versions. Don’t waste your time with reality – shoot the enemy with the turtle shell! [Issue#275]
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