Mario Kart 8

 Wii U
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2023 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,789 out of 2023
  2. Mixed: 86 out of 2023
  3. Negative: 148 out of 2023
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. GamecubeLover
    Jul 21, 2016
    9
    Great courses, smooth gameplay and graphics, great dlc, good graphics, and overall what I expected. Well the DLC does have a main problem. It is weird to put animal crossing and link in a mario kart game and a legend of zelda course. It is strange.
  2. Arilio
    Aug 20, 2016
    10
    This game is pure perfection. Everything about it is amazing. The course design is so creative and the add of antigravity feature makes some awsome levels. The soundtrack is just great and many of the old tracks got a little bit changed. I see many people that are saying that the remake of rainbow road from mario kart 64 is terrible. I definitely disagree with that. The original was soThis game is pure perfection. Everything about it is amazing. The course design is so creative and the add of antigravity feature makes some awsome levels. The soundtrack is just great and many of the old tracks got a little bit changed. I see many people that are saying that the remake of rainbow road from mario kart 64 is terrible. I definitely disagree with that. The original was so long and boring. In the remake the backround, the music and the 3 sections instead of laps are great. Also the add of DLC and 200cc mode makes the game even better. Last but not least, the item balance is the best. Why? Let's say you are second and you want to go first. In the old games you could hold two items. Now you take an item and it's a red shell. In the older versions of mario kart the first player could have for example triple bananas and a green shell, so it was unpossible to hit him. I mean it might be more difficult to go from 6th to 1st but still if you are first then you don't have to worry that much if you can hold a good defensive item and if you are second you have a higher chance of hitting the first racer.… Expand
  3. Bytec
    Jun 21, 2016
    10
    This game made me buy Wii U. Even thou I have completed all the cups and have all items and DLC I still play this game because it's fun and beautiful. Must have game for Wii U owners.
  4. elbrujogamer24
    Jun 24, 2016
    9
    El mejor Mario Kart hecho hasta este momento, ya que contiene: el mayor plantel de personajes, de circuitos, de modos, de vehiculos e incluso tiene nuevas categorias a la hora de conducir, la jugabilidad es impresionante, un estilo gráfico increible, pero sobre todo tiene la diversión que siempre nos ofrece Mario Kart. Qué grandes momentos he podido pasar junto a mis amigos y misEl mejor Mario Kart hecho hasta este momento, ya que contiene: el mayor plantel de personajes, de circuitos, de modos, de vehiculos e incluso tiene nuevas categorias a la hora de conducir, la jugabilidad es impresionante, un estilo gráfico increible, pero sobre todo tiene la diversión que siempre nos ofrece Mario Kart. Qué grandes momentos he podido pasar junto a mis amigos y mis familiares con este juego.
    De lo mejor de Wii U.    … Expand
  5. wariothelegend
    Jul 27, 2016
    10
    Mario Kart 8 is easily the best game in the series to date. With it's vast amount of content and HD visuals, you're not going to regret buying this game. It's great for both beginners and experts. It even has a downloadable content!

    Mario Kart 8's gimmick is the anti-gravity system, which allows you to race up walls or even the ceiling. Bumping into another racer gives you a satisfying    Mario Kart 8 is easily the best game in the series to date. With it's vast amount of content and HD visuals, you're not going to regret buying this game. It's great for both beginners and experts. It even has a downloadable content!

    Mario Kart 8's gimmick is the anti-gravity system, which allows you to race up walls or even the ceiling. Bumping into another racer gives you a satisfying spin-boost and which can be used as a strategy to what angle you bump a racer in so that only you will benefit. Mario Kart 8 also includes new items like the Boomerang Flower, Piranha Plant, Crazy 8 and finally an item that stops the invincible Blue Spiny Shell, the Super Horn.

    Now with every game there's always a minor set back, and Mario Kart 8 is no different. It's character choices are very questionable, such as it's over load of baby counterpart, and Pink Gold Peach. But even that's not a major set back from this brilliant artwork. A family-fun party game that will truly amaze you!    … Expand
  6. GoodGameAnyway
    Jul 29, 2016
    7
    One of the best games on Wii U, but unfortunately not quite as good as Mario Kart Wii. With more "balanced" items, the game has lost its 12-player craziness many players loved in Mario Kart Wii. If MKWii was still available to play online this would be okay, but due to Wi-Fi Connection being shut down, this is one sad disaster for me.

    However, the tracks and the visuals are cool. DLC is    One of the best games on Wii U, but unfortunately not quite as good as Mario Kart Wii. With more "balanced" items, the game has lost its 12-player craziness many players loved in Mario Kart Wii. If MKWii was still available to play online this would be okay, but due to Wi-Fi Connection being shut down, this is one sad disaster for me.

    However, the tracks and the visuals are cool. DLC is among the best I've ever seen. That still won't fix the broken gameplay choices.

    Also, do not expect to be able to choose tracks online freely: you have to pick one out of three randomly selected or an another random track.    … Expand
  7. el_Ithur
    Jul 31, 2016
    9
    Excelente Mario Kart, al nivel del Double Dash. Visualmente perfecto, buen diseño. Recomendado 100% vale la pena invertir en una WiiU para disfrutar este juego. Infinitamente superior a la desdichada versión de wii.
  8. taxmanfan
    Jan 10, 2017
    8
    the game was cool at everything! but if you don't have the DLCs it's a very short game that you can finish in just one hour :/ apart from all the gamemodes
  9. yiric4
    Aug 18, 2016
    9
    best mario kart so far. the 3ds one is not that good best mario kart so far. the 3ds one is not that good best mario kart so far. the 3ds one is not that good best mario kart so far. the 3ds one is not that good
  10. veedub
    Sep 6, 2016
    9
    By far the best racing game I've ever played. The track designs are all great; there aren't any tracks that I genuinely dislike, and that's really saying something because I usually dislike at least one track. The addition of the glider, antigravity mode and submersible modes greatly adds to the gameplay that has been refined over the previous 7 titles. And the addition of 200cc modeBy far the best racing game I've ever played. The track designs are all great; there aren't any tracks that I genuinely dislike, and that's really saying something because I usually dislike at least one track. The addition of the glider, antigravity mode and submersible modes greatly adds to the gameplay that has been refined over the previous 7 titles. And the addition of 200cc mode brings back the "HOLY CRAP THIS IS TOO FAST" experience most of us enjoyed from the F-Zero series. (Not to mention in the DLCs having Mute City and Big Blue tracks).

    Antigravity mode greatly expands the creativity of the track designs; the tracks can (and do!) fold over on themselves. One track is a giant Mobius strip; another track has a section that loops around on itself to become the outer wall of its own turn, then has a section where the track splits and you have opposing track sections upside-down from each other.

    The game accommodates a full range of difficulty levels, from being easy enough that a 5 year old can win, to being difficult enough that even the most expert racer will have a hard time holding on to the top spots.

    There was only one disappointment I had. Battle Mode sucks. As recently as Mariokart Wii (6th in the series) there was a robust battle mode with open course layout for battle. In Mariokart 8, those are gone, and have been replaced with simply battling on race tracks. (At least the tracks eligible for battle are designed so they can be traversed equally well both backward and forward). And it's particularly disappointing because the new antigrav, submarine and kite modes could have added so much depth to the battles.    … Expand
  11. Stlouzilla
    Oct 1, 2016
    9
    Mario Kart 8 delivers on the pedigree that has become expected of the franchise and delivers one of the all around most polished and fun experiences available on the Wii U.
  12. Gregorylol
    Oct 15, 2016
    9
    Mario Kart 8 is an inspiring and an amazing game. With smooth graphics and amazing gameplay, I don't get tired playing this game. The anti-gravity feature is a nice feature that adds a little touch to the Mario Kart series. The maps are arguably the best in the series. The things that disappoint in this game are the Battle Mode. Nintendo took out the battle only maps, and put them in theMario Kart 8 is an inspiring and an amazing game. With smooth graphics and amazing gameplay, I don't get tired playing this game. The anti-gravity feature is a nice feature that adds a little touch to the Mario Kart series. The maps are arguably the best in the series. The things that disappoint in this game are the Battle Mode. Nintendo took out the battle only maps, and put them in the race maps. In online races, you're not allowed to pick from all of the maps, which sucks ass. However, all in all, this game is in the top 10 best Wii U games, and is definitely worth a try. I believe you should buy this game.… Expand
  13. Fercreador
    Mar 29, 2017
    10
    Es un juego simplemente fantastio, que me ha dado muchas horas, quiero decir que este juego probablemente sea de los mejores mario kart, por no decir el mejor, la implementacion de los nuevos item son maravillosos, cambian el juego bastante, como el poder visual de pasar por las paredes y techos
  14. Coleybuddy
    Nov 7, 2016
    10
    Mario Kart 8 is the best of all of the Mario Kart games I have played so far. Its main attraction is its graphics which look amazing when playing in full HD. I have decided to list the positives and negatives of this game.

    Positives: -The tracks are very creative and fun. This especially goes for the tracks taken from previous games since they are given an updated look and have the    Mario Kart 8 is the best of all of the Mario Kart games I have played so far. Its main attraction is its graphics which look amazing when playing in full HD. I have decided to list the positives and negatives of this game.

    Positives:

    -The tracks are very creative and fun. This especially goes for the tracks taken from previous games since they are given an updated look and have the new features implemented into them, but are still kept as close to the original as possible.
    -Online play is very fun with very little lag. I also like how you can have someone else play online mode on the same console.
    -The DLC adds a huge amount of extra content with its three different packs. These packs add new karts, characters, and tracks to the already huge collection of content.
    -The customization of karts returns from Mario Kart 7 and has even more variety.
    -As I already said, the graphics are amazing. They are probably the best that I have seen on the WiiU so far.

    Negatives:

    -Most people will agree that the game's only noticeable flaw is the battle mode. I do agree that it was lazily made with there only being normal tracks available instead of the battle arenas that were present in the previous games.

    Overall, this game is one of the most impressive games available on the WiiU and I would definitely recommend it.    … Expand
  15. ellocopepe96
    Nov 27, 2016
    7
    primero que todo este juego es muy bueno y divertido como todos los mario karts los escenarios están muy bien hechos los graficos de puta madre , el juego va muy fluido , diversion asegurada.
    Pero para mi no esta a la altura de los anteriores juegos de la saga , lo encuentro un poco vacio , el modo batalla no esta trabajado, no hay escenarios especificos para ese modo como en todos    primero que todo este juego es muy bueno y divertido como todos los mario karts los escenarios están muy bien hechos los graficos de puta madre , el juego va muy fluido , diversion asegurada.
    Pero para mi no esta a la altura de los anteriores juegos de la saga , lo encuentro un poco vacio , el modo batalla no esta trabajado, no hay escenarios especificos para ese modo como en todos los otros mario karts , hay muchos personajes que no pintan ni con cola xd como los secuaces de bowser o toadette o peach de oro rosa que son mas bien de relleno , hubiesen metido a diddy kong o funky kong o bowsitos desde antes y no en un dlc o bowser jr etc . Algunas pistas son muy aburridas , la musica es normalita no me gusto que casi cada tema del juego tuviese trompetas todo el tiempo y muchas veces la musica pasa a segundo plano y no se escucha casi nada ya que ni siquiera te da la opcion de bajarle a los efectos de sonido del juego y dejar la música en un volumen mas alto. yo creo que eso es algo esencial hoy en dia ,que un juego te permita bajar o subir el volumen de cada sonido del juego .
    y lo de los dlc es lo peor osea ¿que paso nintendo xD ? ya esta mal hacer dlc´s pero los dlcs que pusieron son de risa lo unico que vale la pena de los dlc son link ,bowsitos y algunas pistas nuevas, pero aun asi se nota que al juego le falto mas cariño.    … Expand
  16. Captain_Faramir
    Apr 14, 2017
    8
    8.9 - Another great Mario Kart, although it lacked battle mode, and had the same issue of 1st to 12th as mentioned in my Mario Kart Wii review. Other than that, additional characters and DLC was well done, and online gameplay was fun.
  17. Thiagomii
    Mar 5, 2017
    9
    este juego sencillamente se lleva el puesto a el juego de Wii U que mejor se ve, los gráficos son hermosos y cada circuito se ve alucinante, siendo los circuitos retro los que ahora mismo se ven a su mayor esplendor, con música remixeada y la mayoría con mejoras notorias. Además de buenos gráficos tiene una jugabilidad excelente, aunque no es fácil jugar a la primera, los derrapes soneste juego sencillamente se lleva el puesto a el juego de Wii U que mejor se ve, los gráficos son hermosos y cada circuito se ve alucinante, siendo los circuitos retro los que ahora mismo se ven a su mayor esplendor, con música remixeada y la mayoría con mejoras notorias. Además de buenos gráficos tiene una jugabilidad excelente, aunque no es fácil jugar a la primera, los derrapes son difíciles de perfeccionar, por lo cual no es tan divertido al jugarlo con mis amigos.… Expand
  18. KingPorky
    Mar 8, 2017
    8
    There is no much to say about that game besides the fact that is Mario Kart, I have a lot of fun, all courses on this game felt imaginative and the zero-gravity feature is cool, but not groundbreakin, the main problem of this game for me is the lack of a properly battle mode, but still, one of the most fun Kart games that I ever played
  19. bilbyc0m
    Mar 8, 2017
    9
    Nintendo once again puts out another fantastic Mario Kart game, also bringing a new fresh game play dynamic in the form of gravity, the ability to go up or on the side of walls with your kart. Mario Kart does everything it intends to at a smooth 60FPS. Its a blast with friends and a blast online. My one quarrel is the lack of voice chat for online. Other than that great job Nintendo, can'tNintendo once again puts out another fantastic Mario Kart game, also bringing a new fresh game play dynamic in the form of gravity, the ability to go up or on the side of walls with your kart. Mario Kart does everything it intends to at a smooth 60FPS. Its a blast with friends and a blast online. My one quarrel is the lack of voice chat for online. Other than that great job Nintendo, can't wait for this game on the switch.… Expand
  20. Jimez
    Mar 13, 2017
    9
    Mario Kart 8, one of the best Mario Kart games ever made. A great selection of tracks, some tracks remade in glorious HD. And, it's being remade for the Switch too. Can't fault it, perfect game for some great single player time trials and online mode. Only flaw is no voice chat, but otherwise a great game.
  21. CH513
    Jul 8, 2017
    8
    After the drop Mario Kart 7 was, the 8th game is a very decent improvement. The race tracks here are overall much better than those from MK7. The music is very memorable, the visuals are stunning for a Mario game, the redesigned tracks from previous games feel fresh and the online has a very good quality. But the 8/10 has its reasons: the character roster is by far the worst in the series,After the drop Mario Kart 7 was, the 8th game is a very decent improvement. The race tracks here are overall much better than those from MK7. The music is very memorable, the visuals are stunning for a Mario game, the redesigned tracks from previous games feel fresh and the online has a very good quality. But the 8/10 has its reasons: the character roster is by far the worst in the series, the difficulty is average, character voices are annoying, the new anti-gravity system is barely noticeable, the items are just too unbalanced for my liking and the game has the worst Battle mode in the series. Overall Mario Kart 8 will give you a lot of fun, but it will still leave much to be desired.

    (On a side note, I know the Battle mode is fixed in MK8 Deluxe, but at the time of writing this review, I have not played it yet).    … Expand
  22. Tonyxs
    Jul 19, 2020
    10
    Es un juego realmente adictivo, tiene un excelente apartado gráfico, y el dinamismo de las carreras es genial, y el modo de globos es adictivo, mi esposa y yo jugamos horas y horas en el online
  23. JoseAn13Torres
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    El mejor Mario Kart hasta la fecha sin ninguna duda, rápido y adictivo. No había disfrutado tanto un juego de conducción desde Mario Kart Double Dash de GameCube. De sobresaliente.
  24. darkzaga
    Mar 31, 2017
    10
    Muy buen juego, con buenas graficas y excelentes mecánicas.... el online es extremadamente competitivo y puede que el modo offline no llegue a prepararte para estar a la altura del resto de los competidores (aviso para que no se frustren) Dzaga
  25. Suzumiya1
    Apr 3, 2017
    10
    Excelente juego, online de maravilla por poder competir hasta 12 jugadores, una variedad de vehiculos espetacular, un juego que ha superado a cualquier mario kart de la saga,
  26. JPK
    Jul 20, 2019
    10
    The Perfect Mario Kart Game
    Mario Kart 8 (Until it’s Switch re-release) was by far the best Mario Kart game ever made.
  27. MarioGames
    Jul 10, 2017
    7
    This game is too much good quality and have a lot of guy + the koopaling are no appropriate. You can pay amiibo just for a Mii costume and the amiibo price like 16$
  28. AldoNueve
    Sep 28, 2017
    9
    I just say that this is a must have game in your Wii U, i dont think is possible to make something better than an anti-gravity feature. The visuals, the music the gameplay everything is TURBO-TASTIC, but fails a bit in the battle mode.
  29. ProGamer88
    Oct 11, 2017
    9
    Mario kart as a franchise, throughout its 25-year history, has become not only one of Nintendo's go-to-games but also a firm classic in many gamers opinions. The latest full game installment to this franchise, Mario kart 8 for the Wii U, brings about more of the same traditional Mario kart with a breath of fresh air to keep this classic relevant in the modern era of gaming.
    The core of    Mario kart as a franchise, throughout its 25-year history, has become not only one of Nintendo's go-to-games but also a firm classic in many gamers opinions. The latest full game installment to this franchise, Mario kart 8 for the Wii U, brings about more of the same traditional Mario kart with a breath of fresh air to keep this classic relevant in the modern era of gaming.
    The core of the single-player campaign gameplay remains almost the same as the previous game in the franchise. You choose from a selected roster of characters (most of which feature in previous Mario games) and race in grand prix consisting of 4 pre-determined races in order to unlock new characters, kart or bike choices or further grand prix.
    Of course, if you're on your own you don't have to play the single-player campaign; you can also set up a casual race, play in the battle mode or if you have an internet connection you can take your game to the online multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode is the best yet in the franchise with a suitable ranking system that has you racing against players with various skill levels in order to extend your own personal score. The downside to this being that you can sometimes get into games with a limited number of players; this can cause the race to lose its competitive edge.
    In comparison to the previous games, Mario kart 8 looks stunning with a high definition glaze. As you glide around the colourful courses with your slick wheels twisting and turning you can't help but have fun.
    Despite its many upsides, you can't help feeling that Nintendo has finally hit their last peak for the franchise.    … Expand
  30. FS_Lover
    Apr 11, 2018
    5
    I'm not very satisfied with this game, the only thing I appreciated was the graphics, which are very good, but there are many things that disappoint me... This isn't a pure Mario Kart, because there are characters from universes other than Mario's. Notice that I'm not saying that I'm disappointed that there are characters from other universes, but I am disappointed that Mario charactersI'm not very satisfied with this game, the only thing I appreciated was the graphics, which are very good, but there are many things that disappoint me... This isn't a pure Mario Kart, because there are characters from universes other than Mario's. Notice that I'm not saying that I'm disappointed that there are characters from other universes, but I am disappointed that Mario characters weren't given priority. There are many Mario characters they could have used, such as Birdo, like in Mario Kart Wii, or doctor Toadley, shroob, princess shroob, kamek, fawful, kylie koopa, cackletta, popple. There are so many Mario characters to choose from, there's no need to get characters from other series.
    Another thing I dislike about MK8 are the physics. They're odd and you go faster if you hop.
    The characters' voices are too quiet compared to the background music that you hear much more. On top of that, the characters don't have enough voice clips, unlike Mario Kart Wii.
    I also dislike the rearranged tracks, particularly Wario Stadium. I think they could have done a better job with them.
    t's a great thing that the retro tracks have been improved, however, they have been modified a bit , which is something they should have avoided. Again, Wario Stadium is a good example of this Another bad thing about this game is the way the objects work. For example, if you keep a banana peel behind you, it doesn't disappear from the object icon like it should.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best Wii U Game of 2014
2
#2 Most Discussed Wii U Game of 2014
4
#4 Most Shared Wii U Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 82 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 82
  3. Negative: 0 out of 82
  1. GameCritics
    Sep 18, 2014
    80
    Mario Kart 8 is pretty great in many ways, but undoubtedly moreso with a collection of friends to play with, or when facing off against other players online.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Aug 25, 2014
    85
    No revolution here, but still it’s an absolute must-have for every Wii U owner. [08/2014, p.68]
  3. Universo Nintendo
    Jul 31, 2014
    95
    A beautiful and fun racing game, which uses the possibilities offered by its host platform to emphasize and renew the truly universal appeal of the series.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »