Mario Kartis one of Nintendo’s most beloved series, which is impressive considering it spun off from the franchise that is considered to be both the face of Nintendo and video games as a whole. Ever sinceSuper Mario Kartcame out in 1992,Mario Kartbecame a series fans expect to see a new installment released every time Nintendo puts out a new system. Aside from updated versions of previous systems like the Game Boy Advance SP and the DSi, the only Nintendo console to not get aMario Kartgame was the Virtual Boy. The Switch is the only technical exception, since theMario Karton Switch is a re-release ofMario Kart 8, originally released on Wii U.
That being said, as soon as rumors aboutMario Kart 9started spreading, the February 9 Nintendo Direct possibly crushed hopes of such a game actually being in development. For the first time since it portedMario Kart 8to the Switch, Nintendo will add content to the game. Indeed,Mario Kart 8 Deluxewill get a set of downloadable waves of tracks. By the time the wave ends, there will be 48 new tracks in total. Considering how massive this new DLC is, this spells bad news forMario Kart 9.
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Mario Kart 9 Rumors
Fans have been wanting a newMario Kartgame for a long time. WhenDeluxecame out, the original version ofMario Kart8was still fresh in people’s memory, butDeluxe’s addition of exclusive characters (Bowser Jr., King Boo, Dry Bones) and the entire DLC as part of the base game made the originalMario Kart 8obsolete. Despite how bloated with content the game is, and the potential additional features that could be added, Nintendo never went back toMario Kart 8 Deluxe. Indeed,the recently announced “Booster Course Pass”is the first newMario Kartcontent in five years, excluding theMario Kart Tourmobile game.
Nintendo appears to be learning from what it did withSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC. Rather than releasing all the tracks at the same time and potentially overwhelm theMario Kart 8 Deluxeplayer base, Nintendo is releasing new cups through “waves.” The DLC will only be fully released in around a year after the first wave comes out. This allows players to fully experience the currently released tracks before getting new content, while Nintendo can internalize any sort of feedback and make the DLC, as well as the overall game, even better.
The overwhelming number of new tracks that will be part of this DLC is the main reason whyMario Kart 9is as unlikely to happen as ever. With this DLC, the number of tracks inMario Kart 8will have effectively doubled. With every other game in the series planning to be represented, this DLC will be an opportunity to introduceMario Kart Tourtracksto unfamiliar players, as well as modernize older tracks. As shown in the reveal trailer, classic courses that have already been remastered are fair game, just like in the baseMario Kart 8.
Nevertheless, this is an opportunity forNintendo to revisit tracksthat have never reappeared after their introduction.Double Dash’s Wario Colosseum andWii’s Toad Factory are prime examples of solid tracks that never returned toMario Kartgames following their debut. If it wants to be as effective as possible, the DLC will likely bring back the few popular tracks that are left to be remastered. This makesMario Kart 9even less of a possibility, because remastered versions of older tracks have been a selling point sinceMario Kart DS. IfMario Kart 8 Deluxedecides to just empty the list of one-time tracks, thenMario Kart 9would be redundant.
Considering the sheer number of tracks that are being remastered, in addition to the possibility of characters being added to the roster,Mario Kart 8could shape up to be the series’ equivalent toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.Mario Kart 9’s existencewouldn’t make sense in the wake of this reveal, and so those rumors may be unfounded.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis available now on Nintendo Switch, with the Booster Course Pass launching on June 11, 2025.
