You don't have to buy the Mario Kart 8 DLC courses to play them online

Mario Kart 8
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Mario Kart 8's DLC courses will be playable online for those who don't even own them.

As first reported earlier today by Eurogamer, the forthcoming Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass tracks will be open to all via the game's multiplayer component. It's actually Nintendo's official website that's quietly revealed the new details about the DLC tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

"Courses from Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass can be played from 18th March locally or online in Friends and Rivals races, even if only one player owns the Booster Course Pass or has access to it as part of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership," the Nintendo website reads.

Just a few days after this however, on March 22, courses from Wave 1 will be playable in the Random rotation when playing Global or Regional races with anyone online. This means, as of March 22, all new courses included in the first wave of DLC with the Booster Course Pass will be available to all when playing online.

Just last week, Nintendo unveiled the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch in a new Nintendo Direct. The pass is actually going to add a whopping 48 new tracks to the racing game, all of which will arrive in installments between next month and the end of 2023, and it'll cost $24.99. While this wasn't the Mario Kart 9 reveal that players were desperately hoping for, it's nonetheless good news for one of Nintendo's most popular games ever.

If you're interested in how the new iterations of the tracks stack up next to their original counterparts, here's how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course tracks look next to the originals.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Mario racing on a desert track during the Switch 2 reveal trailer.
Mario Kart 9 should step it up a gear by celebrating more of Nintendo's biggest franchises
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo knows you're waiting for Mario Kart 9, but it still wants you to run a million laps in Mario Kart 8 first
Mario Kart running on Nintendo Switch 2
I'm convinced Mario Kart 9 is the first official Nintendo Switch 2 game, with what looks like 24-person multiplayer
A screenshot of Mario Kart 9, shown during the Switch 2 reveal trailer.
Mario Kart 9: rumors and everything else we know about the potential Switch 2 game
Mario Kart Baby Park map
Ahead of the Switch 2, fans excited about Mario Kart 9 are already prophesying the havoc of 24 players in the series' most chaotic map: "I'd just put down the controller"
Nintendo Switch 2 first look
The Switch 2 surprise I'm most excited about is Mario Kart 9's Yoshi-shaped roadside diner named Yoshi's, which appears to tribute a 32-year old classic SNES puzzler
Latest in Racing
Wreckfest 2
Devs behind beloved destruction-focused racing game Wreckfest launch the sequel in early access with a trailer full of physics glitches and fatal error messages
A decorated purple car speeding head-on down a road in Toyko Xtreme Racer
Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a novel throwback to classic PS2 racing games like Midnight Club, and I can't get enough of it
Rivals Hover League appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
The spirit of Burnout heads to the future as Rivals Hover League brings destruction derby to the skies
Japanese Drift Master appearing in FGS Live From GDC
After a years-long way, this Initial D-inspired open-world racing game is now just around the corner
Bionic Bay appearing at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
Check out Bionic Bay's frantic physics fueled racing in this new Future Games Show trailer
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo knows you're waiting for Mario Kart 9, but it still wants you to run a million laps in Mario Kart 8 first
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game