Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Gets Free Switch 2 Update with 8-Player Split Screen
The update arrives after the series' newest entry, Mario Kart World, already launched on Switch 2, so Nintendo is keeping the older title current on the new hardware rather than leaving it behind.
Key Facts
- Nintendo distributed free update version 4.0.0 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on September 2, 2026.
- The update is the first since May 2025, about one year and four months after the previous one.
- On Nintendo Switch 2, the game now supports up to 8-player split screen on one console and camera play with a separately sold USB camera.
- Race speed is now faster by the equivalent of one coin, and the Boo item's transparent state no longer slows players on dirt.
- Booster Course Pass owners can now select 96 races in VS Race rule settings.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Automaton.
Nintendo distributed a free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on September 2, 2026, adding features that use the Nintendo Switch 2's performance. Update version 4.0.0 is the first since May 2025, a gap of about one year and four months. When played on Switch 2, the game now supports up to 8-player split screen on a single console, provided each player has a controller. Camera play is also supported, using a separately sold USB camera such as the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera. Players' faces appear above their characters during races, showing who is nearby and who overtook them, and the feature works with game chat. The update also supports the Switch 2's display and high-resolution televisions, and shortens load times for races and battles. Balance changes make race speed faster by the equivalent of one coin, and using the Boo item to become transparent no longer slows the player on dirt. Owners of the Booster Course Pass can now select 96 races in VS Race rule settings.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe originally brought the Wii U title and its additional content to the Switch, launching on April 28, 2017, about a month after the Switch itself. The game has since grown through updates and the large-scale Booster Course Pass DLC. Version 4.0.0 is the first update since May 2025 and the first major version bump in that stretch.
The camera feature has limits. It requires a separately sold USB camera, and in internet play it only works when the player joins game chat. Camera video and microphone audio are sent only to game chat members. For 2 to 4 player local play and internet modes, players can switch the camera on or off. When on, faces display during races.
Beyond Switch 2 support, the update changes general gameplay. Race speed is now faster by the equivalent of one coin, and the Boo item's transparent state no longer causes slowdown on dirt. For Booster Course Pass owners, VS Race rule settings now include 96 races. Automaton noted the update arrives after Mario Kart World, the series' newest entry, already released, making this a chance to revisit the older title on the new hardware.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.