When you start playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, all of the characters (except one) are available, as are all of the tracks — and this includes tracks from all three downloadable content packs for the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8. You’re still going to have to collect coins to unlock the various karts and parts, though.
In this guide, we’ll review what used to be locked or part of a DLC and show you what’s different now. We’ll also talk about the things we know have been added in the Switch version of the game, like new characters and karts.
Mario Kart 8 locked characters in two ways: 14 of which were baked into the game and several more arrived with DLC.
From YouTube user ShadowMario3On Wii U, Mario Kart 8 had 14 characters that unlocked in a random order as you completed cups. (Technically, it wasn’t completely random since the eighth character to unlock was always the Mii. )
If you’d like to begin Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the previously locked characters, you can choose from Baby Rosalina and grown-up Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, the Koopalings Iggy, Roy, Larry, Lemmy, Wendy, Ludwig and Morton (who doesn’t get a link), Toadette, Laikitu from the general Super Mario universe, Pink Gold Peach and Metal Mario — metallic versions of the classic characters, and Mii.
Mario Kart 8’s DLC added seven playable characters. Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and Link were part of Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8. The boy and girl villagers and Isabelle from Animal Crossing and Dry Bowser were added with Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8.
Purchasing both of these DLC packs would also unlock eight color variants each for both Yoshi and Shy Guy.
Gone are the days of randomly unlocking characters. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has done away with that. Every character is available at the start except for one: Gold Mario (and his gold kart).
That’s not to say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t have any changes to the lineup (racing pun). King Boo, Dry Bones and Bowser Jr. have been added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as playable characters. Additionally, the Inklings from Splatoon are making their debut for the first time in the Mario Kart series.
To unlock Gold Mario, first you’ll have to progress through the 50cc, 100cc and 150cc Grand Prix cups normally to unlock the 200cc races.
Then, you’ll have to take first place in all of those Grand Prix cups as well. Once you pull that off, Gold Mario will replace Metal Mario on the character select screen.
Mario Kart 8 started you off with seven bodies — four karts, two bikes and one ATV — four sets of wheels and one glider. You could unlock 18 more bodies, 17 more sets of wheels and 10 additional gliders. These were unlocked as you collected coins during races — one would unlock every 50 coins until you reached a total of 1,000 coins, at which point one would unlock every 100 coins.
There were three more parts — the gold standard body, gold tires and gold glider — that were unlocked while playing. You’d unlock the gold standard body by getting a star in every Grand Prix cup in every engine class.
The gold tires were unlocked by beating the staff ghosts in every time trial. Collecting 10,000 coins would unlock the gold glider.
The three DLC packs added 11 bodies, three sets of wheels, and two gliders.
You’re still going to have to collect coins to unlock karts and parts, but all of the DLC additions are available to you.
Three new bodies have been added for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: the Koopa Clown from Mario Kart 7 and the Inkstrider and Splat Buggy from Splatoon.
You’re going to have to put in a bit of work to unlock the gold parts. To unlock the gold standard body, you’ll need to get a star rank in every cup in mirror mode (which you unlock by completing all grand prix cups in all engine classes).
The tires will now require you to beat the staff ghosts in all of the 150cc time trials. The glider is still unlocked when you collect 10,000 coins.
You started Mario Kart 8 with only one cup (four tracks) available in the Mushroom Cup. Placing third or better in the cup would unlock the next cup, and then you just repeated that process until everything was unlocked.
In addition to the 32 tracks — eight cups worth — in Mario Kart 8 by default, there were 16 additional tracks — four more cups — available as DLC. The Triforce and Egg Cups were part of the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 DLC and the Bell and Crossing Cups were added by Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8.
All of these tracks (and cups) are available at the start of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — even the DLC tracks.
Mario Kart games traditionally feature a lot of content that is locked away when you start the game. Over the years players have had to win championships in order to unlock new courses, but in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe all the content is available from the moment you start the game (no doubt a decision made because this is a re-release of sorts following the Wii U version). That is, all content apart from the brand new Gold Mario included exclusively in the Switch version of Mario Kart 8. Gold Mario is the top Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockable you'll want to get your hands on.
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In this Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockables guide we'll detail how you unlock Gold Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the main unlockable in the game. If you're wondering why we've also got info on how to stop Blue Shells, you'll need that skill if you're going to be successful in your quest to unlock Gold Mario.
On top of that we've got a rundown of all the tracks, characters and new content in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch.
If you really can't be bothered to put in the time to unlock Gold Mario, we've got plenty more articles on our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Guide Hub. Head over there if you're done here.
The instructions to unlock Gold Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are remarkably simple: Finish first in all 200CC racing events. That's it. Simple. Except it's not simple. In fact it's far from simple as getting that gold trophy in every event is extremely challenging. Luckily for you we've got some tips to help you get your mits on the Gold Mario character.
The mushroom is a simple item in Mario Kart 8. Use it and you'll get a speed boost. It's an item everyone can understand. But in the right hands it's a potentially race-winning power-up that can let you dodge a blue shell attack.
With a mushroom in hand wait until the blue shell has activated its final attack, then use the mushroom to accelerate forward and out of the blast radius. Timing here is tricky to master, but get it right and you'll have a huge advantage when trying to win 200CC races,
Watch for the moment the blue shell gets in front of you and then tips up, as if to show you its belly. At this exact moment use the Super Horn and you'll prevent the blue shell from hitting you. Your timing has to be spot on.
To get into first position and have to struggle against the dreaded blue shell you're going to need to be at the top of your game. Follow our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Boost Guide for info on how to repeatedly get those essential bursts of speed.
Gold Mario isn't a new addition to the Mario franchise, even though he's never appeared in Mario Kart until Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Gold Mario has appeared in Super Mario Maker, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, and Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
It's worth noting that Gold Mario doesn't have any special abilities that make him a great character to play as - he's essentially a reskin of Metal Mario, which means he's very heavy. Getting hold of him is more of a status symbol that lets you show off to friends.
As well as getting your hands on Gold Mario, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also has unlockable gold parts. To get all three items you'll need to complete a series of challenges.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers brand new and retro-inspired Battle mode courses, there are no new tracks for other game modes. What you get in the Switch game is the entire line-up of tracks from the Wii U version of Mario Kart 8 along with all the tracks added via DLC.
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Characters list is also bolstered thanks to a number of brand new characters.
This brings the content package up to a bumper 48 tracks in total. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also includes 41 characters, five of whom are exclusive to the Switch game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch includes a total of 41 characters (not counting variations). This includes all Mario Kart 8’s DLC characters plus five new racers exclusive to the Switch game.
Many of the tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are based on classic courses from Mario Kart games through the years.
We've marked the platforms each track first appeared on. If you remember them they've had quite the visual overhaul in their move to new hardware.
Mushroom Cup
Flower Cup
Star Cup
Special Cup
Shell Cup
Banana Cup
Leaf Cup
Lightning Cup
Egg Cup (Previously DLC 1 for Mario Kart 8)
Triforce Cup (Previously DLC 1 for Mario Kart 8)
Crossing Cup (Previously DLC 2 for Mario Kart 8)
Bell Cup (Previously DLC 2 for Mario Kart 8)
That’s all the cups, tracks, and characters included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch.
Head elsewhere for details on how to build the best kart/character combo in Mario Kart 8 and a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Weapons Guide.
Now you've got Gold Mario and the other Mario Kart 8 Deluxe unlockables we hope you'll have many great moments of showing off!
Content
In the past, you had to race and rank to unlock the next Cup to participate in and unlock other players you might want to enjoy. This time, all of these things are already unlocked, which means you can choose the character you want to compete as and the cup you want to compete in out of the box, and instead focus on unlocking more important things.
Here's what you need to know!
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe you start with access to the following equipment:
To unlock more maps, tires and gliders, you need to participate in races in Grand PRIX mode for one player. During each four-course Grand Prix Cup race, you have the opportunity to collect up to ten coins before crossing the finish line. If you have collected 30 or more coins by the end of the Cup, a new item will be available to use in your next race. nine0003
If you have collected more than 30 coins by the end of the Cup, these coins are added to your total collected coins in your profile.
If you have collected more than 30 extra coins over multiple Cups, this rollover amount will count towards your next unlock.
Here are all you can unlock this way:
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Home Internet How to get Mario gold in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Last update 08/11/2022 – Alena Kuznetsova
Whether you're returning to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe after a break or starting to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the first time, you're here to learn how to unlock the golden Marios from Nintendo's latest flagship racing game. . In this article, you will find step-by-step, clearly detailed instructions on how to unlock Secret Gold Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as exactly what you need to do to unlock this special character.
While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does add a few new characters right out of the gate, you need to unlock Golden Mario, which is basically a variation of Metal Mario. If you manage to get first place in each of the 12 cups, you will unlock Golden Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. nine0003
To unlock the shining Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you must win every cup in Grand Prix mode, i.e. 200cc mode, except for the new DLC Cup. To unlock it, firstly you need to complete the 50cc, 100cc and 150cc Grand Prix cups as normal to unlock 200cc races. To unlock Golden Mario, you will need to win all the trophies in the Grand Prix in a 200cc race. Players can race and battle, either alone or with friends, to automatically unlock cool new items, or they can take on more challenging challenges to unlock golden items such as the golden standard kart, golden wheels, golden glider, and golden Mario , which serve the player's achievements. nine0003
Whether players just want more characters and levels to play with, or want to target coveted golden items, understanding the steps to unlock things will help players get even more out of Mario Kart 8.
Apart from Golden Mario, there are 3 more parts that you unlock. on Wii or Switch. You don't need golden Mario to unlock them.
If you want to start Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with previously locked characters, you can choose from Baby Rosalina and Grown-Up Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, Koopalings Iggy, Roy, Larry, Lemmy, Wendy, Ludwig and Morton, Toadette, Laikitu from the shared Super Mario universe, metal versions of classic Pink Gold Peach and Metal Mario characters, and Mii. Mario (Gold) is an unlockable outfit available in Super Mario Maker, and he makes a cameo appearance in these additional Mario games that most of us have missed.
