It's been more than five years since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched on Switch, following the initial Wii U release. Released just over a month after the Switch launched, it's become the best-selling racing game of all-time in the United States, and fans have long queried when we'd finally see the next entry.
While Nintendo's released two additional games in that time - Tour and Live: Home Circuit - we've not technically seen a new main entry since 2014, thanks to Deluxe's status as an enhanced Wii U port.
For more on Nintendo Switch games, check out the latest news on Bayonetta 3, and Breath of the Wild 2.
Mario Kart 9 - Latest news
The trailer for the third wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition Booster Pass has been revealed, which confirms what the tracks are.
As of May 2022, there has been no new leaks about Mario Kart 9. Since there are still a fe packs to come from the Booster Course Pass, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
That being said, we'll continue to be on the lookout for new details. It's got to come out eventually, after all.
9 February, 2022 -
Well, we didn't see that coming. Nintendo announced the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass.
The new content launches as standalone DLC and as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It also includes a massive 48 remastered courses from across the Mario Kart series. Six waves will be released, each including eight courses that can be played locally and online. All six waves will be released by the end of 2023. Follow the link above if you want to know more.
We imagine that scuppers any chance of seeing Mario Kart 9 before 2024.
8 February, 2022 -
Nintendo has confirmed a new Direct presentation airs tomorrow on February 9. Scheduled to kick off at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10PM GMT / 11pm CET, that's expected to last for "roughly 40 minutes," focus on Switch games launching "in the first half of 2022."
2 February, 2022 -
A prominent leaker has claimed we could see some Mario Kart news coming from a Nintendo Direct this month. This isn't the first time we've heard rumblings of a new Nintendo Direct presentation coming in February; and now, Zippo - who correctly predicted Persona 4 Arena Ultimax's re-release - advised a new Direct could happen as soon as next week.
While Zippo states they're "not sure of the content at this point in time," they believed this would feature Kirby And The Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Advance Wars 1+2, Xenoblade 3, and a new Fire Emblem. As for Mario Kart, Zippo advised:
Also, if you made Super Bowl sized money bets on this new Mario Kart not being real, you're going to be out of a lot of money. Start your engines. Hype responsibly.
2 July 2021 -
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit just received a surprise new update. While developers Velan Studios recently launched Knockout City with EA, they've been quietly working on further updates to Mario Kart's augmented reality spin-off, releasing Version 1.10 last night.
26 May 2021 -
Out of the blue, Nintendo released a new update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe last month, making it the first time we've seen one since January 2019. Considering the timing just before E3, that led to some speculation about Nintendo's future plans, and you can read more about it here.
Mario Kart 9 - Release date rumours and leaks
Reports have frequently appeared about a new entry, though neither seem particularly credible. One suggested a "Smash Bros type" crossover Kart racer was being planned, while another tells of an entry called "Mario Kart Maximum". While we'd always say to take these rumours with a grain of salt, it seems very unlikely either would be true.
Is Mario Kart on Switch?
Yes, in several forms. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe aside, the original SNES game, Super Mario Kart, is also available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. There's also an "SP" variant of Super available, which unlocks everything from the get-go. Separately, one player has recreated parts of the SNES entry within Game Builder Garage, slowly adding new features.
We've also got Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, a mixed reality spin-off which lets you control physical remote control cars that respond to how you play in-game. Launched last year, you'll need decent floor space to actually play it, and that was brought to us by Knockout City developers Velan Studios.