Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets 8-player split-screen with free Switch 2 update

The useful part

Mario Kart 8 has continued to prove incredibly popular and has, at various points over the past year, been shown to outsell the new Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart World. The new game has sold over 15 million copies, thanks in part to being sold in a bundle with the console, but that still pales in comparison to the 71 million of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! No doubt seeing just how much it is continued to be played on the Switch 2, Nintendo going back to add native support for the newer hardware makes sense.

How it works

• There's higher resolution support with the Switch 2's 1080p screen and 4K output to TV, and the faster internal and MicroSD cards allow for faster loading times.
• The biggest improvements come with the ability to play with up to 8 players in local split-screen Multiplayer.
• You can use a mixture of Switch 2 and Switch controllers, with up to seven Switch controllers (Joy-Con or Switch Pro), and at least one Joy-Con 2 or Switch 2 Pro Controller used.
• Not mentioned is that you will probably want a truly gigantic TV screen to make this playable – gone are the days of huddling around a 17″ CRT to play GoldenEye with a player view the size of a postage stamp!
• This can be used in local 2-4 player races and Online Play sessions with friends, where you will need to be in a GameChat session.

What to take from it

Support for the Nintendo Switch 2 system Added support for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs, allowing for clearer visuals.

Details worth keeping

Nintendo has released a surprise update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to take advantage of the Nintendo Switch 2 with update 4.0.0 There's now both support for 8-player split-screen racing, player faces with camera support, and general loading speed improvements for the newer system. The power of the Nintendo Switch 2 is being used in multiple ways. Here's the full Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 4.0.0 patch notes: