Happy 5th Birthday, Mario Kart 8!

On this weekend 5 years ago, the world finally saw the release of Mario Kart 8 for Wii U.

Mario Kart 8 has the honor of being the Wii U’s highest selling game at around 8.44 million copies (as of March 2019). Many consider it to be a system seller despite the Wii U’s dismal performance – and for good reason. From kart customization with unlockable parts and dozens of courses that celebrated the series’s history, Mario Kart 8 was chock full of content for die-hard fans.

The game also introduced an abundance of firsts for the franchise, such as paid DLC content in the form of guest racers and tracks (like Link and Hyrule). Likewise, players could replay and slow-down their races to create highlights – which inevitably spawned the infamous ‘Luigi’s Death Stare’ meme.

Despite the Wii U’s eventual demise, Mario Kart 8 would end up receiving a second wind in the form of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch. To date, the remastered version with new content (such as Battle Mode) has actually doubled its success on the Switch – selling 16.69 million copies in even less time than its original Wii U release! This also made it the top selling game on the system – essentially making the game a top-seller on two consecutive consoles at the time of writing.

Of course, Nintendo fans now eagerly await the next sequel in the long-time racing series. No one knows if a “Mario Kart 9” will ever hit the Nintendo Switch later in its lifespan. However, one thing is for sure: Mario Kart games will remain Nintendo’s evergreen cash-cows for a long time to come.

What are YOUR experiences with Mario Kart 8 (or Deluxe)? Let us know in your comments below!