Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockables are a huge part of the game, and the Mario Kart Franchise as a whole. Ever since Mario Kart: Double Dash on the Nintendo Gamecube, unlockable characters and karts have been a key part of the game that keeps players coming back for more.
Unlocking everything in Mario Kart games can take a long time, so knowing exactly what you are working towards can be a huge help in getting the motivation to keep going. That is, if the incredibly fun gameplay isn’t enough to keep you coming back for more!
The main way to unlock items in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is to collect coins. Up until Mario Kart Wii, the only way to unlock characters was to complete Gran Prix’s and finish in first place in increasingly difficult competitions. This changed with the Wii version, where other methods of unlocking characters and karts became available, such as beating the Nintendo Time Trials times to unlock certain characters.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gives players different ways to unlock certain things. Keep reading to find out how or click here to find out the fast Kart combination in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockables
Depending on whether you are playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, or Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, there are varying things to unlock on the game. The following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockables are;
- Characters – In the Nintendo Switch version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, all characters are unlocked the first time you boot up the game. This includes the special DLC characters from the Wii U version, which include the likes of Link, Animal Crossing Character and many, many more. In the Wii U version, a new character is unlocked every time you win a cup, but they are all already unlocked on the Nintendo Switch Version
- Kart Parts – In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, Kart parts are unlocked by collecting coins in races, including Grand Prix or Multiplayer Mode. Parts will unlock at random every 30 coins collected, with it later increasing to every 50 coins once you have reached the 500 coin mark. The DLC car parts (such as the Mercedes DLC) from the Wii U version is part of the unlocks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and cannot be downloaded separately. You will need to collect 3100 coins to unlock everything in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (except for the secret unlockable which I will go onto later if you keep reading)
- Game Modes – In the Switch version, every game mode is already unlocked for the player upon first booting up the game. In Mario Kart 8, Mirror Mode is unlocked by winning every cup on 150cc mode (not counting DLC cups),but is unlocked straight away on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. 200cc mode is also included but was a free download previously.
- Courses – All courses are immediately unlocked for players in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Each track is unlocked immediately, including the four DLC cups from the Nintendo Wii U version of the game. However, new courses have been added via new DLC and eventually 48 new tracks will be added into the game. These will not require unlocking but will need to be purchased as part of the new DLC.
- Gold Mario – The secret character to unlock in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the coveted Gold Mario. He is the same as Metal Mario and has the same stats and is basically a trophy to show just how good you are Mario Kart. To unlock him, you need to win every cup on 200cc mode, no mean feat for even experienced Mario Kart 8 players. You can read a full guide on unlocking Gold Mario here.
- Gold Kart Pieces – The Gold Part pieces are the last Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Unlockables. The Gold Kart, Gold Tires and Gold Glider are difficult to unlock and the details for that are as follows;
- Gold Standard kart: Win every Cup (non-DLC) with at least single star on both 150cc and Mirror Mode in Grand Prix.
- Gold Tires: Beat every Staff Ghost in Time Trial mode at 150cc.
- Gold Glider: Collect 5,000 coins in total in any game mode combined
So, if you want to unlock everything in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I suggest you fire up your Nintendo Switch and get driving!
I got 3 stars on every cup in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, mirror, and 200cc. I thought you had to do that to unlock gold mario but it turns out I was mistaken. You just had to beat every cup on 200cc and thats it.