Nintendo has released a surprise Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update that adds support for Switch 2 and pushes local split-screen play to up to eight players on a single screen. The update also brings clearer visuals on the Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs, along with faster loading times.
The timing matters because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a mainstay for players who want a quick local race, and the new update changes how that works on Nintendo's newest console. On Switch 2, players can connect up to seven Nintendo Switch controllers for eight-player split-screen, but at least one Joy-Con 2 controller or a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is still required to start that kind of game.
The update is aimed squarely at Nintendo Switch 2 owners, but it does more than widen the player count. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe now supports CameraPlay on Switch 2, and race speed has been increased by the equivalent of one coin, a small change that can still alter the feel of a tight contest.
For players who own the Booster Course Pass, Nintendo has also added a 96 Races endurance challenge in VS Race rule settings. That mode runs through all 96 courses available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and its six-part, 48-course DLC, turning a familiar game into a much longer test of consistency and stamina.
The friction is that the update opens the door to bigger living-room races, but not without a hardware catch: eight-player play on Switch 2 still needs at least one Joy-Con 2 controller or a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Even so, Nintendo has kept updating Mario Kart 8 Deluxe nine years after the game first arrived on the original Nintendo Switch in April 2017, and this one is the clearest sign yet that the publisher still sees value in stretching the game's local multiplayer well beyond its original limits.
What Nintendo has not said is whether this surprise update is the end of the road or the start of a new round of Switch 2-specific additions. For now, the change is already live, and it turns a long-running kart racer into one of the most flexible local multiplayer games on the system.
