Mario Kart 8 Deluxe celebrates major sales milestone

Despite releasing back in 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is ridiculously popular, becoming a permanent fixture in weekly game sales charts. And now the unstoppable Switch kart racer has passed another incredible sales milestone.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sells over 50 million copies

In Nintendo’s last financial report, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had sold more than 48 million copies. Four months later, that figure has climbed to a staggering 52 million according to Nintendo’s latest quarterly earnings report.

That comfortably makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo’s top-selling Switch game ahead of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 6.66 million units were sold in Nintendo's last fiscal year alone.

The milestone cements Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the best-selling racing game of all time, appealing to gamers of all ages.

What makes this feat even more remarkable is that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is based on the original Wii U game, so it’s technically nine years old. Seemingly, there’s no stopping the Italian plumber.

With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still breaking sales records, no wonder Nintendo can’t find the motivation to release Mario Kart 9.

Nintendo Switch hardware sales have also totalled 122.5 million according to the earnings report, outselling the GameBoy and PlayStation 4 to become the third best-selling console of all time behind the Nintendo DS (154.02 million) and PlayStation 2 (155 million).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 4 DLC

Helping Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales is the Deluxe Booster Course Pass. Split across six waves, the Booster Course Pass is adding 48 classic Mario Kart tracks remastered for the Switch game, increasing its longevity.

Wave 3 added eight tracks last December including the fan-favourite Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii. With all six waves, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will boast nearly 100 tracks.

Wave 4 has no release date yet, but it should arrive in March or April going by previous DLC. We could even get a first glimpse of Wave 4 in tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct stream at 10pm GMT / 2pm PST.

With three more DLC Waves on the way this year, we don't expect Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales to slow down anytime soon.