Mario Kart 8 DLC tracks can be played online - even if you don’t own them

With the Booster Course Passadding 48 new tracks until the end of 2023, Nintendo is keeping Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alive longer than we thought. Then again, this isn’t surprising considering that MK8 Deluxe is one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games.

In the UK, the Booster Course Pass will cost £22.49. It will also be free for Switch Online Expansion Pack owners. However, you can still play the MK8 DLC tracks online – even if you don’t own the Booster Course Pass.  

Mario Kart 8 DLC tracks can be played online from 22 March

As reported by Eurogamer, Nintendo has confirmed that the new MK8 Deluxe courses can be played online without owning the Booster Course Pass or having a Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription.

"Courses from Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass can be played from 18th March locally or online in Friends and Rivals races, even if only one player owns the Booster Course Pass or has access to it as part of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership,” Nintendo’s official Mario Kart page reads.

Furthermore, courses from Wave 1 “will also appear in the Random selection when playing Global or Regional races with anyone online" from 22 March. This is great news as it means the DLC won't segregate MK8 Deluxe's online player base.

Announced during February’s Nintendo Direct, the Course Booster Pass will add 48 tracks from past Mario Kart games in six waves, bringing the total number of tracks in MK8 Deluxe to 96. Each wave contains eight tracks.

Wave 1 tracks

Available on 18 March, Wave 1 includes the following tracks:

• Paris Promenade
• Toad Circuit
• Choco Mountain
• Tokyo Blur
• Ninja Hideaway
• Sky Garden
• Coconut Mall
• Shroom Ridge

Nintendo hasn’t announced the remaining 40 tracks, but it looks like a lot of them will come from the free-to-play Mario Kart Tour mobile game.