Nintendo fans didn’t get the Mario Kart 9 announcement during this month’s Nintendo Direct that some were hoping for, but they did at least get some Mario Kart news. An announcement during the presentation revealed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, a paid DLC for the acclaimed Mario Kart game which will add a total of 48 courses spread out throughout several waves of content. The first of those will be available on March 18th with more to come afterwards.
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These courses aren’t totally new but are instead remastered versions of older courses from past Mario Kart games. That means that Nintendo is invoking in part the nostalgia of some of the older Mario Kart games by redoing some of the fan-favorite courses released over the years. These courses will be released eight at a time, Nintendo said, and will be spread out throughout a total of six waves with the last of the content releases happening in 2023.
The trailer above shows off some of the courses that have been remastered for a rerelease in Mario Kart 8. We don’t yet have a full list of all the courses that are included, but if you’ve got a favorite from a past game or know of one that the Mario Kart community holds in high favor, there’s a decent chance it’ll be included in this DLC.
“Featuring 48 remastered courses from throughout the Mario Kart series to be released over six waves, burn rubber with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass paid DLC!” Nintendo said about the new DLC. “The first wave arrives March 18, and pre-orders are available today.”
As for the pricing, the whole pack of 48 remastered courses will be available as a standalone purchase for $24.99. You’ll of course have to have Mario Kart 8 already, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most Nintendo Switch owners given how popular the game is.
Buying it as DLC isn’t the only way to own the Booster Course Pass, however. Nintendo also said that this DLC will be available at no additional cost for those who have an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. It’s the same thing that was done with the Happy Home Paradise expansion for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so it looks as though Nintendo may make a habit of this going forward to entice people to upgrade their Nintendo Switch Online membership.
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass is scheduled to be available on March 18th with more waves of content coming afterwards.
