Three new characters and eight new tracks
In a sorta blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, Nintendo recently reminded us that more Mario Kart 8 DLC was on the way in the form of a Direct. Thankfully, Wave 5 will include a whopping three new characters and eight tracks, including a new course called Squeaky Clean Sprint. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect when the DLC drops in the “summer” of 2023.
What does Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 5 contain when it launches in the summer of 2023?
[Now updated with all the latest info from the July trailer!]
When Nintendo updated Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to accommodate Wave 4, several new character slots popped up, which led to speculation that the game would be getting more roster additions. The June 2023 Nintendo Direct confirmed that was the case!
Here’s everything Wave 5 will bring to the table:
- Eight new tracks
- Three new characters
New Character: Petey Piranha
Petey Piranha first arrived on the Nintendo canon scene in Super Mario Sunshine, but was soon immortalized a year later in racing form through Mario Kart Double Dash. In other words, Petey is a returning character who has been sparingly seen on occasion (Mario Kart Wii, Tour), and has quite a few fans thanks to his strange stature and oddball outfit.
New Character: Wiggler
Wiggler, a “regular” enemy type that came into being through Super Mario World on the SNES, has been around for a while. Its cuteness really allowed it to stick, and it remained a staple foe throughout many mainline Mario games. In Mario Kart 7 it finally got a chance to race, and will return in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 5.
New Character: Kamek
Kamek, the loyal magical servant of Bowser, debuted in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (though his enemy type, the Magikoopa, was technically in Super Mario World first). Since then he’s been a huge part of the wide world of Mario lore, and even had a sizable supporting role in Illumination’s Mario movie.
Like many other characters that were stuffed into the gacha machine that is Mario Kart Tour, Kamek finally got his chance to shine several years ago in Tour as a playable racer: but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is his first shot at the big leagues in the mainline series.
New Course: Squeaky Clean Sprint
Who can resist a Honey I Shrunk the Kids-style racing course? No one!
Racers will be shrinking down to race across a bathroom in the new Squeaky Clean Sprint course. You’ll be able to sink to the bottom of a tub, fly around the bathroom, and of course, race as normal. It looks like we’re going to get some cute faux advertisements too, as Blooper is plastered on cleaning supplies, amid other Easter eggs.
Returning Courses
- Koopa Cape (Mario Kart Wii)
- Los Angeles Laps (Mario Kart Tour)
- Moonview Highway (Mario Kart Wii)
- Athens Dash (Mario Kart Tour)
- Daisy Cruiser (Mario Kart Double Dash)
- Sunset Wilds (Mario Kart Super Circuit)
- Vancouver Velocity (Mario Kart Tour)
