Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 8-Player Split-Screen Is Wild — But the Couch Legacy Started Here
What Version 4.0.0 Actually Adds
Nintendo dropped Version 4.0.0 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on September 1, 2026, and the headline feature is exactly the kind of thing that sounds minor until you actually try it: local 5–8 player split-screen on a single Nintendo Switch 2, up from the 1–4 player limit on the original Switch. If you've ever crammed four friends around a TV and wished for a couple more, this is the patch for you.
There's a small controller catch worth knowing before you plan a party. The Switch 2 accepts up to seven legacy Switch controllers (original Joy-Con or Switch Pro Controllers), but reaching the full eight-player count requires at least one Joy-Con 2 or Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller in the mix. So check your drawer before you send the invites.
Switch 2 also gets a sharper image on its own display and 4K TVs, shorter load times before races and battles, and CameraPlay — plug in a USB camera (sold separately) and your face shows up as a thumbnail during 2–4 player local races or online through a GameChat session. Base Switch players aren't left out entirely: everyone gets a small speed bump (about the equivalent of one coin's worth of pace), Boo no longer slows you down when you drift off-road while invisible, and Booster Course Pass owners get a marathon "96 Races" VS option.
One honest caveat: the 8-player mode is Switch 2-exclusive. If you're still on the original Switch, your local cap stays at four — for you this update is mostly "a bit faster, Boo stops trolling you, and you can run 96 races."
Why Split-Screen Still Matters
Online matchmaking is convenient, but it strips out the part of Mario Kart that made it a staple of sleepovers: the room. The trash talk, the stolen controller, the collective groan when someone lands three red shells on the final lap. Eight players on one screen is chaotic in the best way, and it's a throwback to an era when "multiplayer" meant bodies on the couch, not packets on a server.
That era was built by three games in particular — and all three are playable right now in your browser.
Where It All Began: Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
The formula didn't appear fully formed. Super Mario Kart launched on the Super Nintendo in 1992 and basically invented kart racing. Eight Mario characters, Mode 7 scaling that faked 3D turns, and an item system — mushroom, shell, star — that's still the template today. Its 20 Grand Prix tracks across four cups and four Battle Mode arenas set the structure every sequel reused. If you want to see why "kart game" became its own genre, this is ground zero. Fire it up on the SNES library on OldGame.io.
Mario Kart 64 and the 4-Player Leap (N64, 1996)
Super Mario Kart proved the idea; Mario Kart 64 made it a living-room event. Released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996, it was the first entry to support four-player split-screen on one TV — the exact couch format the new 8-player update is extending. It also debuted Wario as a driver and tightened the drift mechanics competitive players still obsess over. For a generation, "Mario Kart night" meant four controllers and a screen split into quarters. Race it today on the N64 library on OldGame.io.
Handheld Karting: Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
Not every great Mario Kart needed a TV. Mario Kart: Super Circuit brought the series to the Game Boy Advance with all 20 tracks from the SNES original plus new ones, proving the item-driven chaos worked on a handheld too. It's the quiet member of the family, but it kept the franchise alive between consoles and taught a lot of kids that "best lap" was a real thing you could chase.
Play the Mario Kart Legacy Today
The 8-player update is a great excuse to fire up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe again — but the games that earned that franchise its couch-multiplayer crown are the retro ones. Browse the full Mario series on OldGame.io and start with Mario Kart 64 on the N64 library: no cartridge, no emulator, just the race. Play Classic Games. No Downloads. Just Play.
