If you haven’t already updated Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on your Nintendo Switch 2, do it now — Nintendo dropped version 4.0.0 on 1 September, and it turns the 2017 fan favourite into a noticeably better party game on the newer hardware.
What the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Switch 2 Update Adds
The headlining addition is 8-player local multiplayer. Previously capped at four players in the same room, MK8D now supports up to eight people on a single Switch 2 system. You’ll need up to seven Nintendo Switch controllers connected, and at least one player must use a Joy-Con 2 or Switch 2 Pro Controller to fill that eighth slot. It is the kind of chaotic, sofa-busting mode that makes a family gathering or a flat party genuinely unforgettable.
The patch also delivers proper Switch 2 optimisations across the board: crisper visuals on high-resolution displays and noticeably shorter loading times before races and battles begin.
CameraPlay — Put Your Face in the Race
The other big new feature is CameraPlay, which displays each player’s actual face as a floating circle above their kart during races. A USB camera (sold separately) is required, and you can toggle your camera on or off at any time. In local multiplayer, two to four players can use cameras simultaneously; online, you need an active GameChat session and footage is shared only within that session.
It is a social feature that suits Singapore’s gaming culture well — whether it is a family session in the living room or an online race with friends across the island, seeing a rival’s face light up when you blue-shell them is exactly the kind of moment MK8D has always been built around.
Smaller Tweaks Worth Knowing
A few more changes round out version 4.0.0. Kart speed during races increases by the equivalent of one coin, and Boo’s speed-reduction effect no longer triggers on offroad terrain. Owners of the Booster Course Pass also gain a new “96 Races” preset in VS Race rule settings, letting you set a monster marathon session without manually adjusting the count.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The update is free and applies automatically if auto-updates are enabled, or you can trigger it manually from the game’s update menu. Check out more Game News on GameTrader.SG.