For the first time in six years, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe failed to crack the top 20 best-selling games list. That may sound like a small footnote in gaming history, but for a title that had been a monthly chart mainstay since April 2017, it was a genuinely shocking moment. October 2023 finally broke a streak that had lasted from launch all the way through September 2023, and it forced many to ask: could any game stay in the top 20 forever?
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not just any racer. It is the enhanced Switch version of 2014's Mario Kart 8, a game that originally launched on the ill-fated Wii U. The Switch port arrived in April 2017 with all the original DLC included, new characters, refined mechanics, and extra features. That made it a compelling purchase even for the few players who already owned the Wii U original.
A Streak Built on a Failed Console's Best Game
The Wii U era is often remembered as a rough patch for Nintendo. The console sold only 13.56 million units, nearly ten times less than the Wii before it. But Nintendo did not stay down for long. The Switch arrived and went on to become the third best-selling video game system of all time, trailing only the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2.
One reason the Switch took off was that Nintendo consistently filled its library with new releases and enhanced ports of Wii U games. That strategy made perfect sense: most Switch owners never owned a Wii U, so many of those games were brand new to a huge audience. The biggest winner from that strategy was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
From April 2017 to October 2023, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe appeared in the top 20 best-selling games every single month. For context, that means it survived the launches of massive new consoles, countless blockbuster games, and multiple holiday seasons. By the time the streak ended, the game had sold more than 51 million copies worldwide. That number is not just impressive; it is the kind of figure most games can only dream about.
October 2023: The Month the Gauntlet Arrived
So what finally pushed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe out of the top 20? The simplest answer is that October 2023 was an absolutely stacked month for new releases. The list of titles competing for players' attention was brutal.
The games that made up the October 2023 top 20 included:
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🕷️ Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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🌼 Super Mario Bros. Wonder
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🗡️ Assassin's Creed Mirage
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🏈 Madden NFL 24
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⚽ EA Sports FC 24
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⚔️ Mortal Kombat 1
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🥋 UFC 5
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🏒 NHL 24
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💨 Sonic Superstars
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🧙 Hogwarts Legacy
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🔫 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
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📦 Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
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🏀 NBA 2K24
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🚀 Starfield
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🗺️ Elden Ring
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🏎️ The Crew: Motorfest
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🏁 Forza Motorsport (2023)
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✨ Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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⛏️ Minecraft
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💀 Lords of the Fallen (2023)
When a single month includes a mainline Spider-Man game, a new 2D Mario platformer, major sports titles, RPGs, and racing games, even a juggernaut like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can get crowded out. The streak ending was not a sign that people suddenly stopped liking kart racing; it was a sign that October 2023 was exceptionally competitive.
Does That Mean Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is Finished?
Not at all. Anyone who has followed Nintendo's holiday playbook knows that a single month outside the top 20 does not mean the game is done. In fact, Nintendo had fresh Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundles ready for the holiday shopping season. Those bundles were designed to give the game a major sales boost and push it right back into the top 20 for November and December.
The larger question is whether the streak ending was also a signal. For years, fans had been asking: how much longer can Nintendo rely on a port of a 2014 game? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had incredible longevity, but every console generation eventually needs its own flagship kart racer.
The Next Mario Kart Question in 2026
Looking back from 2026, that October 2023 moment feels less like a failure and more like a transition point. The sales streak ended, but the game's legacy did not. By 2026, the conversation around a new Mario Kart has only grown louder, with constant rumors about a next-generation entry being developed for whatever console follows the Switch.
Can a new Mario Kart match the absurd longevity of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? That is the real challenge. After more than 51 million copies, a six-year top-20 streak, and a place among the best-selling games of all time, the bar could not be higher. Nintendo's next kart racer will not just need great tracks and tight controls; it will need to capture the same cultural staying power.
For now, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains a remarkable example of how a great game can keep finding new players long after anyone expected it to slow down. If anything, the October 2023 miss was a reminder that even the strongest games eventually take a breather—but they do not always stay down for long.