As a longtime Mario Kart player, I still remember the moment Nintendo officially announced Wave 6 of the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The date was locked in for Thursday, November 9, 2023, and my group of racing friends immediately started planning our online session. By that point, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had already become the Switch's best-selling game, and the Booster Course Pass had effectively doubled the amount of content available. Wave 6 felt like the perfect send-off, packed with enough new material to pull me right back into the driver's seat.
When the update went live, I jumped straight into the new cups. The Acorn Cup and Spiny Cup each brought four courses, making eight fresh layouts in total. What stood out to me was how much variety Nintendo packed into a single wave. Some tracks were bright and modern, while others carried a heavy dose of nostalgia. The full lineup looked like this:
Acorn Cup
-
Tour Rome Avanti (Mario Kart Tour)
-
GCN DK Mountain (Double Dash)
-
Wii Daisy Circuit (Mario Kart Wii)
-
Piranha Plant Cove (Mario Kart Tour)
Spiny Cup
-
Tour Madrid Drive (Mario Kart Tour)
-
3DS Rosalina's Ice World (Mario Kart 7)
-
SNES Bowser Castle 3 (Super Mario Kart)
-
Wii Rainbow Road (Mario Kart Wii)
Seeing Wii Rainbow Road placed as the final track of the Spiny Cup was a brilliant decision. That course has always been one of the most visually stunning and chaotic versions of Rainbow Road, and it made the last race feel like a true event.
The character additions were just as exciting to me. Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Pauline, and Peachette joined the playable roster on November 9. I personally gravitated toward Funky Kong for his laid-back energy, but Pauline quickly became my co-op partner's favorite because she brings such a different personality to the grid. Having four racers arrive at once gave me a reason to experiment with different stats and finally move away from my usual mains.
| New Racer | Why They Caught My Attention |
|---|---|
| Diddy Kong | Quick, playful energy and instantly familiar |
| Funky Kong | Relaxed personality and a fan-favorite presence |
| Pauline | Fresh face with a stylish big-city vibe |
| Peachette | A surprising pick that divided my friend group |
What I appreciated most about the Booster Course Pass as a whole was how faithfully it pulled courses from older titles. Wave 6 represented Mario Kart Tour, Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. That kind of range meant there was something for players who grew up with the SNES original, fans of the GameCube era, and everyone who spent far too long playing Mario Kart Wii online. For me, GCN DK Mountain triggered an immediate rush of memories, while Tour Rome Avanti showed how newer mobile-original designs could translate beautifully to a console racer.
Beyond the tracks and characters, the update also included 16 Mii Racing Suits. One of them required scanning a Daisy amiibo, which sent me digging through my shelf to find the figure. The other suits gave Mii racers a welcome burst of variety, even if Mii characters are not always the first choice in competitive lobbies. I also spent some time with the new music player, which arrived for all Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players on the same day. The best part was that the music player did not require the Booster Course Pass, so even friends who never purchased the DLC could enjoy the soundtrack feature.
Playing through the Spiny Cup with friends on launch night was chaotic in the best way. I remember leading for most of Wii Rainbow Road only to get bumped by a shell near the final turn. That is exactly what I love about Mario Kart: even after hundreds of hours, a single item can rewrite the entire race. The new characters made the evening even better because everyone wanted to test how they handled differently. By the end of the night, our lobby had cycled through almost every new racer and had played all eight courses multiple times.
Now, looking back from 2026, I am still impressed by how much life the Booster Course Pass added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The game continues to be a go-to pick for parties and online nights, and Wave 6 remains one of my favorite updates because it balanced fan service with genuinely strong track design. The addition of Wii Rainbow Road alone would have been enough to make the update memorable, but Nintendo went further by bundling it with several courses pulled from different eras, four charismatic characters, and a pile of small extras.