Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has received a major "4.0" update adding Nintendo Switch 2-specific features, more than a year after the console launched. The timing and scale of the update are unusual, since Nintendo could have simply improved resolution and load times but instead chose to add substantial new features, effectively drawing players back to the older game rather than steering them towards the newer Mario Kart World.

The update introduces an eight-player split-screen mode, Camera Play support via GameChat, and a 96-race endurance mode, and arrives despite Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already having sold 71 million copies (excluding the original Wii U version) and remaining a strong seller nine years after release. The article suggests Nintendo added the features simply because they were technically possible and enjoyable, even though this risks undercutting sales of Mario Kart World, which has not received comparable post-launch expansion, raising questions about whether a bigger update or a full sequel to World is being planned.