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Nintendo Updates Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch 2 With Eight‑Player Split‑Screen

The free Version 4.0.0 patch prepares the nine‑year‑old bestseller for Switch 2 hardware, signaling Nintendo’s continued investment in legacy games.

Overview

  • Nintendo released Version 4.0.0 as a free download on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, adding Switch 2 support that raises resolution and shortens load times for races and battles.
  • The update enables local split‑screen for five to eight players on a single Switch 2 system, but an eight‑player game requires at least one Joy‑Con 2 or a Switch 2 Pro Controller because a Switch 2 can only connect seven last‑gen controllers.
  • CameraPlay support lets players plug in a USB camera to show faces during races, with online camera and microphone sharing limited to participants in a GameChat session for privacy and security.
  • Version 4.0.0 applies universal gameplay tweaks that increase player speed by roughly one coin and prevent Boo from slowing racers offroad, and it adds a ‘96 Races’ VS option for Booster Course Pass owners.
  • All players must install the update to play online and systems with Auto‑Update enabled will download it automatically, a move that keeps version parity required for multiplayer and signals Nintendo will keep modernizing older hits for the new console.