The next wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC was officially revealed as part of a Nintendo Direct on September 13. The trailer showcased two of the eight tracks slated to appear in Wave 3, which will become available around Holiday 2022. While the other six tracks have yet to be officially revealed, players have good guesses as to the ones that will be included.
Wave 3 will mark the halfway point for the Booster Course , with the final three waves releasing across 2023. Prior waves have mainly brought back tracks from earlier Mario Kart games, remastered for 8 Deluxe, and Wave 3 is no exception. Wave 1 of MK8's Booster Course released back in March, and Wave 2 came out in July. With the release of Wave 3, 24 additional tracks will have been added to the game as part of the DLC.
While a Mario Kart 9 might be a long ways out, the Booster Course will in the meantime make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe twice its original size. Mario Kart 8 originally released for the Wii U, but 8 Deluxe came out for the Nintendo Switch shortly after the console first became available. Even eight years on, Mario Kart 8 has received new life through the Booster Course , and will continue to do so for some time.
Confirmed & Rumored Tracks: Booster Course Wave 3
Two tracks were officially revealed as a part of the most recent Nintendo Direct, which also brought Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's release date. DS Peach Gardens, a remake of a map from Mario Kart DS and later Mario Kart Wii, is set inside a walled estate full of cobblestone paths, green, grassy spaces, and topiary including a giant figure of Mario himself. The second track is Merry Mountain, originally from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. Fitting the Holiday 2022 release date, Merry Mountain takes players up a snowy mountain and through a Christmas-themed village decorated with presents and candy canes. These tracks are visually stunning in their newest forms, and will certainly make a great addition to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe lineup, but they won't be alone - six more tracks have yet to be officially revealed as part of Wave 3.
After the release of Booster Course Wave 2's tracks, dataminers located files which heavily suggested which tracks would be appearing in Wave 3. Merry Mountain and DS Peach Gardens were on this list, and the newest announcement is even more evidence that the speculation is correct. If they are, the remaining six tracks coming in Wave 3 will be:
- London Loop - Mario Kart Tour
- Boo Lake - Mario Kart Super Circuit
- Rock Rock Mountain - Mario Kart 7
- Berlin Byways - Mario Kart Tour
- Waluigi Stadium - Mario Kart Double Dash
- Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7
Wave 3 will bring the total number of tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe up to 72, the same number as Mario Kart Tour, and even more are on the way. Waves 4 through 6 will release across 2023, featuring possibly eight more retro Mario Kart tracks each, and bringing the total number up to 96, more than any previous Mario Kart game. The Booster Course DLC is on track to make Mario Kart 8 the ultimate Mario Kart experience, featuring all the best courses from the series' long history in one place. The DLC carries a very reasonable $24.99 price tag for an expansion that will ultimately double the size of a five-year-old game. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn't going anywhere - it's only going to get bigger and better over the course of next year.