Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5 was first announced at the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, bringing a new crop of characters and tracks to the game. This is the fifth edition of Mario Kart 8 expansions, each of which has featured a wealth of new content to keep the game fresh. The latest entry in the worldwide hit kart racer series is approaching its tenth year since release, so these Booster Course Waves are useful in preventing player fatigue in the absence of a whole new game.
As with previous Booster Course updates to Mario Kart 8, Wave 5 brings back a group of series favorites from classic Mario Kart games, along with a handful of new surprises. Players should look out for these characters and courses zooming into Mario Kart 8 on July 12.
11 New Character: Petey Piranha
Petey Piranha will return to the track in Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5. Petey Piranha premiered in the Mario Kart series with 2003's Mario Kart: Double Dash for the GameCube. Players could unlock him after completing the Star Cup, although now it's as simple as buying the DLC. All racers had partners in Double Dash, and Petey Piranha's was King Boo. The dastardly duo could be seen drifting around aboard the Piranha Pipes, a vehicle composed of green tubes. No word on whether that'll make it into Mario Kart 8 yet; in the trailer, Petey Piranha rides a generic green motorcycle with Piranha Plant decals.
Although his Mario Kart debut was in Double Dash, Petey actually originates from the earlier game Super Mario Sunshine. Petey Piranha is one of the first bosses players will encounter in that game; he appears in the first mission of Bianco Hills, the first area unlocked. Players fight him directly in "Down with Petey Piranha!" He spreads muck around the arena, and can be handily defeated once the player shoots water into his mouth using F.L.U.D.D., and then ground pounds his stomach three times. Since water seems to be his weakness, Petey Piranha may not fare too well on Mario Kart 8's Squeaky Clean Sprint track.
10 New Character: Wiggler
The four-armed worm Wiggler will also wriggle his way into Mario Kart 8 with the release of the Booster Course Wave 5. First playable in Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, Wiggler has been making cameo appearances in the Mario Kart series for far longer. Players had to dodge a Wiggler-shaped bus along Double Dash's Mushroom City and Mushroom Bridge courses. He also appeared as a late-game boss in Mario Kart DS, where his frustration would get the better of him as the race went on. In Mario Kart 8, players can even control Wiggler aboard a Wiggler-themed vehicle, the Wild Wiggler, a segmented, yellow ATV.
Wiggler first appeared in Super Mario World for the SNES, released in 1990. They presented a unique obstacle to the player, since they couldn't be beaten with Mario's regular jumps; once attacked, they would only get madder, redder, and faster. Super Mario Odyssey introduced a new Wiggler variant, the Tropical Wiggler, with bright colors and pink hats. In that game, Mario could control Tropical Wigglers with Cappy, using their segments to stretch out and cover more ground. With their need for speed and quickness to anger, Wigglers should fit right in when Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5 launches.
9 New Character: Kamek
Perhaps the most notorious Magikoopa, Kamek, will also make an appearance in Mario Kart 8 with the release of the Booster Course Wave 5. Although he wasn't playable until Mario Kart Tour, Kamek first appeared in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. This was the first handheld title in the Mario Kart series, released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Kamek only plays a minor role in this game; he hangs out near the finish line of the Bowser's Castle track. In the trailer for his Mario Kart 8 debut, Kamek rides a purple scooter with yellow trim.
In the larger Mario series, Kamek serves as a rival for Yoshi. Beginning with Yoshi's Island, he's sought to remove Baby Mario and Luigi from Yoshi's custody in order to ensure they don't grow up to wreak havoc on the Koopa family. More recently, he appears in Yoshi's Wooly World and Yoshi's Crafted World as a main antagonist alongside Baby Bowser. Now, though, he'll go up against Yoshi for the Mushroom Cup when Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5 releases.
8 New Track: Squeaky Clean Sprint
This whimsical venue is the only brand-new track announced for Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5, with all others being remastered from other Mario Kart games, much like the other Waves' additions. It shrinks the cast down to miniature size, and transports them to an oversized bathroom to race around. Squeaky Clean Sprint features daring jumps over open toilet bowls, bars of soap as slippery obstacles, and even a brief underwater splash in a rapidly filling bath. The bathroom is adorned with a number of Mario-themed products and decorations: bottles of Princess Peach bubble bath, rubber ducks with Mario hats, and Blooper-brand detergent.
It could just be the relatively smaller size of the characters talking, but this looks like a short course. It could be a quicker trip around the track with more laps required, as other Mario Kart 8 courses have done before. Overviews of the whole track show that it appears to have multiple levels. With its many twists, turns, and jumps, the course may double back over itself across a variety of different elevated tiers. Some of these may even be shortcuts or alternate routes. Whatever the case, Squeaky Clean Sprint looks like an exciting track with a lot of sly references and in-jokes for players to enjoy.
7 New Track: Koopa Cape
Koopa Cape comes to Mario Kart 8's Booster Course Wave 5 by way of the series' Wii entry, Mario Kart Wii. This course has players racing along cliffsides, down flooded inclines, and through an underwater tube. The underwater section appears to have been converted to an anti-gravity segment of the course, anti-gravity being a new element introduced in MK8. Koopa Cape also appeared in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour, and the latter's incarnation appears to have influenced the aesthetic of its return in MK8.
6 New Track: Los Angeles Laps
Los Angeles Laps was originally designed for Tour, but s the likes of Tokyo Blur, Sydney Sprint, and more as real location-inspired tracks added to Mario Kart 8 through the Booster Course . Like other tracks coming from Tour, Los Angeles Laps will likely be compact, but feature different routes for each lap. It has players racing across the city's iconic beachfront and through the streets of downtown.
5 New Track: Moonview Highway
Moonview Highway is another track coming to the Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Wave 5 via the Wii. It takes players along the edge of a lake and through city streets, all under a bright, full moon. Just like Koopa Cape, Moonview Highway made its way to Tour first, which seems to be the basis for its appearance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
4 New Track: Athens Dash
Athens Dash s Los Angeles Laps as another real world-inspired Tour track coming in the fifth wave of the Booster Course . One leg of the track takes players through Nintendo's rendition of the famous Athens Acropolis, the ruins of a citadel that stand on a rocky face above th city, as well as near a towering statue of the Greek goddess Athena, after whom the city is named. The rest of the new Mario Kart 8 track appears to take players through the city proper.
3 New Track: Daisy Cruiser
Coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Wave 5 from the GameCube's Mario Kart: Double Dash, Daisy Cruiser leads racers along a cruise ship's deck, through its dining area, into a swimming pool (complete with bathing Goombas), and more. MK8 marks Daisy Cruiser's fourth appearance in the series following its inclusion in Mario Kart 7 and Tour as well. Double Dash veterans may feel right at home, but they won't, however, get to utilize two characters at once - the GameCube game's signature gimmick.
2 New Track: Sunset Wilds
Sunset Wilds originally debuted in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, released for the Game Boy Advance. Like the other new Booster Course tracks added to Mario Kart 8 from Super Circuit (and the Super Nintendo's Super Mario Kart), Sunset Wilds retains the rainbow-colored blocks that constitute a barrier around the track. Players racing through Sunset Wilds are surrounded by rocky plateaus and stone arches, which tower above the desert flats at sunset.
