12 Years Ago, Nintendo Launched a Wii U Game That Became a Global Phenomenon
The Wii U was not a particularly beloved console, often being seen as one of Nintendo's few mistakes over its decades-long juggernaut status in the video game industry. However, there were a handful of games released on the ill-fated console that would go on to reach legendary status, and one of them just turned 12-years-old.
Today, May 30, 2026, is the 12th anniversary of the North American and European releases of Mario Kart 8. The eighth mainline entry in the beloved series would actually lay the foundation for its future re-release on the Switch, which would go on to keep players hooked for years.
Mario Kart 8 kept the series formula of featuring iconic Mario characters racing on elaborate tracks, performing tricks, and throwing items at each other in a rush for first place. The game added anti-gravity racing for the first time on certain maps and new items like the Boomerang Flower.
According to Metacritic, Mario Kart 8 sits at an impressive 88 metascore. Critics praised the handling of the carts, driving mechanics, playable characters, and replayability. The game would go on to become the best-selling Wii U game of all time, moving over eight million units.
It was the game's re-release on the Nintendo Switch, though, that would pen the game in video game history. On April 28, 2017, Nintendo released a new version of Mario Kart 8 called Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. The title would go on to receive a metascore of 92 on Metacritic and is widely regarded as one of the best racing and multiplayer games of all time.
Both versions combined would go on to sell over 79 million copies, with most of those coming from the Deluxe version of the game, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time.
Even after its successor, Mario Kart World, was released as an exclusive launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2 in June last year, a lot of fans still play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe instead, due to its abundance of content and the higher console install base of the Switch over the Switch 2, currently.
No matter, Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have sealed their spots as two of the most important racing games of all time.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 7:39 AM.