Mario Kart 8 (Japanese: マリオカート8 Hepburn: Mario Kāto Eito?) is a 2014 kart racing game and the eighth major installment in the Mario Kart series, developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. First announced at E3 2013, the game was released worldwide in May 2014.

Like other games in the series, in Mario Kart 8 players control characters from the Mario franchise and participate in kart racing on various race tracks, using items to hinder opponents or gain advantages. While incorporating game mechanics originally featured in earlier Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 introduces anti-gravity vehicles that allow players to drive on walls or ceilings. The game features multiple single-player and multiplayer game modes. The game incorporates Miiverse functionality and online multiplayer supported via Nintendo Network.

Mario Kart 8 was a critical and commercial success upon its release, currently holding aggregate critical scores of 88.52% and 88% on GameRankings and Metacritic, respectively. It is the fastest selling Wii U game as of June 30, 2014, with 1.2 million copies sold within the first four days of its release and 2.82 million copies during its first month.[3] The game will continue to receive post-release patches and downloadable content, including additional characters, vehicles, and tracks, and support for Nintendo's upcoming Amiibo line of figurines. less