Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Continues Remarkable Sales Run Despite Age

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains an extraordinary sales performer for Nintendo, moving 6.23 million copies during the 2024-2025 fiscal year despite being released in 2017.

This impressive figure brings the game's lifetime sales to a staggering 68.20 million units on the Nintendo Switch.

The racing game's continued popularity is particularly noteworthy when compared to newer Nintendo releases. According to Nintendo's latest financial reports, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe outsold two major recent Switch titles combined during the last fiscal year.

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which featured Princess Zelda as the main playable character for the first time in the series, sold 4.09 million copies since its September launch.

• Meanwhile, the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door managed 2.10 million units since releasing on May 23, 2024.

This ongoing success has cemented Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as Nintendo's best-selling game ever, if Wii Sports isn't counted as a standalone title. The Wii Sports comparison comes with an asterisk as it was bundled with Wii consoles in most major markets outside Japan, boosting its distribution significantly.

The next closest Nintendo Switch games in sales are Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Here's the Top 10 best-selling Nintendo Switch games!

• 1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 68.2M

• 2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 47.82

• 3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 36.24M

• 4. Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 32.81M

• 5. Super Mario Odyssey - 29.28M

• 6. Pokémon Scarlet/ Violet - 26.79M

• 7. Pokémon Sword/ Shield - 26.72M

• 8. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 21.73M

• 9. Super Mario Party - 21.16M

• 10. New Super Mario Bros. U DX - 18.25M

Looking at the broader gaming landscape, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ranks as the fifth best-selling video game of all time when combined with the original Mario Kart 8 released for the Wii U in 2014. The only games ahead of it in global sales are Tetris, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, and Wii Sports.

However, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's remarkable run may finally slow with the upcoming release of Mario Kart World. This highly anticipated new entry in the franchise will launch on June 5 alongside Nintendo's next-generation Switch 2 console, marking the first entirely new Mario Kart game for Nintendo's home consoles in over a decade.

The enduring appeal of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe showcases how timeless gameplay design and consistent content updates can dramatically extend a game's commercial lifespan—well beyond typical industry expectations.