ReviewDisparity Logo
ReviewDisparity

Critics, outlets, and games against player sentiment

HomeNewsGamesJournalistsOutletsLeaderboardsCompareAbout
Review Signal

Keep the data honest.

ReviewDisparity tracks how critics, outlets, and games compare with player opinion across Steam and Metacritic. The goal is simple: make disagreement visible instead of burying it in scattered scorecards.

Explore
Browse gamesBrowse journalistsBrowse outletsCompare entities
Site
Dataset & methodologyPublishing principlesFAQTerms of ServicePrivacy Policy

© 2026 ReviewDisparity. Independent review disparity tracking.

Data sourced from publicly available information on OpenCritic, Steam, and Metacritic. ReviewDisparity is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of those services.

  1. Home/
  2. Games/
  3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
M

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Released: 4/28/2017

Race and battle your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses. Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return. Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.! Features: Race your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8, only on Nintendo Switch! Race as every character on every track from the Wii U version, including DLC characters and tracks. Pop some balloons in the revamped Battle mode, complete with Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast. Battle on new courses, like Urchin Underpass and Battle Stadium, or returning ones, such as GCN Luigi's Mansion and SNES Battle Course 1. Inkling Girl & Inkling Boy from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. join the roster! Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc Three new vehicles have been added, two are even inspired by Splatoon Carry two items at the same time Returning items include Boo, the item stealing ghost, and the Feather, which gives you a high jump in battle mode. Play your friends in local wireless multiplayer with up to 8 players. Drive through in 1080p HD quality in TV mode Play on the go with handheld mode and play anytime, anywhere

Race and battle your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses. Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return. Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.! Features: Race your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8, only on Nintendo Switch! Race as every character on every track from the Wii U version, including DLC characters and tracks. Pop some balloons in the revamped Battle mode, complete with Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast. Battle on new courses, like Urchin Underpass and Battle Stadium, or returning ones, such as GCN Luigi's Mansion and SNES Battle Course 1. Inkling Girl & Inkling Boy from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. join the roster! Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc Three new vehicles have been added, two are even inspired by Splatoon Carry two items at the same time Returning items include Boo, the item stealing ghost, and the Feather, which gives you a high jump in battle mode. Play your friends in local wireless multiplayer with up to 8 players. Drive through in 1080p HD quality in TV mode Play on the go with handheld mode and play anytime, anywhere

Race and battle your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses. Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return. Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.! Features: Race your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8, only on Nintendo Switch! Race as every character on every track from the Wii U version, including DLC characters and tracks. Pop some balloons in the revamped Battle mode, complete with Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast. Battle on new courses, like Urchin Underpass and Battle Stadium, or returning ones, such as GCN Luigi's Mansion and SNES Battle Course 1. Inkling Girl & Inkling Boy from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. join the roster! Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc Three new vehicles have been added, two are even inspired by Splatoon Carry two items at the same time Returning items include Boo, the item stealing ghost, and the Feather, which gives you a high jump in battle mode. Play your friends in local wireless multiplayer with up to 8 players. Drive through in 1080p HD quality in TV mode Play on the go with handheld mode and play anytime, anywhere

Critics
92
Metacritic
86

Score Breakdown

92.1

Critic Average

115 reviews

N/A

Steam User Score

Less than 50 reviews

86

Metacritic User Score

4,362 reviews

Disparity Breakdown

Steam Disparity
N/A
Metacritic Disparity
+6.1
Combined Disparity
+6.1

Average of both sources

Review Timing

57 early (50%)53 launch window (46%)5 late (4%)

Review summary

Updated Mar 7, 2024

Based on 115 scored critic reviews, critics give this game an average score of 92.1/100. Critics score this game 6.1 points higher than Metacritic users.

How these comparisons are calculated
Sources behind this summary(5 recent of 115)+
  1. Joseph WhitfieldviaVGamingNews
    Mar 7, 2024·Late review
    90/100View review
    Metacritic 86/100 · +4.0 pts
  2. Tyler NienburgviaRectify Gaming
    Nov 24, 2023·Late review
    100/100View review
    Metacritic 86/100 · +14.0 pts
  3. games(TM) Staffviagames(TM)
    Jan 19, 2018·Late review
    90/100View review
    Metacritic 86/100 · +4.0 pts
  4. Josef JakubiakviaRespawning
    Sep 29, 2017·Late review
    90/100View review
    Metacritic 86/100 · +4.0 pts
  5. Ben AustwickviaClick Click Play
    Jun 28, 2017·Late review
    90/100View review
    Metacritic 86/100 · +4.0 pts