How to Unlock Mario Kart Cups and Characters

Last Updated: February 15, 2022 References Approved

This wikiHow will show you how to unlock all characters and cups in Mario Kart 8 for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch, and Mario Kart for Wii. If you're playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on your Switch, the only thing that's really unlockable is Gold Mario—everything else is unlocked from the beginning. Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 each have a large number of characters to unlock, plus a mix of new and returning Grand Prix Cups.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Mario Kart 8 for Wii U and Switch

1
Unlock Gold Mario (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe only). Unlike in the Wii U version of Mario Kart 8, all characters and cups in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch are unlocked by default. All characters, that is, except for Gold Mario. To unlock Gold Mario, you'll have to win all Grand Prix cups at the fastest/hardest difficulty level, which is 200cc.^{[1]
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- Since Gold Mario is a skin for Metal Mario, Metal Mario will be replaced with Gold Mario on the character screen once unlocked.
2
Unlock characters by getting 1st place in Grand Prix Cups (Mario Kart 8 for Wii U only). You will unlock a new, randomly-selected character each time you win a cup. The 8th character you unlock will always be Mii.^{[2]
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- Unlockable characters on Mario Kart 8 for Wii U:
  - Heavy: Rosalina, Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach, Roy, Morton.
  - Medium: Iggy, Ludwig.
  - Light: Baby Rosalina, Lakitu, Toadette, Lemmy, Larry, Wendy.
- Winning the same cup more than once won't unlock a new character, but different engine classes count as different cups. For example, you'll unlock a new character by winning the 50cc Mushroom Cup, and another new character by winning the 100cc Mushroom Cup.
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Unlock new cups (Mario Kart 8 for Wii U only). To unlock a cup on the Wii U version, you have to win the cup that comes before it.^{[3]
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Research source} Once a cup is unlocked, you can play it in any engine class.
- Original Courses
  - You'll start with the Mushroom Cup.
  - Flower Cup: Complete Mario Kart Stadium, Water Park, Sweet Sweet Canyon, and Thwomp Ruins.
  - Star Cup: Complete Mario Circuit, Toad Harbor, Twisted Mansion, and Shy Guy Falls.
  - Special Cup: Complete Cloudtop Cruise, Bone Dry Dunes, Bowser's Castle, and Rainbow Road. (These tracks are of the Cup itself, not those needed to unlock the Cup.)
- Retro Courses
  - You'll start with Shell Cup.
  - Banana Cup: Complete Dry Dry Desert, Donut Plains 3, Royal Raceway, and DK Jungle.
  - Leaf Cup: Complete Wario Stadium, Sherbet Land, Music Park, and Yoshi Valley. (These tracks are of the Cup itself, not those needed to unlock the Cup.)
  - Lightning Cup: Complete Tick-Tock Clock, Piranha Plant Slide, Grumble Volcano, and Rainbow Road. (These tracks are of the Cup itself, not those needed to unlock the Cup.)
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Purchase additional characters and cups. If you're playing Mario Kart Deluxe on a Switch, there are no additional cups and characters to download—in fact, all of the available DLCs for the Wii U version of Mario Kart 8 are available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from the beginning.^{[4]
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Research source} But if you're playing on your Wii U, you can buy DLC packs for more characters, cups, and other content.^{[5]
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- DLC Pack 1:
  - Characters: Tanooki Mario, Link, Cat Peach
  - Cups: Egg Cup, Triforce Cup
- DLC Pack 2:
  - Characters: Isabelle, Dry Bowser, Villager (male and female)
  - Cups: Crossing Cup and Bell Cup

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Mario Kart Wii (2008)

1
Unlock cups by getting 3rd place or better in available cups. Each Grand Prix Cup can be unlocked by getting a trophy (bronze or better) in an earlier cup. It does not matter which engine class (50cc etc.) you use.^{[6]
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- Star Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Mushroom Cup and the Flower Cup.
- Special Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Star Cup.
- Leaf Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Banana Cup and the Shell Cup.
- Lightning Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Leaf Cup.
- You can also unlock "Mirror Mode" for all cups, reversing the tracks left-to-right, by getting first place in all cups at 150cc difficulty — quite a challenge!
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Unlock characters by winning 50cc races. Here are the characters you can unlock in the easiest mode, so go for these first:
- King Boo: Win the 50cc Star Cup. ^{[7]
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- Diddy Kong: Win the 50cc Lightning Cup.
- Baby Daisy: Earn one star or better on all 50cc Wii cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special).
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Unlock characters in 100cc. Go for these next, playing on harder difficulties:
- Dry Bones (a Koopa skeleton): Win the 100cc Leaf Cup.^{[8]
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- Mii Outfit: Win the 100cc Special Cup.
- Bowser Jr.: Earn one star or better on all 100cc Retro cups (Shell, Banana, Leaf, Lightning).
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Unlock characters in 150cc. Prove your skill by earning these characters on the hardest difficulty:
- Daisy: Win the 150cc Special Cup.
- Dry Browser (skeleton bowser): Earn one star or better on all 150cc Wii cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special).
5
Unlock characters through Time Trials. In Time Trial mode, you race alone, with a "ghost" racer you can't interact with demonstrating the time you need to beat. If you beat the ghost by a significant amount (sometimes 2 seconds, sometimes more), you'll get an announcement that you've unlocked a new (faster) "Expert Staff Ghost." You do not need to beat these expert ghosts, but unlocking enough of them by beating normal ghosts will unlock characters.^{[9]
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- Funky Kong: Unlock four expert ghosts.
- Baby Luigi: Unlock eight expert ghosts.
- Birdo: Unlock sixteen expert ghosts (or play online until you've beat 250 players.)
- Toadette: Play all 32 Time Trial tracks (you don't need to beat them).
- Mii Outfit B (Mario/Peach Outfit): Unlock all 32 expert ghosts. This character has identical stats to the Mii unlocked by winning the 100cc Special Cup. Instead of your normal Mii outfit, this Mii will wear an outfit like Mario (male Miis) or Peach (female Miis).^{[10]
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Unlock Rosalina. There are two ways you can unlock Rosalina, the NPC from Super Mario Galaxy. Complete one of these tasks:
- Get first place in all 150cc cups to unlock Mirror Mode, then get 1 star in Mirror Mode on all eight cups.
- Or play Super Mario Galaxy on your Wii, load a new file and save it, then play any races in Mario Kart Wii until Rosalina appears.
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Learn advanced strategies for tough unlocks.
- Whether you're going for Time Trials or 150cc courses, knowing advanced strategy can save hours of effort. Check out this expert driving guide for all of these challenges, plus these tips:^{[11]
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- Use Heavy vehicles for Time Trials, since they have the highest max speed. Acceleration doesn't matter as much when there are no opponents to disrupt you.
- Look for hidden shortcuts. There are many of these in the game, from a dirt path near the start of Maple Treeway, to a passageway under a minecart in Wario's Goldmine. If you're having trouble on a track, search for online videos and you might discover a new shortcut.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I unlock expert ghosts in time trials?

John Volovsek

Community Answer

Race really fast against the normal ghost. Try to beat them by about 5 seconds.
Question

How do I know how many expert ghosts I've unlocked?

Community Answer

You'll have to go through all of the courses and compare the times online. Once you've unlocked the expert ghost it takes the place of the normal ghost.
Question

How can I purchase a DLC pack?

Community Answer

They can be purchased in-game in the Shop menu or in the eShop. To pay, you can use a credit card or a prepaid eShop card.