Grand Prix

Mario Kart 8 introduces sixteen new tracks spread across four cups that are completely unfamiliar to series veterans. In addition, there are four classic cups, with sixteen tracks transplanted from older games in the series into Mario Kart 8’s gravity-defying world. With twelve racers on the track, every lap is chaos incarnate!

Starting a Race

As per Mario Kart tradition, a cup consists of four races, and you’re awarded points based on the place you finish. During the first race of a cup, you are twelfth place on the starting grid, and must work your way to the front of the pack. After the first race, your place on the starting grid in future races is determined by what place you finish. If you finish in third, you start in third for the next race.

Depending on where you are on the starting grid, you are given a set amount of Coins to start the race with.

Race Rewards

Your place at the end of the race determines your point reward. A perfect cup will have you max out at 60 points total!

There are four difficulty settings in Mario Kart 8: 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode. Starting with the slowest 50cc, each step up means higher speeds and more aggressive COM racers.

Unlocking Cups

You start the game with Mushroom Cup and Shell Cup unlocked. To unlock later cups, you must beat the preceding ones by placing at least third overall. This can be done on any speed class, so long as you manage to place third or better!

Star Ratings

At the end of a cup in Single-Player mode, your point total can earn you a star rating.

60 Points: 3 Stars

57 Points: 2 Stars

55–54 Points: 1 Star

Grand Prix Tips

Against the computer-driven racers, against your friends in split-screen multiplayer, or racing against rivals around the world online, Grand Prix races don’t just reward the fastest racer, they also reward the most cunning, sneaky, and devious racer. Make no mistake, you want to be at the front of the pack after three laps, but expect everyone behind you to use every item in the game’s arsenal to make your life difficult. As such, there’s a few specific tips to deal with the deluge of shells, Bananas, and Bob-ombs that will stand between you and a first-place finish.

Go Fast, Get Hit (with Lots of Items): If you’re among the top three racers of all twelve in a race, you’ll experience a significant lack of Mushrooms to boost your speed, and even the items you have at your disposal to defend against all manner of shells are not necessarily things you’ll have in great supply. Don’t use your items recklessly if you’re out in front. Always try to have a way to defend yourself!

The Spiny Shell Will Get Through: The bane of first place, the Spiny Shell is back in force. Short of lucking into a Super Star, Super Horn, or timing a Mushroom to boost you just ahead of the Spiny Shell’s final dive towards you, if you’re in first place and a Spiny Shell has been fired, you’re likely taking a hit. You either want to be far enough ahead that the inevitable impact is not as devastating to your lead as it can be, or you want to keep second place close enough that you can fall back and let that poor sap take the hit for you. Of course, if the competition is savvy, they might just slow down to make sure the shell homes in on you before they pull ahead...

Going Heavyweight: There’s a lot to be said about the virtues of lighter racers and vehicles, but heavier options are worth learning to corner with. You can really ruin the day of a lighter racer without even using items simply by running into that opponent. Heavier racers and vehicles also tend to be the fastest, assuming you’re able to wrangle them around the turns effectively!

Get Coins: Do what you can to hoard Coins. In heated races, even having just one more Coin towards the maximum ten than your opponent can decide victory between evenly matched racers. Also, each Coin collected provides a small but noticeable boost, a mini-Mini-Turbo of sorts. Lastly, collecting Coins means your opponents can’t get them. It’s worth it sometimes to stray from the racing line to collect a line of Coins in one drift!

Learn the Shortcuts: Many courses provide alternate routes, but not all of them can be considered shortcuts. Sometimes it’s as simple as using a Mushroom to burst across a grassy field, cutting past a series of hairpin turns. Other times, you might need to get creative with ramps, dash panels, and some fancy gliding.

Intelligent Off-Roading: Some shortcuts or alternate routes through a course require you to go off road. This is fine, except that going off road slows down every racer, and some more than others. If you don’t have a Mushroom, or your vehicle-racer combo suffers heavily going off the track, it’s generally best to stay on course rather than stray off it.