Mario Kart is arguably one of the most classic and well-known games of all time, and its latest version, Mario Kart 8, is still going strong. Much like all previous editions of this beloved game, Mario Kart 8 has a wide variety of unlockable characters, the “hidden” personas that must be unlocked by meeting specific criteria before you can actually play the game as them.
So, who are all of these characters, and how exactly can you unlock them? Here is a quick guide that might help:
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Characters available for unlocking
In Mario Kart 8, there are 14 different characters you could unlock as you make your way through the game: Baby Rosalina, Iggy, Lemmy, Lakitu, Roy, Larry, Ludwig, Pink Gold Peach, Metal Mario, Rosalina, Morton, Mii, Toadette, and Wendy.
Note: In the Deluxe version of Mario Kart 8, all of the characters will be available from the get-go, apart from only one – the Gold Mario is reserved only for top tier players.
How can you unlock characters?
The great news is that unlocking the hidden characters in Mario Kar 8 might be a bit easier and faster than in any other previous version. However, you will still need to achieve all Star Ranks, unlock all Time Trials, and conquer any Expert Staff Ghost Data.
To unlock one new persona, you will have to win a Cup in any Grand Prix, from the 50cc to the Mirror 150cc mode. As you continue winning all of the Cups, you will unlock a series of different characters, which will appear in random order.
Just keep playing and conquering the game to collect them all!
Are there any more features you can unlock?
Yes! Mario Kart 8 gives you the opportunity to unlock 10 more gliders than the starting pack, 17 additional sets of wheels, as well as 18 new bodies. You can unlock these features by collecting coins while you race – one new perk will unlock after every 50 collected coins until you reach a maximum of 1,000, after which the features will be unlocked for every 100 coins collected.
What’s more, you have 3 additional parts that you can unlock as you play – gold tires, gold gliders, and a gold standard body. While the gliders can be won by collecting 10,000 coins, you can win the tires by conquering the Staff Ghosts in all of the Time Trials. The gold standard body, on the other hand, can be won by acquiring a Star in each Grand Prix Cup, including all engine modes.
And there you have it! Whether you only want to unlock new characters or even some additional perks, you now know all the available unlockables in Mario Kart 8, as well as how you can acquire them in the most efficient way.