Mario Kart 8, which includes the Wii U original and Nintendo Switch’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has become the best-selling racing game in US history.As reported by The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella, Mario Kart 8 has finally surpassed Mario Kart Wii, which was released in 2008.
While we don’t know the exact sales numbers in the US, Mario Kart 8 was originally released on the Wii U in 2014 and has sold 8.45 million units globally as of September 30, 2020. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released on the Switch in 2017 and has, as of December 31, 2020, sold 33.41 million units globally.Mario Kart Wii, on the other hand, has sold 37.38 million units as of September 30, 2020. While both Mario Kart 8s have sold more than Mario Kart Wii at 41.86 million units globally, this is one of the first confirmations that Mario Kart 8 has surpassed Mario Kart Wii in the US.
Fun Fact: Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Kart Wii’s combined sales of 79.24 million units still don’t quite reach Wii Sports’ 82.90 million units sold as of September 30, 2020.
Even More Fun Fact: Wii Sports sits at fourth place in the list of best-selling video games of all-time behind Grand Theft Auto V’s 140 million+, Minecraft’s 200 million+, and Tetris’ 500 million+.