Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all the tracks and characters from the Wii U version, as well as all the tracks and characters that were previously only available as downloadable content. New additions include the Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. The battle mode has been revamped and now features Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast, with new tracks like the Battle Course and the Combat Arena, as well as returning tracks like Luigi's Mansion from Mario Kart: Double Dash for the Nintendo GameCube and Battle Course 1 from Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Players can now look forward to having two items at the same time. New items from previous titles in the series are also included, such as Boo, who steals items, and the Feather, which allows for particularly high jumps in battle. Another new feature that will especially please beginners is the so-called Smart Steering, which makes it easier to stay on the track. This way, even kids can prove themselves in 200cc races. The game can be played locally or online in TV mode with up to 1080p.