Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Overtakes NES Lifetime Sales

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The 2017 release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been an absolute juggernaut for Nintendo during the Switch generation and if you needed a reminder about just how successful it's been, here's a little fun fact.

The 61.97 million units shifted as of March 2024 actually means this single game has now surpassed the lifetime sales of Nintendo's classic home console NES hardware. As highlighted by Did You Know Gaming creator Shane Gill, Famicom / NES sales topped 61.91 million units worldwide.

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In terms of Nintendo's other Switch games, nothing even comes close to the sales of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons sitting on 45.36 million units in second and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in third having shifted 34.22 million units.

Technically, Mario Kart 8 has sold even more copies when factoring in the 8.46 million units the original game sold during the Wii U's lifetime. The original game was also released back in 2014, so this particular entry has now been around for an entire decade!

To keep racers coming back for another lap during the Switch generation, Nintendo bolstered the game with a huge 'Booster Course Pass' DLC, adding a whopping 48 additional tracks (including new and retro tracks), eight new playable characters, and a bunch of Mii Racing suits.