Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to be the best-selling Switch game ever, passing 45 million sold

It seems every time Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is in the news, it’s because it’s continuing to sell a massive number of copies. Not only was it the best-selling game in the UK during Black Friday, but it is also the best-selling racing game ever. Passing 45 million units will do that.

That’s the latest figure from Nintendo’s top-selling list. As of the end of Q1 2022, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold 45.33 million copies. Its place at the top of the list is firmly cemented — Animal Crossing: New Horizons sits in second with 38.64 million. Mario Kart 9 is reportedly “in active development,” and at this stage, another Mario Kart game seems like the only thing that could unseat 8 Deluxe.

Speaking of stages, Mario Kart 8’s Booster Course Pack must have given the game at least some push. It’s getting six packs of new tracks through the end of 2023, adding remastered courses from previous Mario Kart games. Not only are they included with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, but you don’t actually have to buy the pass to play the new tracks online. Those two incentives must have boosted the game’s sales to some degree.

Nintendo games are selling well all over the place. Kirby and the Forgotten Land became the fourth best-selling Kirby game of all time after just two weeks on sale. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the best-selling remakes of the entire franchise, with 14.65 million sold. All of that comes on top of the Switch itself hitting 107.65 million units sold. That number is expected to reach 128 million by April 2023.