Fans of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just got the best news: massive upgrades incoming

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the very best Switch games around, capturing the heart of the original Mario Kart so it's fantastic news that Nintendo has announced some big plans for the game.

It revealed at a recent Nintendo Direct that it would be expanding the game massively, adding in a whopping 48 new courses over the next few years, many of which will be remasters of old, classic courses from Mario Kart games of the past.

Explaining the DLC, Nintendo said: "A total of 48 remastered courses from across the Mario Kart series will be coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as paid downloadable content!

"Eight courses will be released at a time over six waves by the end of 2023, which can all be played locally or online. You can enjoy the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass at no additional cost with a paid Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership or purchase it on its own for $24.99 / £22.49.

"Courses such as Wii Coconut Mall, N64 Choco Mountain and Tour Tokyo Blur will be included in the first wave."

According to Nintendo, the first wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass will launch on March 18. Pre-orders for the DLC begin today in Nintendo eShop.

New Mario Kart courses

Here are some of the courses to look forward to in Wave 1:

Golden Dash Cup

• Paris Promenade (Mario Kart Tour)
• Toad Circuit (Mario Kart 7)
• Choco Mountain (Mario Kart 64)
• Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii)

Lucky Cat Cup

• Tokyo Blur (Mario Kart Tour)
• Shroom Ridge (Mario Kart DS)
• Sky Garden (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)
• Ninja Hideaway (Mario Kart Tour)

Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a game that is some five years old now, so it's great that some DLC has finally arrived.

Since its release, Nintendo also revealed Mario Kart Live, an augmented reality version of the game that uses your house as a course and a physical toy car.

• Pre-order the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass now.