Wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass added eight new courses to the game along with Birdo as a playable racer. However, several Twitter users have pointed out that five empty slots are now on the character selection screen, indicating that more drivers will arrive in future DLC drops.
(Mario Kart 8 Deluxe)
It looks like we’ll be getting 5 more characters in future waves, judging by the empty spaces on the character selection screen. pic.twitter.com/6utvfNCMM4
— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) March 9, 2023
Birdo has returned in all his vibrant colors, but that hasn’t distracted from the question marks that have now appeared below them on the character selection tile. This seems to confirm that at least five new characters will be added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe down the road.
Alongside Birdo and these mysterious characters, the fourth wave introduced eight new tracks, including Singapore Speedway, Bangkok Rush, Amsterdam Drift, Donkey Kong Summit, Riverside Park, Mario Circuit, Waluigi Stadium and a brand new track: Yoshi’s Island.
Booster Course DLC launched in March 2022 with Wave 1 bringing Paris Promenade, Toad Circuit, Choco Mountain, Coconut Mall, Tokyo Blur, Shroom Ridge, Sky Garden and Ninja Hideaway to the game.
Released in August, Wave 2 saw Sky-High Sundae, Kalimari Desert, Mario Circuit 3, Mushroom Gorge, Sydney Sprint, Waluigi Pinball, Snow Land and New York Minute expand the track pool.
Wave 3 arrived in December and added Maple Treeway, another Rainbow Road, Rock Rock Mountain, Boo Lake, Berlin Byways, London Loop, Merry Mountain and Peach Gardens for players to drive through.
There will be two more waves of DLC in 2023, each bringing eight new tracks and possibly more characters from across the Mario Kart franchise. Once all six waves have been released, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will have over half of the Mario Kart courses ever released.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.