To play a planned 200cc race online in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, create or join a Friends room and have the host choose 200cc in the room’s game settings. Worldwide and Regional matchmaking can include 200cc, but Nintendo says it reduced how often that class appears, so those queues are not a dependable way to request it.
What you need to play online
You need Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch and a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership to play online. Nintendo says online matches can include up to 12 friends; the current official game page does not state when that player-capacity information was published. See Nintendo’s official Mario Kart 8 Deluxe site.
Set up a 200cc Friends room
- From the game’s title menu, select Online Play, then choose the number of players playing on your console.
- Select Friends. To host, choose Create Room. To join, select a friend with an open room.
- As host, open the game settings and choose 200cc as the race type. Set any other available race options you want.
- When everyone has joined, confirm the settings. Players choose their characters and karts, then select a preferred course to begin.
Nintendo’s support guide describes this Friends-room flow; exact menu options may change with game updates. See Nintendo’s guide to starting a local or online multiplayer game.
Friends rooms, public matchmaking, or tournaments?
| Route | Control over 200cc | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Friends room | The host selects the race type. | Best for a group planning a 200cc session: create or join a room, then have the host set the class. |
| Worldwide or Regional | You cannot count on selecting 200cc for a particular race. | Nintendo’s update history says it lowered the appearance rate of 200cc and Mirror races in these online settings. The cited history does not state a percentage or a date for that change. See Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update history. |
| Tournament | The tournament creator chooses the rules during setup. | Check a tournament’s rules before joining to confirm its class. Nintendo’s support instructions cover creating a tournament with selected rules and sharing its code. |
Tips for adjusting to 200cc
Nintendo describes 200cc as “insanely fast.” If you are new to the class, try braking while drifting into tighter turns rather than holding acceleration through every corner. Smart Steering is an available option Nintendo describes as helping rookie racers; whether to use it depends on your skill and what you want from the race. These are general driving suggestions, not a tested optimal setup. More details are on Nintendo’s official game page.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses
- Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return
- Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.
- Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc
Rank #4
- With Nintendo Switch, fans can enjoy the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 anywhere, anytime
- The Mario Kart you know and love, with many new features; Enjoy Mario Kart alone or with friends, anytime, anywhere, with anyone; Supports 2 players in Handheld mode, 4 players on one TV and 12-player online
- 5 exclusive new characters join the tournament, including Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl; 4 exclusive new multiplayer Battle Modes including Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast; 48 Tracks; 40+ Racers; It's the biggest Mario Kart roster ever; All downloadable content from the Wii U version included as standard
- Compatible with the Nintendo Switch only
- EU version
Rank #3
- Included is the following: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo Switch Game, 2x PremGear Steering Driving Wheels to use with your Joy-Con Controllers (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SWITCH 2), PremGear 24 Slot Game card Case/Holder with 2 Slot MicroSD Memory Card Adapter and PremGear Quality Cleaning Cloth
- RACE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE! Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses
- Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return
- Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.!
- Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc
Rank #2
![Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517O3bI45YL._SL160_.jpg)
- Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses
- Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return
- Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.
- Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc
#1 Best Overall
- With Nintendo Switch, fans can enjoy the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 anywhere, anytime
- the Mario Kart you know and love, with many new features
- Enjoy Mario Kart alone or with friends, anytime, anywhere, with anyone
- Supports 2 players in handheld mode, 4 players on one TV and 12-player online
- 5 exclusive new characters join the tournament, including Inkling Boy and Inkling girl.4 exclusive new multiplayer battle modes including Balloon battle and Bob-omb blast.48 tracks.40+ racers.It's the biggest Mario Kart roster ever.all downloadable content from the Wii U version included as standard Compatible with the Nintendo Switch only
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