Mario Kart World has officially surpassed the lifetime retail sales of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U in Japan, marking a significant achievement for Nintendo’s latest entry in its long-running racing franchise. As of this week, Mario Kart World has sold a total of 1,365,072 physical units in Japan since its launch on June 5, 2025, overtaking Mario Kart 8’s lifetime total of 1,310,444 retail copies sold since its release on May 29, 2014.
This milestone places Mario Kart World as the seventh best-selling entry in the Mario Kart franchise within the Japanese market, ahead of both Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for the GameCube. The sales rankings for the series in Japan are as follows:
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch) – 6,373,284 copies
- Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS) – 4,020,000 copies
- Mario Kart Wii (Wii) – 3,830,000 copies
- Super Mario Kart (Super Famicom) – 3,820,000 copies
- Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS) – 2,887,908 copies
- Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) – 2,240,000 copies
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo Switch 2) – 1,365,072 copies
- Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) – 1,310,444 copies
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit (Game Boy Advance) – 938,175 copies
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube) – 825,894 copies
Mario Kart World was previously reported as the first Nintendo-published title for the Nintendo Switch 2 to surpass one million physical sales in Japan, achieving this feat within just three weeks of release. This record-breaking performance is particularly notable considering that digital sales figures are not included in the total.
The title launched alongside the Nintendo Switch 2, which became Nintendo’s fastest-selling hardware launch, moving over 3.5 million units worldwide in its first four days. The strong hardware adoption undoubtedly contributed to the game’s early success.
The latest Mario Kart World update (v1.1.2) has sparked debate with its overhaul of the “Random” course selection system. While the feature previously prioritized classic multi-lap tracks, it now cycles through just three predetermined courses, including some shorter, single-lap variants. This change has frustrated players who valued the original system’s greater variety.
Mario Kart World is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 at a retail price of $79.99 or bundled with the console itself.
