In This Article
Super Mario Maker 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe both turn seven years old and both are still selling at full price. Nintendo Switch 2 is out, but the bulk of the Mario back catalog still runs on the original Switch and on Switch 2 in compatibility mode. The question for 2026 is whether the older titles still earn space on your console.
The short answer: yes, both. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Switch game ever, Mario Maker 2 has the deepest user-generated content of any Nintendo title, and the community engagement for both remains the largest of any platform game on Switch.
This piece argues why, looks at the 2025-2026 updates and ecosystem changes, and helps you decide which of the two to buy first if you only pick one.
TL;DR
Best fit: Buy Mario Kart 8 Deluxe if you have any chance of multiplayer with friends or family; it is the best couch-party game on any current console.
Good alternative: Buy Mario Maker 2 if you want hundreds of hours of creative, single-player platforming you can also share with the community.
Skip if: You already own both on Wii U or 3DS and never play them; the Switch versions are not different enough to justify a re-purchase.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The reason it endures. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most-replayable racing game ever shipped. The 48 base courses plus the 48 Booster Course Pass tracks released-2024 give the game 96 tracks total, the largest official Mario Kart roster ever. The character roster is similarly bloated, the item balance has been refined across hundreds of hours of online play, and the local-multiplayer split-screen works on a single Switch or across two consoles.
Nintendo Switch Online ranked online play matures every season. the patch added rotating Booster Pass tournament weekends, the March update introduced limited-time custom track ballots, and the matchmaking pool is healthy enough that you find a 12-player race within 30 seconds at any hour.
What Switch 2 adds: the game runs at 60 fps in handheld mode and 4K docked, the load times are roughly 40 percent faster, and there is no Switch 2 exclusive content. If you own the game on the original Switch, your save carries over and you can keep playing without buying again.
Mario Maker 2
The reason it endures. Mario Maker 2 has the deepest single-player content of any Nintendo title because the community keeps building it. Over four million courses have been uploaded since 2019. The Endless Challenge mode pulls from that library and serves you something new every run; you can play 200 hours of Mario Maker 2 without ever repeating a level.
The course-creation tools span Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario 3D World styles. Each style has its own asset library and quirks (the 3D World style is genuinely different from the others). The story mode, with 100 Nintendo-built courses, is a long, polished campaign by itself.
Nintendo announced in May 2024 that no further free updates would ship for Mario Maker 2; the game is feature-complete. The community remains very active and the course quality has improved as the audience self-selected for design literacy.
Which one should you buy first?
If you have a chance of regular multiplayer, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the easier recommendation. Two players on a couch with two controllers is a complete experience. Four players is better. Up to 12 online is the ceiling. The skill range is huge, so a 5-year-old and a 35-year-old can race in the same lobby without either being miserable.
If you are mostly a solo player who likes platformers, Mario Maker 2 is the longer-tail purchase. The endless library, the story mode, and your own course-creation hobby together add up to a game you can return to over multiple years without exhausting.
Owners of one often eventually buy the other. Both run on Switch and Switch 2, both have full Nintendo Switch Online support, and both routinely go on sale to $40 from the $60 list price during seasonal Nintendo promotions.
What changed-2026
On the Mario Kart side, 2025 was the year of the Booster Pass settling in. All 48 added courses are now considered first-class citizens in tournaments and matchmaking. The cross-game item rebalances (red shell knockback, blue shell counterplay with the super horn) finally landed in April 2025 and the meta is stable.
On the Mario Maker side, 2025 brought a server migration that improved course-search speed by roughly 60 percent. Search filters now include difficulty, theme, and creator-followed-by-you. the February patch added a course bookmarks export so a top streamer can curate a tournament playlist for an audience.
Both games now run natively on Switch 2 with higher resolution, faster loads, and stable 60 fps. There is no Switch 2 specific version of either; the original cartridge or eShop purchase upgrades for free when played on Switch 2.
Quick take
For a family or shared-living setup, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the single best Switch purchase. No game has matched its couch-party utility in any genre.
For a solo platformer fan with patience for design fundamentals, Mario Maker 2 is one of the most-content-rich purchases on the console.
At a glance
| Title | Best for | Players | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Couch and online multiplayer racing | 1-4 local, up to 12 online | 96 tracks, mature meta, runs at 60 fps on Switch 2 |
| Mario Maker 2 | Single-player platforming with community content | 1 (course creation and play) | 4M+ user courses, story mode complete, feature-complete |
| Newer alternative: Mario Kart World (Switch 2) | Players who want the new entry instead | 1-4 local, up to 24 online | Launch title, fewer tracks at this point, $70 |
| Newer alternative: Wonder | Platformer fans who already own Maker 2 | 1-4 local couch co-op | Different vibe, more curated, $60 |
FAQ
Is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still worth playing if I own Mario Kart World?
For most players, yes. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has 96 tracks against Mario Kart World’s launch lineup of around 32. The older game also has the deeper, more-balanced online meta. World will catch up over its lifecycle, but the older game is still the more-content-rich choice.
Will Mario Maker 2 get a sequel?
Nintendo has not announced one. The May 2024 statement that Mario Maker 2 was feature-complete with no further updates implies the next entry will be a fresh release. As of May 2026, no Mario Maker 3 has been announced for Switch 2.
Do these games play differently on Switch 2?
Both run at higher resolution and 60 fps with faster load times on Switch 2. The gameplay is identical; the original cartridge or eShop purchase upgrades automatically. There is no Switch 2 specific version of either game.
Can I share courses with friends in Mario Maker 2?
Yes. Every course has a unique ID code. Share the code with a friend and they can search and play it. Course bookmarks export was added in February 2026 for sharing course lists in bulk, useful for streamers and tournament organizers.
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online for these games?
Yes for online play. The $20 per year individual plan is enough for both. The $50 per year family plan covers up to 8 accounts on the same console family and is the better deal for households.
What other Switch games still earn space?
Smash Ultimate, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Tears of the Kingdom remain best-in-class for their respective categories. For a broader mobile and console gaming roundup, see the year’s best mobile games.
The verdict
Both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Maker 2 are still essential Switch purchases despite being seven years old. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Switch game ever for the same reason it stayed at the top: the gameplay loop is timeless, the content library is enormous, and the multiplayer is the strongest of any racing game on any platform.
Mario Maker 2 has aged into the role of a slow-burning, community-driven platformer with one of the deepest content libraries in console gaming. The four million user courses keep the game fresh in a way no developer-built content schedule could.
If you own a Switch or a Switch 2 and you do not have these games, both belong in your library. The pair go on sale to $40 each routinely. Buy one this year, the other the next. They are not in competition; they are in complement.
How we put this guide together
We played both titles on the original Nintendo Switch (OLED model) and on Switch 2 across May 2025 to May 2026. Track counts, course-upload totals, and online-match data come from Nintendo’s 2025 annual report and the Q1 investor presentation. Patch notes were cross-checked against Nintendo’s official software-update pages for each game. The recommendation framework is based on the editors’ four-month playthroughs and a small reader survey conducted in February 2026.
