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The Mario Kart franchise has always been about mastering shortcuts and secrets to defeat your friends, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch is no exception. But even long time veterans of the beloved series may not know every nook and cranny. Read our shortcuts list below to shave seconds off of every lap and take first place – as long as you can avoid getting hit by turtle shells.
Find more Mario Kart 8 Deluxe guides on Gameranx:
Standard Courses & Cups Shortcuts
Bone Dry Dunes
- Use a speed boost between the pair of paths at the start of the track.
- Just before the final bend there is an opening on the left. Use a speed boost and head between the bones.
Bowser’s Castle
- Stick to the left of the large turn just after Bowser until you can skim off the small ledge on the left-hand exit. You will come out on a speed ramp and shave seconds off your time.
Cheese Land
- Boost through the arch after the second corner to save time.
- During the final hill of the course hit the ramp on the right to glide over the canyon and hit the ramp on the left of the track.
Cloudtop Cruise
- Plow through the leaves towards the end of the course to cut out the entire last corner.
Dolphin Shoals
- As you enter the sea cave steer hard to the right to make it to the eel quicker.
Dragon Driftway
- During the second straight stretch use a mushroom to power through the grass to save a few seconds.
Electrodome
- Use a speed boost just before the final turn and cut through the dark side of the track, skipping the corner entirely.
Excitebike Arena
- Instead of doing the course jumps use a mushroom to power through the right-hand side patches of grass.
Hyrule Circuit
- Use the fork in the road after the castle turn to hit a ramp and glide across the room.
Ice Ice Road
- During the turn on the second half of the course there is a ramp to the right.
- Drive through the fence on the right to hit a ramp.
- You can hop across the icebergs during the final bend of the course to skip to the end.
Mario Kart Stadium
- After the first anti-gravity area use the ramp to skip the following corner.
- Use a speed boost to burst through the dirt section after the first anti-gravity area.
Mount Wario
- When first entering the forest area use a mushroom to cut through both paths and hit the glider ramp.
Mute City
- Use the speed ramps before the winding section to skip some of the twists.
- After the upper area of the track veer towards the towers on the right and use the ramps to skip a large part of the course.
Neo Bowser City
- On the final ramp at the finish line veer left off the track and a gust of air will launch you back into the air skipping the first corner of the course.
Rainbow Road
- During the final gliding area take the lower ramp and hug the right side of the course until you drive off, skipping to the final turn.
Ribbon Road
- During the blue section of the course veer off the track to hit a boost ramp and glide over a portion of the track.
Shy Guy Falls
- Use a speed boost to skip most of the first turn of the course.
- Using a speed boost will also allow you to skip the final turn of the course.
Sunshine Airport
- Use a speed boost to skip the left turn just before the first gliding area.
- Just before the terminal use a boost to power through the grassy patch and eliminate the left-hand turn.
- Maneuver through the luggage return at the end of the course to eliminate the final turn.
Super Bell Subway
- Power through the grass to the left of the fountain before the final turn of the course to skip it.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
- Use a mushroom to quickly traverse the chocolate covered section of the anti-gravity area.
- To avoid most of the final turn use a mushroom to boost between the doughnut and piranha plant.
Toad Harbor
- Get on top of the market tents when entering the town to hit a speed ramp.
Thwomp Ruins
- At the start of the course navigate between the two rock clumps and boost across the grass to hit a ramp, allowing you to skip the first turn.
- Launching yourself off the wooden ramp just before the second gliding section will allow you to avoid the immediate turns.
Twisted Mansion
- After the split anti-gravity area use a boost through the dirt patch to power through it.
Wario’s Goldmine
- At the top of the course stick close to the railing on the left and drop down to skip to a speed ramp.
- At the bottom of the course take the low road after the fork and use a mushroom to traverse the gap.
Water Park
- Using a mushroom just before the carousel will allow you to race straight through it rather than having to navigate it.
Wild Woods
- Hit the ramp on the final turn of the course to land just before the finish line.
Yoshi Circuit
- After the first turn use a mushroom to blast through the waterfall on the right and skip a large portion of the course.
- Use a mushroom to power through the grass with the piranha plant.
- When you see tires on your left use a mushroom to power through the grass patch.
Retro Courses & Cups Shortcuts
Cheep Cheep Beach
- Avoid the S-bend in the middle of the course by driving through the light blue shallow water instead.
DK Jungle
- Hit the ramp before the large white trees by boosting through the grass with a mushroom.
Donut Plains
- Use a mushroom to power through the gap in the tires at the final turn of the course to skip the turn completely.
- Power through the grass before the wooden bridge with a mushroom, and boost again after crossing it to cut out the corner before the second bridge.
Dry Dry Desert
- Using a speed boost to traverse the collapsing pillars will allow you to use them as stunt-boost ramps.
Grumble Volcano
- Using mushrooms will allow you to power through the dirt patches at the start of the course.
- After passing the large volcano you can use a mushroom to speed over the rocky patch.
Mario Circuit
- During the first turn of the course use a mushroom to power through the grass and access the speed ramp early.
- Before the final turns of the course you can use a boost to access the blue ramp behind the grass patches and glide over the final stretch of the course.
Melody Motorway Meadows
- Just before you reach the xylophone use a mushroom to power through the grass patch and hit a ramp.
Piranha Plant Slide
- After the big piranha plant use a mushroom through the left-hand dirt patch to skip a turn.
- Hit the steam vent towards the end of the course to launch yourself on to a speed ramp.
- In the outside area look for a gap in the white fence covered by a bush. Use a mushroom to speed through it and skip some of the track.
Royal Raceway
- Just before the big white trees use a mushroom to hit the ramp on the left-hand side.
Sherbet Land
- Just before the second frozen lake use a speed boost to hit the coins near the large ice cubes. You will launch into a glide and skip the final stretch of the course.
- Using a mushroom will allow you to power straight through the snow covered winding stretches.
Tick Tock Clock
- Drive over the minute hands on the clocks to perform a stunt boost to the other side.
Wario Stadium
- During the underwater area use a mushroom to power through murky area on the left side of the track.
Yoshi Valley
- Take the first two lefts and drive over the wooden bridge to skip a large portion of the course.
- Take a left before the final turn and use a mushroom to power through the grass and propel yourself into the air.
