It's not often a game that launched almost six years ago gets extensive DLC. When a game sells more than 50 million copies and is in the top ten best-sellers every week like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe though, that'll happen. Wave four of its Booster Course Pass is incoming, and the update will include a brand new track and the return of Birdo.
In a Nintendo Direct that included an exciting new trailer for Tears of the Kingdom and the long-awaited reveal of the Metroid Prime remaster, confirmation of some of what's to come in wave four may have fallen under your radar. A significant announcement since it added Birdo. Not only the first new character added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe since launch, but also the first time Birdo has been a playable character in a mainline Mario Kart game since Mario Kart Wii.
Once wave four rolls out this spring, its owners and Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers will be able to race Birdo around an entirely new track. Yoshi's Island which has presumably been specifically created to be included in what has been pretty great DLC so far, and even after wave four there are still two more waves to go.
The closest Nintendo has come to a new track during the first three waves was adding Mario Kart Tour courses to the game. The seemingly successful mobile take on the series that allows players to drive around Mario Kart versions of famous cities. Some of those cities have made the jump over to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but none of them will have excited players more than getting an entirely new track created for the actual game.
No specific launch date for wave four was given during the Direct. Just that it will be available sometime this spring. Buying the Booster Course Pass for £22.49 will get you access to it, as well as the prior three waves and the final two. Or if you have the Expansion Pass, all waves past, present, and future are included. Tracks will also be added to the online rotation whether you have the pass or not, as long as at least one person in the lobby has it.