Mario Kart 8 DLC Wave 5 Adds Petey Piranha, Kamek, And Wiggler This Summer

Mario Kart 8 is getting more tracks soon, as revealed in the June Nintendo Direct. This new Wave will include eight new tracks and three new characters.

Revealed during the Nintendo Direct, Wave 5 of the Mario Kart 8 DLC Booster Pack is coming later this summer, adding three new characters and a brand-new track. The three new characters are Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek, all of whom have been playable in a previous Mario Kart title. Based on the remaining number of question marks on the character select screen, Nintendo is saving two more characters for the final DLC wave.

While Nintendo didn't reveal all of the tracks being added in Wave 5, it did reveal a new original track called Squeaky Clean Sprint, which sees racers zoom around an oversized bathroom track. This track is similar to the Yoshi's Island track released in the previous wave in that it is a completely original track for Mario Kart 8 and not just a remake of a classic map. No exact date was given for Wave 5, but Nintendo said it's coming this summer, so you can expect it relatively soon.

The Booster Course Pass will add 48 tracks in total, releasing in six waves of eight tracks each. Four of them have already released, so there will be just one more after this next set. While most of the passes have focused squarely on adding new tracks, especially from Mario Kart Tour, Wave 4 also introduced Birdo and raised speculation about more DLC racers incoming.

The Booster Pass is available for $25 as a standalone purchase on the Nintendo eShop, or as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscription, which is $50 per year. The subscription also nets you other benefits such as the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise expansion, along with a selection of Genesis, N64, and Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games.