In the realm of racing games, Mario Kart is total chaos. Skill surely helps, but you don’t have to be highly coordinated or exceptionally talented at other titles to win a jaunt in any Mario Kart title, includingMario Kart 8. You just have to be lucky. Snag the good items that’ll pummel your opponents and rocket you to the first place. That’s the name of the game.
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But, if you are fixated on making your life easier with a sturdy vehicle that handles well, stats might become an important piece of data that you should pay close attention to. And not all stats are created equally.
Updated Jul 17, 2025 by Quinton O’Connor:As of this past week, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s warmly-welcomed Booster Pass has come to a close. In all, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s track number has doubled - from 48 to 96. Former fans are popping in to see just how much they’ve missed, and newcomers are always buying this perennial favorite, too. Consider this either a primer or a refresher on Mario Kart 8’s most important (and least important) stats.
6Weight - Vehicles
Sure, weight can be the difference between streaking across the finish line in the first place or being unceremoniously bumped off the track into a pool of lava. The question then becomes, how often is weight truly effective? The heavier your weight stats are, the easier it is for you to bump a smaller player out of your way or into potential danger. The consequence of weight, however, is that should you drift, heavier vehicles will slide more easily off course.
Most often, bumping into other vehicles becomes tertiary to fixating on simply surpassing your opponents through speed boosts and using items to slow them down. Weight also typically comes at the cost of acceleration, a far more valuable stat we’ll get into shortly.
5Weight - Characters
That’s right. There are a number of unseen statistics at play in Mario Kart 8. This is one that you actually can control. Selecting your character shouldn’t necessarily be just about picking your favorite Mushroom Kingdom citizen, at least if you truly care about refining your racing stats.Pairing characters up with the right kartcan be a useful strategy.
The character’s weight does factor into the overall weight statistic. Sorry, Bowser. And even though Donkey Kong might seem like a big fuzzy teddy bear, behind all that fur is a bundle of muscle that can potentially help bump off other racers on the track. The game has characters divided into weight classes, but it’s pretty easy to tell where characters stand from a basic visual analysis. Baby Peach is going to be light as a feather.
4Speed
You might be gobsmacked right about now, seeing that speed is close to last in terms of statistical importance in a racing game. But as you probably already know, Mario Kart is less about your ability to maintain high speeds and more about being capable of avoiding calamity while dishing it out to others.
Speed can be crucial for racetracks that feature fewer twists and turns (and longer straight dashes). But as is tradition, Mario Kart is often about getting a little wild with each course. As such, speed should more often than not be sacrificed for handling.
Not to mention, you can increase your speed during the race by collecting coins.
3Traction
You’ve got a lot to worry about out there in the Mario Kart arena. You have 11 other opponents gunning for the top spot, ready to lob red heat-seeking shells in your direction. But the worst of it doesn’t always come from the other players. Tracks are often rife with their own set of hazards that you must be prepared to avoid.
Taking sharp turns or running over ice or sludge can result in a slippery catastrophe, sending you tumbling off the beaten path. Sometimes, you must swerve out of the way of the maw of a sharp-toothed piranha plant. Traction will help keep you in place. Not succumbing to the punishments of the course is far better than focusing solely on your speed.
2Handling
This particular stat complements traction well. Handling is key to your kart’s responsiveness when it comes to the rigors of a winding track. It also helps determine how wide your turns must be. Those with better handling stats can make sharper turns at higher speeds.
Traditionally, bikes handle far better than the rest of the options available. If you want something capable of weaving in and out of traffic and making slick turns, go for a motorbike.
1Acceleration
This is one stat that can really help pull you out of a jam. And you’ll find yourself in many throughout your time with Mario Kart 8. Acceleration is the single most important stat as it determines the speed at which you recover froma wayward turtle shell or an ill-placed banana peel.
Acceleration is the amount of time it takes for you to reach your top speed. The higher your acceleration stat, the quicker you’re able to get back into your groove after a disastrous spill on the racetrack. Mario Kart has always been about sabotaging opponents instead of racing fair and square. So give yourself the advantage in this hazardous gauntlet.
