The Ultimate Unlockables Guide for Mario Kart Wii, 8, DS, & World

Mario Kart is one of the most iconic video games around, featuring beloved characters like Luigi, Peach, Toad, and—the big man himself—Mario! If you’re playing Mario Kart as we speak, you likely want to unlock every possible cup and character in the game, which is what we’re here to help you do. Whether you’re playing on Wii, DS, or Nintendo Switch, you’ll find an easy list of all unlockable cups & characters in your Mario Kart game.

How to Get All Cups in Mario Kart Wii

The 4 unlockable cups in Mario Kart Wii are Star, Special, Leaf, & Lightning. Play in Grand Prix and do the following to unlock each cup: win a trophy in the Mushroom & Flower Cups (Star), win a trophy in the Star Cup (Special), win a trophy in the Shell & Banana Cups (Leaf), earn a trophy in the Leaf Cup (Lightning).

Section 1 of 6:

Unlocking Cups & Characters in Mario Kart Wii

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Mario Kart Wii Cups The standard Mario Kart Wii game comes with four cups that are already available: the Mushroom, Flower, Shell, and Banana Cups. The remaining four cups, however, must be unlocked by playing in Grand Prix mode and winning trophies in the already available (or unlocked) cups.^{[1]
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- Star Cup: Earn any trophy in Flower Cup and Mushroom Cup in Grand Prix mode.
- Leaf Cup: Earn any trophy in Shell Cup and Banana Cup in Grand Prix mode.
- Lightning Cup: Earn any trophy in Leaf Cup in Grand Prix mode.
- Special Cup: Earn any trophy in Star Cup in Grand Prix mode.
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Mario Kart Wii Characters Mario Kart Wii includes 14 unlockable characters, all of which have three possible methods for being unlocked. However, it’s most common (and usually easiest) to unlock them during solo play (rather than multiplayer racing). Below, you’ll find the quickest ways to unlock each Mario Kart Wii character as an individual racer:^{[2]
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- King Boo: Earn the gold trophy in the 50cc Star Cup.
- Diddy Kong: Earn the gold trophy in the 50cc Lightning Cup.
- Baby Daisy: Earn at least a 1-star rank in all 50cc Wii Grand Prix cups.
- Dry Bones: Earn the gold trophy in the 100cc Leaf Cup.
- Bowser Jr.: Earn at least a 1-star rank in all 100cc Retro Grand Prix cups.
- Daisy: Earn the gold trophy in the 150cc Special Cup.
- Dry Bowser: Earn at least a 1-star rank in all 150cc Wii Grand Prix cups.
- Birdo: Beat 250 people online in Wi-Fi mode OR unlock 16 fast Staff Ghosts.
- Toadette: Play Time Trial mode on all 32 courses.
- Funky Kong: Unlock 4 expert ghosts in Time Trial mode.
- Baby Luigi: Unlock 8 expert ghosts in Time Trial mode.
- Rosalina: Save date on Super Mario Galaxy or complete all 150cc Grand Prix cups with at least a one-star rank.
- Mii (Outfit A): Earn the gold trophy in the 100cc Special Cup.
- Mii (Outfit B): Unlock all 32 expert ghosts in Time Trial mode.

Section 2 of 6:

Unlocking Cups & Characters in Mario Kart World

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The only unlockable cup in Mario Kart World is the Special Cup—all other cups are already available when you begin the game. To unlock the Special Cup, you must complete every other cup in Grand Prix mode: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Shell Cup, Star Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup, and Lightning Cup. You don’t have to win these cups, you just have to complete them to unlock the Special Cup.^{[3]
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Mario Kart World Characters Mario Kart World boasts an impressive number of unlockable characters, with 24 Main Characters and 26 NPC Drivers or Creatures—additional costumes (or “skins”) for the main characters can also be acquired by picking up the shining golden Lunch Pails during your races. However, NPC Drivers and Creatures (e.g., Goomba, Wiggler, Penguin, etc.) can only be unlocked by randomly receiving a Kamek Item with the ? Item Blocks during a race. Here is a complete list of all the unlockable characters in Mario Kart World, as well as quick steps to unlock them:^{[4]
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- Donkey Kong: Complete the Mushroom Cup.
- Daisy: Complete the Flower Cup:
- Rosalina: Complete the Star Cup.
- Lakitu: Complete the Shell Cup.
- Birdo: Complete the Banana Cup.
- King Boo: Complete the Leaf Cup.
- Bowser Jr.: Complete the Lightning Cup.

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Unlocking Cups & Characters in Mario Kart 8

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In Mario Kart 8, all cups besides the Special Cup are available at the start of the game. To unlock the Special Cup, you must play and come in third place or better in all of the other cups in Grand Prix mode. You can play these cups (Mushroom, Flower, Shell, Banana, Leaf, and Star) at any difficulty and still unlock the Special Cup.^{[5]
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Mario Kart 8 includes 14 unlockable characters. However, almost all of these characters are unlocked at random, usually when a cup is won with a trophy. The only character that isn’t unlocked at random is the Mii racer, since it’s always the 8th character to be unlocked in the game.^{[6]
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Section 4 of 6:

Unlocking Cups & Characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Cups In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you’ll start with only the Mushroom Cup unlocked. Play the Mushroom Cup on Grand Prix and place third or better to unlock the next cup, which is the Flower Cup. Play the Flower Cup on Grand Prix and place third or better to unlock the Star Cup. Continue in this pattern until you’ve unlocked all cups.^{[7]
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- If you’re playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on a Wii U, you can also buy DLC packs for more cups. DLC Pack 1 includes the Egg Cup and the Triforce Cup, while DLC Pack 2 includes the Crossing Cup and the Bell Cup.
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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Characters In the deluxe version of Mario Kart 8, nearly every character from the original version is available at the start of the game. The only unlockable character is Gold Mario, who can be unlocked by winning a gold trophy in every cup in 200cc mode.^{[8]
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- If you’re playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on a Wii U, you can also buy DLC packs for more characters. DLC Pack 1 includes Tanooki Mario, Link, and Cat Peach, while DLC Pack 2 includes Isabelle, Dry Bowser, and Villager (male and female).

Section 5 of 6:

Unlocking Cups & Characters in Mario Kart DS

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Mario Kart DS Cups There are four unlockable cups in Mario Kart DS, and each one can only be unlocked by earning trophies in Grand Prix mode through the already-available cups. Specifically, you’ll have to complete the following tasks in order to unlock each bolded cup:^{[9]
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- Star Cup: Earn gold trophies in the Mushroom Cup AND the Flower Cup.
- Special Cup: Earn any trophy in the Star Cup.
- Leaf Cup: Earn any trophy in the Shell Cup AND the Banana Cup.
- Lightning Cup: Earn any trophy in the Leaf Cup.
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Mario Kart DS Characters Mario Kart DS includes four unlockable characters. They can generally be unlocked by winning gold trophies in specific races at specific speeds:^{[10]
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- Dry Bones: Earn a gold trophy in the 50cc Special Cup.
- Daisy: Earn a gold trophy in the 50cc Lightning Cup.
- Waluigi: Earn a gold trophy in the 100cc Lightning Cup.
- R.O.B.: Earn a gold trophy in the Mirror Mode Special Cup.

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Other Unlockables in Mario Kart Games

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Keep unlocking Mario Kart vehicles, skins, collectibles, and more. Different versions of the Mario Kart game include various unlockables aside from cups and characters. On most consoles, you can Unlock-the-Medium-Bikes-and-Karts-in-Mario-Kart-Wii|unlock different vehicles (like karts and bikes), collectibles, skins, and more. Here’s a handy checklist of the most popular Mario Kart editions and some of the unlockables you’ll be able to find:
- Mario Kart Wii:^{[11]
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  - Cheep Charger: Earn a 1-star rank or better in all 50cc retro cups.
  - Tiny Titan/Rally Romper: Unlock 1 expert ghost in Time Trial mode.
  - Blue Falcon: Earn a gold trophy in the Mirror Lightning Cup.
  - Super Blooper/Turbo Blooper: Earn a gold trophy in the 50cc Leaf Cup.
  - Daytripper/Royal Racer: Earn a gold trophy in the 150cc Leaf Cup.
  - Sprinter/B Dasher Mk. 2: Unlock 24 expert ghosts in Time Trial mode.
  - Piranha Prowler: Earn a gold trophy in the 50cc Special Cup.
  - Jetsetter/Aero Glider: Earn a 1-star rank or better in all 150cc retro cups.
  - Honeycoupe/Dragonetti: Earn a gold trophy in the 150cc Lightning Cup.
  - Quacker: Earn a gold trophy in the 150cc Lightning Cup.
  - Magikruiser: Play 8 courses in Time Trial mode.
  - Jet Bubble/Bubble Bike: Earn a gold trophy in the Mirror Leaf Cup.
  - Zip Zip/Rapide: Earn a gold trophy in the 100cc Lightning Cup.
  - Sneakster/Nitrocycle: Earn a 1-star rank or better in all 100cc Wii cups.
  - Dolphin Dasher: Earn a gold trophy in the Mirror Star Cup.
  - Shooting Star/Twinkle Star: Earn a gold trophy in the 100cc Star Cup.
  - Spear/Torpedo: Unlock 12 expert ghosts in Time Trial mode.
  - Phantom: Earn a gold trophy in the Mirror Special Cup.
  - Victory Photo 1: Earn a trophy in every cup in the respective mode.
  - Victory Photo 2: Earn a gold trophy in every cup in every mode.
  - Mirror Class: Earn the gold trophy for all cups in 150cc mode.
- Mario Kart 8:^{[12]
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  - Vehicles: Collect Coins during races to unlock more karts and bikes at random.
  - Gold Kart: Earn at least one star on every Grand Prix and Mirror Mode race on 150cc.
  - Gold Tires: Beat every Staff Ghost in Time Trials.
  - Gold Glider: Collect 10,000 coins (in solo or multiplayer mode).
  - Mirror Mode: Earn a gold trophy on all 8 Grand Prix races.
  - Character Stamps: Complete a cup with each character to receive their stamp.
  - Course Stamps: Beat the Nintendo record on any given course in Time Trial mode.
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe:
  - Gold Standard Body: Earn a one-star ranking on all 12 Grand Prix cups in Mirror Mode.
  - Gold Glider: Collect 5,000 coins.
  - Gold Wheels: Win against all 48 Staff Ghosts in 150cc Time Trials.
- Mario Kart DS:^{[13]
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  - Three Karts: Win all Nitro Grand Prix Cups in 100cc.
  - Seven Karts: Win all Nitro OR Retro Grand Prix Cups in 150cc.
  - All 36 Karts: Win ALL cups in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode.
  - Mirror Class: Win all cups in 150cc.
  - Mission Level 7: Complete mission levels 1-6 in Missions Mode with at least a one-star ranking.
- Mario Kart World:^{[14]
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  - Karts: Collect coins to unlock karts at certain intervals (e.g, 100 coins, 200 coins, etc.).
  - Stickers: While we don’t know exactly how each of the numerous stickers is unlocked, it seems that most of them are awarded based on progress points—e.g., doing a certain number of tricks, collecting a certain number of coins, or finding Question Mark panels during Free Roam.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I unlock expert ghosts in time trials?

John Volovsek

Community Answer

Race really fast against the normal ghost. Try to beat them by about 5 seconds.

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How do I know how many expert ghosts I've unlocked?

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You'll have to go through all of the courses and compare the times online. Once you've unlocked the expert ghost it takes the place of the normal ghost.

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How can I purchase a DLC pack?

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They can be purchased in-game in the Shop menu or in the eShop. To pay, you can use a credit card or a prepaid eShop card.

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