Unlock Mario Kart Cups and Characters

Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 each have a large number of characters to unlock, plus a mix of new and returning Grand Prix Cups. This article will show you how to unlock them.

10 Second Summary

  • For Mario Kart Wii: You can get cups by getting 3rd place or better in available cups. You can unlock characters by winning 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc races, or through Time Trials.
  • Mario Kart 8/Wii U: You can unlock characters by getting 1st place in Grand Prix Cups. You can get the next Grand Prix Cup by getting 1st place in the previous cup. Lastly, you can always purchase additional characters and cups.

Steps

Unlocking Cups and Characters in Mario Kart Wii

  1. Use this guide for the 2008 Wii game.
    • If you're looking for the 2014 Wii U game, see the section on Mario Kart 8 instead. Note that you can still play Mario Kart Wii on the Wii U console.
  2. Unlock cups by getting 3rd place or better in available cups.
    • Each Grand Prix Cup can be unlocked by getting a trophy (bronze or better) in an earlier cup. It does not matter which engine class (50cc etc.) you use.[1] Here's the full unlock system:
    • Star Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Mushroom Cup and the Flower Cup.
    • Special Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Star Cup.
    • Leaf Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Banana Cup and the Shell Cup.
    • Lightning Cup: Finish 3rd+ in the Leaf Cup.
    • You can also unlock "Mirror Mode" for all cups, reversing the tracks left-to-right, by getting first place in all cups at 150cc difficulty — quite a challenge!
  3. Unlock characters by winning 50cc races.
    • Here are the characters you can unlock in the easiest mode, so go for these first:[2]
    • King Boo: Win the 50cc Star Cup.
    • Diddy Kong: Win the 50cc Lightning Cup.
    • Baby Daisy: Earn one star or better on all 50cc Wii cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special).
  4. Unlock characters in 100cc.
    • Go for these next, playing on harder difficulties:[3]
    • Dry Bones (a Koopa skeleton): Win the 100cc Leaf Cup.
    • Mii Outfit A: Win the 100cc Special Cup.
    • Bowser Jr.: Earn one star or better on all 100cc Retro cups (Shell, Banana, Leaf, Lightning).
  5. Unlock characters in 150cc.
    • Prove your skill by earning these characters on the hardest difficulty:
    • Daisy: Win the 150cc Special Cup.
    • Dry Browser (skeleton bowser): Earn one star or better on all 150cc Wii cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special).
  6. Unlock characters through Time Trials.
    • In Time Trial mode, you race alone, with a "ghost" racer you can't interact with demonstrating the time you need to beat. If you beat the ghost by a significant amount (sometimes 2 seconds, sometimes more), you'll get an announcement that you've unlocked a new (faster) "Expert Staff Ghost." You do not need to beat these expert ghosts, but unlocking enough of them by beating normal ghosts will unlock characters.[4]
    • Funky Kong: Unlock four expert ghosts.
    • Baby Luigi: Unlock eight expert ghosts.
    • Birdo: Unlock sixteen expert ghosts (or play online until you've beat 250 players.)
    • Toadette: Play all 32 Time Trial tracks (you don't need to beat them).
    • Mii Outfit B(Mario/Peach Outfit): Unlock all 32 expert ghosts. This character has identical stats to the Mii unlocked by winning the 100cc Special Cup. Instead of your normal Mii outfit, this Mii will wear an outfit like Mario (male Miis) or Peach (female Miis).[5]
  7. Unlock Rosalina.
    • There are two ways you can unlock Rosalina, the NPC from Super Mario Galaxy. Complete one of these tasks:[2][6]
    • Get first place in all 150cc cups to unlock Mirror Mode, then get 1 star in Mirror Mode on all eight cups.
    • or install Super Mario Galaxy on your Wii, start a Galaxy game and save it, then play any races in Mario Kart Wii until Rosalina appears.
  8. Learn advanced strategies for tough unlocks.
    • Whether you're going for Time Trials or 150cc courses, knowing advanced strategy can save hours of effort. Perform Expert Driving Techniques in Mario Kart for all of these challenges, plus these tips:[4]
    • Use Heavy vehicles for Time Trials, since they have the highest max speed. Acceleration doesn't matter as much when there are no opponents to disrupt you.
    • Look for hidden shortcuts. There are many of these in the game, from a dirt path near the start of Maple Treeway, to a passageway under a minecart in Wario's Goldmine. If you're having trouble on a track, search for online videos and you might discover a new shortcut.

Unlocking Cups and Characters in Mario Kart 8

  1. Use this guide for the Wii U game.
    • Mario Kart 8 was released in 2014 for the Wii U. If you're playing Mario Kart on the original Wii console, see the section on Mario Kart Wii.
  2. Unlock characters by getting 1st place in Grand Prix Cups.
    • If you finish in 1st place after a full cup (not just a single track), you unlock a new character, randomly chosen from the list of free characters you haven't unlocked yet. Winning the same cup more than once won't unlock a new character, but a different engine class counts as a different cup. For instance, winning 50cc Mushroom Cup and 100cc Mushroom Cup unlocks two characters. Here are the characters that can be unlocked this way:
    • Metal Mario
    • Toadette
    • Lakitu
    • Rosalina
    • Baby Rosalina
    • Pink Gold Peach
    • Iggy Koopa
    • Roy Koopa
    • Ludwig von Koopa
    • Lemmy Koopa
    • Larry Koopa
    • Morton Koopa Jr
    • Wendy O. Koopa
  3. Unlock Mii.
    • Mii is a special character whose weight class is determined by your Mii avatar's current height and weight. There are many internet rumors about how to unlock Mii, but the character is most likely unlocked using the same random unlock as the other characters: winning cups.
  4. Unlock new cups.
    • Unlock the next Grand Prix Cup by getting 1st place in the previous cup (set of four tracks). Once a cup is unlocked, you can play it in any engine class.[7] There are two different progressions of cups, plus a special mode to unlock:
    • Mushroom Cup → Flower Cup → Star Cup → Special Cup
    • Shell Cup → Banana Cup → Leaf Cup → Lightning Cup
    • Beat all eight cups in the 150cc engine class to unlock Mirror Mode for all cups, with every course left-to-right reversed.[8]
  5. Purchase additional characters and cups.
    • Connect your Wii U to the internet and purchase a DLC pack for more content. There is currently one DLC pack released, with a second one announced:[9]
    • DLC Pack 1 (available now):
      • Characters: Tanooki Mario, Link, Cat Peach
      • Cups: Egg Cup, Triforce Cup
    • DLC Pack 2 (due for release May 2015):
      • Characters: Isabelle, Dry Bowser, Villager (from Animal Crossing)
      • Cups: "Crossing Cup," "Bell Cup" (may not be final names)

Tips

  • There are no cheat codes in Mario Kart Wii or Mario Kart 8.

Warnings

  • If the character isn't on this page, it doesn't exist. Don't believe internet rumors about "Mii Outfit C" or other fake secret characters.
  • Do not press Quit Game if you are on a special mode. Turn your Wii off or do another Grand Prix.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/65133/how-do-i-unlock-courses-in-mario-kart-wii
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-wii/Unlockables
  3. ↑ http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2008/04/18/how-to-unlock-all-mario-kart-wii-secret-characters-bikes-karts-and-more-guide.htm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.supercheats.com/guides/mario-kart-wii/time-trials
  5. ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/942008-mario-kart-wii/answers/79905-what-does-mii-outfit-b-look-like-is-it-worth-it
  6. ↑ http://www.ign.com/cheats/games/mario-kart-wii-wii-949580
  7. ↑ http://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_8#Unlockable_drivers
  8. ↑ http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-8/Unlockables#Unlockable_Modes
  9. ↑ http://mariokart8.nintendo.com/dlc/
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