- ShyGuy, Lakitu and Metal Mario confirmed as playable characters
- Piranha Plant and Boomerang revealed as new items
- customization remains the same as it was in Mario Kart 7
- Mario Kart Stadium is the first track
- this track will take you upside-down halfway through
- ShyGuy Falls has you racing up/down waterfalls and flying across a chasm
- bumping characters when in anti-grav mode gives you a spin speed boost
- Thwomp Ruins lets you drive up the walls or remain on the ground
- Twhomp Ruins also has a section with 3 different ways you can go, one with a hang glider short cut
- You can also drive on the walls or through a watery portion in this same section
- Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 64 returns
- this track now lets you drive up walls
- you can also find a car on the turnpike that has a ramp, which lets you launch off and open your hang glider
- Moo Moo Meadows returns and now takes place during sunrise
- Dry Dry Desert also returns, with fallen pillars and tracks in the sand made by your tires
- this level also has a watery oasis you can drive through
- boomerang is a long-range weapon that takes out anything in its path both when first thrown and on the way back
- you can throw the boomerang 3 times
- Piranha Plant item grabs at racers/coins on the track
- each time it grabs out, you get pulled forward with a speed boost
- coin item returns, giving you two coins when you use it
- you can no longer collect an item to keep in reserve
- when you have any item in your possession, it takes up your item slot and blocks you from picking up any other item
- GamePad screen has map of course, other racer positions and the items they hold
- map is only available in a zoomed-out view
- three touch-screen icons: one for off-TV play, one for horn and an option to turn on motion controls
- motion controls don't force you into first-person mode, which seems to be gone completely
- rear view mirror option
- wiimote by itself, Wiimote/Nunchuk and Wii U Pro Controller options available
- DK Jungle returns
- power-sliding returns as well
- framerate is locked at 60 fps, even in two-player split-screen mode
- 32 courses in the final game
- no hands-on time for press with Battle Mode or Coin Runners
- when using anti-grav, the game uses an angled camera angle
- Water Park has underwater sections and an amusement park-themed gauntlet
- Cheep Cheep Beach returns, doesn't feature anti-grav, but has boost pads and ramps
- Mario Circuit 4 has an elevated anti-gravity U-turn in one corner
- Donut Plains 3 has rain-soaked roads
- cannot use the GamePad screen as a separate screen for multiplayer races
- 4-player local multiplayer
- Twelve players can race online
- Mario Kart TV is a feature that will let you share brief highlight films on Miiverse
- Baby Peach and Baby Daisy return
- 720p
- each track features multiple pathways and routes
- features leaderboards
- at the end of each race, your best moments are saved and shown to you in a highlight reel
- these replays have special camera angles and editing
- the Lakitu Bros. follow you around track to film your actions
- Mushroom Cup includes Mario Kart Stadium, Water Park, Sweet Sweet Canyon and Thwomp Ruins
- driving over a blue marker at key points activates anti-grav
- Flower Cup has Mario Circuit, Toad Harbor, Twisted Mansion and Shy Guy Falls
- first two retro cups are Shell and Banana trophies
- Shell has Moo Moo Meadows (Mario Kart Wii), Mario Circuit (Mario Kart Super Circuit), Cheep Cheep Beach (Mario Kart DS) and Toad's Turnpike (Mario Kart 64
- Banana includes Dry Dry Desert (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), Donut Plains (Super Mario Kart), Royal Raceway (Mario Kart 64) and DK Jungle (Mario Kart 7)
- 4-player is 30fps and a drop in visual fidelity
- the more coins you have, up to ten, the faster your kart will be
- Spiny blue shell goes along the ground
- the three banana trail now is a separate item of fruit to be used individually
- bikes no longer allow for wheelies
- stunts return
- characters now hold their next item in their hand
- Time Trials and Vs. Race return
- developers' main priority was creating interesting courses that encourage new and different ways of playing
- small characters can now bump into bigger ones while in anti-grav and still get a speed boost
- the devs were able to harness the power of the Wii U to get a 'huge polygon count'
- this allowed the team to make multiple courses with 'undulating, moving surfaces'
- character animations are now more detailed and involved than ever before
- Roy Koopa will fist pump when he launches an item
- Lemmy Koopa moves around erratically
- puddles mirror your tires as you splash through them
- resting flocks of birds scatter as you zoom past
- Sweet Sweet Canyon appears to be a glazed dessert road
- far smoother reset on the track when saved by Lakitu
- you can select parameters to generate your video at the end of a race
- parameters include clip length, specific characters for the camera to follow and a focus on key racing moments such as item use or stunt jumps
- rubber-band AI seems to have been done away with
- ATVs are also a vehicle option
- in anti-grav, if you fall off the track, Lakitu snags you and immediately returns you to the race
- 27 characters confirmed thus far, with more to be revealed



Mario
Luigi
Peach
Daisy
Yoshi
Bowser
Donkey Kong
Toad
Toadette
Koopa Troopa
Wario
Waluigi
Rosalina
Baby Mario
Baby Luigi
Baby Peach
Baby Daisy
Larry Koopa
Morton Koopa Jr.
Wendy O. Koopa
Iggy Koopa
Roy Koopa
Lemmy Koopa
Ludwig von Koopa
Metal Mario
Shy Guy
Lakitu