You’re staring at the character select screen in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and let’s be honest—it feels a bit empty. You’ve got Mario, Link, and even the Inklings, but where are the special outfits? People keep talking about mario kart skin unlocks like they’re some big secret, but the reality is much more fragmented than it used to be back in the Wii or Double Dash days. Honestly, most players get frustrated because Nintendo has fundamentally changed how "skins" work across different entries in the franchise. If you’re looking for a simple "press X to unlock everything" button, I’ve got bad news for you. It doesn't exist. But if you want to know how to actually change how your racer looks, we need to talk about the weird crossover between amiibo, DLC, and the Tour legacy.
The Gold Mario Problem and Real Skin Unlocks
Let’s clear something up immediately. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, "skins" aren't really a standalone category in the menu. You usually have characters or "variants." The most famous of these is Gold Mario. He isn't just a shiny trophy; he’s the ultimate flex. To get him, you have to place first in every single cup in the 200cc Grand Prix. It's brutal. One blue shell at the finish line on Rainbow Road and your progress is toasted.
But is Gold Mario a skin? Technically, he’s a replacement for Metal Mario. When you unlock him, he just takes over Metal Mario's slot. This is a recurring theme with mario kart skin unlocks. Nintendo prefers "clones" over a dedicated skin-swapping menu. Think about Tanooki Mario or Cat Peach. In the original Wii U version, these were separate purchases. In the Deluxe version on Switch, they’re just... there. It’s a bit of a letdown for people who love the grind of unlocking things.
However, there are the Yoshis and Shy Guys. If you bought the original DLC on Wii U or if you’re playing the base game on Switch, you might notice different colors. These aren't earned by skill. They are basically "participation skins" granted for owning the content. You get eight different colors for each just by having the Booster Course Pass or the original DLC packs. It’s not exactly a badge of honor, but it makes the starting line look less repetitive.
Why Amiibo Are the Secret Gatekeepers
If you want the coolest mario kart skin unlocks, you have to look at your Mii. Most people ignore the Mii racer because, let's face it, they look a little goofy compared to the high-fidelity render of Bowser. But the Mii is the only character that actually has a robust "skin" system via Racing Suits.
This is where the physical world meets the digital one. You need Amiibo.
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If you tap a Captain Falcon Amiibo, your Mii gets a high-tech F-Zero suit. Tap Samus, and you’re racing in Power Armor. It’s arguably the deepest customization in the game, yet it’s locked behind a paywall of plastic figurines. There are 20 basic suits available this way, including ones for Pac-Man, Sonic, and Megaman. If you don't own these figures, you're basically locked out of these specific mario kart skin unlocks. It's a polarizing system. Some fans love the physical collection aspect; others think it’s a predatory way to gatekeep cosmetic content. Honestly, it’s a bit of both.
The 2023 Update Shift
Something changed recently that most casual players missed. Nintendo added a "Characters" button to the main menu that led to the Booster Course Pass. Along with the 48 new tracks, they started dropping actual new characters—Birdo, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, Kamek. While these aren't "skins" in the traditional sense, Birdo brought back the color-swap mechanic. When you unlock Birdo, you get nine different colors. This felt like a nod back to the Mario Kart Tour style of content delivery, where skins are the entire point of the game's economy.
The Mario Kart Tour Hangover
We have to talk about the mobile game, Mario Kart Tour. This is where the concept of "skins" actually lives and breathes. In Tour, skins are everything. You have Chef Mario, Halloween Rosalina, and Painter Luigi. These are high-quality, thematic redesigns that fans have been begging to see in the main console games.
But here is the catch: they almost never move over to the Switch.
Why? Because Tour is built on a gacha/microtransaction model. Skins are the "pulls." They are the reason people spend money. If Nintendo simply allowed those mario kart skin unlocks to transfer to the Switch, it would devalue the mobile game's revenue stream. It’s a frustrating reality for completionists. You see a cool Vampire Waluigi on your phone, but on your 65-inch TV, he’s just... regular Waluigi.
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The Mii Racing Suit Wave
The one exception is the Mii suits. Nintendo did a weird thing where they started porting Mii Racing Suits from Tour into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the Booster Course Pass updates. We got the Wave 6 update which added things like the Toadette Suit and the Castle Suit. To get these, you don't actually have to do much other than update your game and own the DLC. It’s less of an "unlock" and more of a "delivery."
How to Actually Maximize Your Unlocks Right Now
If you are sitting there with a fresh save file, here is the reality of your "unlock" journey. Most of what you are "unlocking" isn't skins—it's kart parts. Every 50 coins you collect (up to 1,000 coins) gives you a new frame, wheel set, or glider. After 1,000 coins, the interval increases to every 100 coins.
- The Gold Standard: To get the Gold Glider, you need 5,000 coins. It’s a grind.
- The Time Trial Boss: To get the Gold Tires, you have to beat every Staff Ghost in 150cc Time Trials. This is actually harder than the 200cc Grand Prix because the Staff Ghosts are surprisingly competent.
- The Mirror Match: Unlocking certain character variants often requires just finishing the 150cc or Mirror Mode cups.
There’s a common misconception that you can unlock "alt costumes" for characters like Princess Peach (like her biker outfit). You can't. The game automatically puts her in the biker suit when she’s on a bike and a dress when she’s in a kart. You have zero control over this. It’s a baked-in animation state, not a skin.
The Nuance of Regional Variations
Did you know some "skins" are technically different characters depending on where you live? In the Japanese version of Mario Kart 8, some of the branding and character names shift slightly, though the visuals remain the same. While this doesn't change the "unlock" criteria, it's a reminder that Nintendo views these characters as fixed entities, not customizable avatars.
This brings up a major point of contention in the community: why can't we have the "Alternate Costumes" menu from Super Smash Bros.? In Smash, you just hit a shoulder button and Mario turns green or puts on a wedding suit. In Mario Kart, Nintendo insists on making these separate character slots or locking them entirely. It’s a design philosophy that favors "character recognition" over "player expression."
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The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon Skins
The "skins" for Link are a perfect example. You have "Champion's Tunic" Link and "Traditional Green" Link. In the Deluxe version, these are just selectable from a sub-menu when you hover over Link. No unlock required. The same goes for the Inkling Boy and Girl colors. It’s almost as if Nintendo realized halfway through development that people wanted skins, so they crammed a few into the existing character slots without building a real system for it.
Your Actionable Roadmap for Completists
If you want to feel like you’ve truly mastered the mario kart skin unlocks, you need to stop looking for a "Skins" tab and start working through this specific checklist. This is the only way to ensure your roster is truly "finished."
- Farm Coins Constantly: Don't just race; grab the coins. You need 5,000 to see the end of the unlock chain. The easiest way is to play local multiplayer with "Frantic Items" off and just lap the AI.
- Amiibo Hunting: If you can’t find the physical figures, look into Amiibo cards. They are smaller, cheaper, and trigger the exact same Mii Racing Suit unlocks. It’s the "pro" way to get the skins without filling your shelves with plastic.
- 200cc Mastery: Don't be afraid of the brake. To unlock Gold Mario, you have to learn how to "drift-brake" (holding B while still holding A during a drift). Without this, 200cc is impossible.
- Staff Ghost Study: For the Gold Tires, watch the replay of the Staff Ghost before you race them. They take specific lines and use mushrooms at very specific shortcuts. Copy them.
The truth is, the "skin" landscape in Mario Kart is a bit of a mess. It’s a mix of old-school "earn it" mechanics and new-school "buy the DLC/Amiibo" reality. But once you have that Gold Mario sitting on a Gold Standard kart with Gold Tires and a Gold Glider, the lack of a "Chef Mario" skin won't feel so bad. You’ll be too busy being the brightest thing on the track.
Focus on the Time Trials first. They teach you the mechanics better than the Grand Prix ever will, and they gate the most prestigious cosmetic in the game. Once you can beat the 150cc ghosts, the rest of the game's "unlocks" will feel like a victory lap.