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How to play Mario Kart 8 online with friends

Jesse Lennox
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Multiplayer games began as purely local events. If you wanted to play with, or against, your friends, there was no other option than to get together either at someone's house or, if you're going even further back in time, at a local arcade. While playing locally is still a great way to play, it isn't always an option. Online multiplayer is not only more convenient most of the time, but it has become the norm for nearly all modern multiplayer games.

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Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Mario Kart 8

  • Nintendo Switch Online subscription

  • Internet connection

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not only one of the most popular games on the Nintendo Switch but also one of the best games to play with friends. As a result, playing it with your friends online is a great choice. Here is how to host a lobby and join a friend's.

Before you begin, make sure to add your friends on Switch so everyone can play together.

Further reading

The online menu in Mario Kart 8.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to host Mario Kart 8 online with friends

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is great fun alone, but eventually, playing against the AI will get stale. That's when playing against your friends online comes in to add some much-needed variety and challenge to your races.

Step 1: Boot up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and select Online play from the main menu.

Step 2: Select Friends.

Related

Step 3: Select Create room and select your character.

Creating a room in Mario Kart 8.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Any friends will now be able to join your room. Unfortunately, you cannot directly invite your friends to join your room in the game itself.

How to join friends online

If your friend is the one to set up the room to play online, joining is quite simple.

Step 1: Follow the same steps as before up until you are on the Create Room screen.

Joining a friend online in Mario Kart 8.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Under the Friends tab, any friend you have currently in a lobby will have a checkered flag icon next to their name.

Step 3: Select that friend and hit Join.

In addition to regular races and cups, you can also host Tournaments online with your friends as well. This is done just like creating a lobby, only Tournaments will require a code that you pass along to friends in order for them to join you.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
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