Coins are a surprisingly old feature in the Mario Kart franchise. Initially appearing in the SNES-exclusive Super Mario Kart all the way back in 1992, they made a sudden reappearance in Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, and then continued to be found in the sequels of Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, too.
Despite the longevity of the feature over several decades of Mario Kart games, though, many players aren't aware of the fact that coins actually do something beyond unlocking new customizable options. This is likely in part due to the fact that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe never really references the feature. For players who are curious or confused about the role that coins play in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, read on to find out exactly what they do.
How Do Coins Work In Mario Kart 8?
Unlocking Collectibles
Figuring out how coins work in Mario Kart 8 is easy at first, but some parts can be a little more complicated than they may seem. To start off simply, coins are dotted around most (but not all!) tracks, and players need to drive over them to collect them. This will add to the player's coin count, which allows a maximum of ten coins.
Looking into how this impacts other features in Mario Kart 8 is where it becomes a little complicated. For example, each coin that a player picks up during a race is added to an overall coin count. With every 50 coins, a new collectible is unlocked (more on that later) but this is only the case until the player picks up a total coin count of 550 coins. After picking up 550 coins, unlocks are then locked behind every 100 coins the player collects.
Collecting Coins
The way coins are collected also changes depending on how each track is played. For instance, playing online means that each player in an online match will get a number of coins based on a shared system, so the amount a player picks up might not be how many they actually receive. In this case, a more reliable method is playing a VS Race on local multiplayer, since every coin a player picks up is then added to their coin count.
With all of that being said, some tracks do not feature any coins at all. This mostly includes the two F-Zero-inspired tracks, Bell Cup's Big Blue course, and the Egg Cup's Mute City course. In these tracks, players have to find other ways to collect their coins. These can include driving over the purple-colored Pit areas, picking up coins dropped by other players, and from item boxes. Coins can be scarce during these levels. Other tracks may seem not to have any coins at first glance, such as the Animal Crossing and Hyrule Circuit tracks. Thankfully, these tracks simply replace their coins with alternative skins, though. They take the form of Bells in Animal Crossing, and Rupees in Hyrule Circuit.
What Do Coins Do In Mario Kart 8?
Unlocking New Features
Realistically, one of the biggest draws to grabbing as many coins as possible is that they unlock new karts, bikes, and other customizable options for players to choose from.
This is also one of the more obvious features of coins in Mario Kart 8, since each time the player collects enough coins for a new item, a notification will make them aware each time they go to play a new match. This, however, is about as far as the game goes to let players know about what bonuses can be achieved by racking up those coins.
Overall Speed
Each coin that a player picks up during a race contributes to the overall speed of the kart or bike they're currently using. This can make a huge difference on every track, especially tracks with long stretches of straight, easy paths that require no drifting or smooth maneuvers.
As mentioned, the amount of coins a player can carry during any given point is limited to ten coins, but extra coins may be picked up or found in boxes, too. Players will still get this small speed boost even if they already have 10 coins. While the speed boost is so tiny it's hardly noticeable, it can genuinely make a huge difference, particularly if a battle for first place is ongoing. The minuscule boost it provides might be what it takes to get that win.