Course Guide
Efficient racing is one key to victory in Mario Kart 8, but knowing the ins and outs of each course also proves beneficial. Practice each track enough times and you begin to finds paths and shortcuts that give an advantage.
Listed below are shortcuts for all Nitro courses in the game.
Nitro Courses
Mario Kart Stadium
- After the first split anti-gravity section, use a mushroom to boost through the nearby patch of dirt.
- There will also be a small ramp after the anti-gravity section which allows players to cut the following corner.
- Use a mushroom to boost through the carousel section at the end instead of going around it.
- Use a mushroom before the big drop and pass through the path between the chocolate doughnut and piranha plant.
- A mushroom also allows you to get across the chocolate part of the anti-gravity section.
- Go between the two rocks at the beginning of the course and speed boost across the grass and to the nearby ramp.
- There's a wooden ramp before the second gliding section. Get on it to avoid the following turn section.
Toad Harbor
- Head to the left after the bridge and go up onto the market tents. There's a speed ramp up there.
- There's an alley to the left at the downhill section near the end of the course. Be careful though, there are some tricky turns there.
- There's a patch of dirt after the anti-gravity split. You can go through it with a mushroom or star.
- A mushroom allows you to land on the higher part of the cliff with the glider and speed through the grass.
- At the end of the course, go through the luggage section to avoid the last turn.
- When you get to the cave, stick to the right of the track to get some more speed boosts and a faster path to the eel.
- At the end of the track, use a speed boost to cut through the dark part and avoid the big turn.
- In the forest section, go between the two paths with a mushroom to find a secret ramp.
- You can avoid the last corner of the track by using the leaves to the right.
- Speed boost to get onto the ramp between the two paths near the start of the race.
- There's an opening to the left around the final corner - use a speed boost item to get between the bones.
- After the first encounter with Bowser, stick to the left of the big turn and try to to drop on a speed boost ramp and skip part of the course. This is a tough one.
- Take the lower ramp at the gliding section and stick to the right of the boost device. Drive off the track to land on a straight path that leads to the final turn.