With last week’s Nintendo Direct, the company continued its trend of exceeding fan expectations. Alongside new footage for games like Splatoon 3, it also showed an unexpected set of remakes and additions for Nintendo Switch Online. One of the most surprising announcements had to be the announcement of 48 “classic” tracks coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over the course of 2022 and 2023. That’s a lot of tracks, but there are quite a few more than that within the entirety of the Mario Kart series. Choosing only a few will be tough, but these five should be among those added.

Bowser Castle 3 (Super Mario Kart)

It’s easy to forget the original Mario Kart these days since it’s been almost thirty years since it was released, but this old racer still has tracks worth revisiting. Of these, Bowser Castle 3 is probably the front-runner. It’s not as iconic as Ghost Valley 1 or Mario Circuit 2, but it does offer a technical course in an interesting location. Bowser Castle 3 is littered with tight turns, terrain changed and lava hops, forcing racers to think about each and every press of the pedal or turn of the wheel. It’s small by today’s standards, but there’s a lot packed into it.

Wario Stadium (Mario Kart 64)

Yes, it’s true that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already has a Wario Stadium, but that track is from Mario Kart DS and is entirely different from its original iteration in Mario Kart 64. While the naming might feel redundant, Wario Stadium is perhaps the most iconic track from Mario Kart 64. Many older fans likely still remember every bump, turn and hill of this course, and newer players deserve a chance to experience it for themselves. It has fewer hazards than its DS counterpart, but its wide spaces, tight turns and large jump still make for an exciting racing experience. To be honest, though, its theme alone is enough to earn this track a spot in the expansion.

Mushroom Bridge (Mario Kart: Double Dash!)

Unfortunately, not many courses from the Gamecube’s Mario Kart left much of an impact. Some were underwhelming to begin with, while others were outshone by tracks in other Mario Kart games; Mushroom Bridge is not one of these, though. While appearing to be rather simple, this course is a shortcut-lover’s dream. There are at least two different opportunities to jump ahead of the competition and even more if a racer uses a well-timed mushroom or bumps into the mushroom car on the straightaway. If this course does come back, it must be this original version with all of these little twists intact though. Nintendo already brought it back once in Mario Kart DS it was awful. All of the shortcuts and extra were removed, leaving a rather boring simple circuit. This course lives on its shortcuts and chance advantages, which actually makes it ideal for modern Mario Kart.

Airship Fortress (Mario Kart DS)

Out of all the callbacks to Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo has made over the years, the Airship Fortress course from Mario Kart DS is one of the best. Short though it may be, this track nonetheless is an exciting ride thanks to onrushing Banzia Bills, sliding obstacles and a canon-shot jump into a spiral turn. The divide between winner and loser can be thin, with everything riding on equal parts luck and pure racing skill. Bringing this one back once more as a five-lap track would allow players to get the most out of the action and allow enough time for everyone to make a play for the first place spot.

Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart DS)

Honestly, it’s kind of amazing that this one wasn’t available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from the very beginning. This is the iconic course from Mario Kart DS and is perhaps the single most necessary addition on this list. Walugi’s Pinball has practically everything. It’s a relatively long course, allowing racers ample time to jockey for position, interfere with their competition and make dramatic comebacks. It kicks-off with a dramatic launch followed up with sharp, dramatic turns, a full spiral and finishes with a wide-open pinball field filled with unpredictable hazards.

There’s luck at play here, but skill can and will win the day more often than not. It’s simply not enough to be good at only sharp turns, navigating a hazard field or drafting behind other karts. No, success in Waligui Pinball requires all of this and more, making it an excellent capstone track for one of the new cups that are sure to be added along with all the new tracks. Older fans will love to see it return again, while newer fans deserve a chance to love it too.

As mentioned above, there are a ton of Mario Kart courses that deserve a spot in this upcoming Mario Kart 8 Deluxe expansion, not just those listed here. So please, tell us which tracks you would like to see return this year. Everyone has their personal favorites, what are some of yours?