How to Update Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to Version 4.0.1 on Nintendo Switch

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s latest version is Ver. 4.0.1, released October 13, 2026. To install it, connect your Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED Model, or Nintendo Switch 2 to the Internet. On the HOME Menu, highlight the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe icon without opening the game, press + or −, choose Software Update, and select Via the Internet. Wait for the download and installation to finish.

Check which version you have first

You can see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s installed version before downloading anything. From the HOME Menu, move the selection to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe icon, but do not launch the software. Press the + or − button on the controller. The software information screen shows the current version beneath the game title.

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Nintendo lists Ver. 4.0.1, released October 13, 2026, as the latest version. If the information screen already shows 4.0.1, the game has the current update. If it shows an earlier number, use the manual procedure below or leave automatic updates enabled while the console is online.

Manual update: the exact Nintendo Switch steps

1. Connect the console to the Internet. The procedure works on the original Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch OLED Model, and Nintendo Switch 2.
2. Open the HOME Menu. If Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is running, close it so the game is not active.
3. Highlight the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe icon. Do not press A to start the game.
4. Press + or −. This opens the software options screen and displays the installed version.
5. Select Software Update.
6. Select Via the Internet. The console checks for the newest available software, then downloads and installs it.
7. Allow the process to finish. Keep the console connected and follow any on-screen prompts. Reopen the game afterward and check the version from the same +/− screen if you want to verify the result.

This is the direct method to force a version check. It does not require launching a race first, and the game icon must be highlighted from the HOME Menu for the Software Update command to appear.

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Automatic updating

Nintendo says an update can download and install automatically when the console is connected to the Internet and Software Auto-Updates is enabled. Automatic updating is useful when you want the game ready before an online session, but it depends on the console being online and the setting being turned on.

When automatic updating is practical

• Use it when the console regularly connects to your home network and you do not need to keep an earlier game version for a local group.
• Check the game’s version manually before an important tournament, LAN session, or family multiplayer session so every console is on the same release.
• If an automatic download has not occurred, use Software Update > Via the Internet from the game’s HOME Menu options. The manual check is the reliable way to request the update immediately.

What Ver. 4.0.1 changes

Ver. 4.0.1 is a corrective update. Nintendo identifies four fixes, with several aimed specifically at Nintendo Switch 2 play:

• In Online Play and Wireless Play on Nintendo Switch 2, obstacle counts or Item Box counts could increase compared with Nintendo Switch. The update fixes that discrepancy.
• In two-player Online Play and Wireless Play, a registered user could be unavailable for selection. Ver. 4.0.1 addresses that selection problem.
• Star Bits could be missing on Wii Rainbow Road when playing on Nintendo Switch 2. The update restores the missing items.
• The game could close unexpectedly under certain conditions. Nintendo lists a fix for those closures.

The update is therefore relevant even if you have not noticed a problem. It also matters when you are joining other players: Nintendo states that all players must use the same software version to play together.

How Ver. 4.0.0 relates to the current update

Ver. 4.0.0, released September 1, 2026, was the larger feature update that preceded 4.0.1. Understanding what it added helps explain why Nintendo Switch 2 owners should keep the game current.

CameraPlay requires a USB camera. The camera requirement is separate from the normal Internet update process; you can install the software update without using CameraPlay.

Multiplayer capabilities after the update

Nintendo Switch 2 sessions

Ver. 4.0.0 enables multiplayer sessions with 5–8 players on Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo records that an eight-player session can use up to seven Nintendo Switch controllers, with at least one Joy-Con 2 or Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. These figures describe the controller arrangement Nintendo specifies for the eight-player setup; they do not change the requirement for everyone to run the same Mario Kart 8 Deluxe software version.

Playing with people on another console

Before local wireless, LAN, or online play, check the version number on every console. Nintendo’s compatibility rule is explicit: all players must use the same version to play together. If one system has 4.0.1 and another remains on an earlier release, update the older installation before trying to create or join the session.

Updating one console can therefore change your immediate multiplayer compatibility. A group that intentionally stayed on an earlier version will need to update the remaining consoles as well before playing together again.

Internet access and Nintendo Switch Online requirements

The software update itself is obtained through the console’s Internet connection. Nintendo separately requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership for the game’s online features. In practical terms, connect to the Internet to download 4.0.1; make sure the appropriate Nintendo Switch Online membership is active when you intend to use online play.

Nintendo also states that the update must be applied in order to use Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Internet features. If the game refuses online functions while an earlier version is installed, update the software first, then check the account and Nintendo Switch Online requirements for the online mode you want to use.

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Storage requirements and the “not enough space” problem

Update data needs room in the console’s system memory or on a microSD card. If the download stops because there is insufficient storage, free space in the location the console uses for the software and update data, or provide enough additional capacity on a compatible microSD card.

Storage recovery checklist

• Open the console’s data-management settings and review available system storage and microSD-card capacity.
• Remove or archive software you no longer use, and delete screenshots or video captures that are consuming space.
• If Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is installed on a microSD card, verify that the card has room for update data. A Nintendo Switch-compatible microSD card is only necessary when the existing system or card storage is insufficient.
• Return to the HOME Menu, highlight Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, press + or −, choose Software Update, and select Via the Internet again after freeing space.

Do not assume that buying or inserting a microSD card is mandatory for every update. If the console already has sufficient free space, no additional card is required.

What happens to save data?

Nintendo states that save data remains available after downloading the update. Installing the current version is intended to update the game software, not remove your Mario Kart 8 Deluxe progress. You should still let the installation complete normally and avoid interrupting the console while it is applying the download.

Troubleshooting by symptom

The Software Update option is not visible

• Confirm that you highlighted the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe icon on the HOME Menu rather than opening the game first.
• Press the controller’s + or − button to open the software options. The command is located there, not inside a race or the game’s own menus.
• Check that the console is connected to the Internet, then reopen Software Update and choose Via the Internet.

The console says the game is already current

Use the version number shown under the software title on the +/− screen. A display of Ver. 4.0.1 means the console has the latest release identified by Nintendo as of October 13, 2026. If the number is lower, run the Internet update again while connected.

The download will not start or stops partway through

• Check the console’s Internet connection and retry the manual path: highlight the game, press + or −, select Software Update, then Via the Internet.
• Check available system and microSD-card storage. Nintendo specifically notes that update data requires sufficient space in system memory or on the card.
• If the console has enough space and an Internet connection but still reports an earlier version, repeat the check after the connection is stable and verify the displayed version number rather than relying only on an automatic-update notification.

Local wireless or LAN play no longer works with a friend

Compare the version number on every participating console. Nintendo requires all players to use the same software version. Update any console that is behind, then recreate or rejoin the multiplayer session.

Online features remain unavailable after updating

First verify that the game shows Ver. 4.0.1. Nintendo says the update is mandatory for the game’s Internet features. Once the software is current, confirm that the console is online and that the players using online modes have the required Nintendo Switch Online membership.

A Nintendo Switch 2 issue persists

Ver. 4.0.1 specifically addresses the listed Nintendo Switch 2 problems: obstacle or Item Box count differences, a missing registered-user choice in two-player Online Play or Wireless Play, missing Star Bits on Wii Rainbow Road, and certain unexpected closures. Confirm that the console reports 4.0.1. If it does, the software is at the version Nintendo identifies as containing those fixes; a different problem may not be one of the conditions listed for this release.

Manual versus automatic updating

A reliable pre-race update routine

Use this short routine when several people are meeting for local, LAN, wireless, or online play:

1. Connect each Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 to the Internet.
2. On each HOME Menu, highlight Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and press + or −.
3. Read the version shown beneath the title. Update any console below Ver. 4.0.1 through Software Update > Via the Internet.
4. Confirm that each console has enough system or microSD-card storage if an update is requested.
5. Start multiplayer only after every participating console shows the same version.

This check prevents a common avoidable failure: one player arriving with an older installation while the others have already installed 4.0.1.

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Key facts at a glance

• Latest version: Ver. 4.0.1.
• Release date: October 13, 2026.
• Manual path: HOME Menu > highlight Mario Kart 8 Deluxe > + or − > Software Update > Via the Internet.
• Supported consoles for this procedure: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch OLED Model, and Nintendo Switch 2.
• Internet play: The update must be installed for the game’s Internet features; Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for online features.
• Multiplayer compatibility: Every player must use the same software version.
• Storage: Update data needs sufficient system-memory or microSD-card space.
• Save data: Nintendo says it remains available after downloading the update.
• Switch 2 feature context: Ver. 4.0.0 added high-resolution-TV and display support, shorter loading before races and battles, 5–8-player multiplayer, and CameraPlay; CameraPlay requires a USB camera.

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