Despite having a very high skill ceiling and 48 tracks to master, MK8DX makes it less intimidating for beginners by including the "Smart steering" and "Auto acceleration" options.

The former option automatically prevents collision with walls and the latter option glues your foot to the gas pedal. These two options used in tandem basically auto-drive your kart while still giving you control over the on-screen action. This gives you comfortable training wheels to learn the ins and outs of the game while also allowing really young players to enjoy the game without feeling too frustrated.

MK8DX features 48 unique race tracks, including tracks running through a haunted mansion, an airport, a medieval castle, and even outer space. Each track also has a completely different layout, providing its own set of twists, turns, loops, and shortcuts for you to enjoy and master. As a result, there's enough variety to keep gameplay fresh and exciting for a long time.

Other than MK8DX's 3 main racing modes, there are also 5 battle modes, focusing on battles in arena-like tracks.

There's the Balloon Battle, where you have to pop or steal your opponent's balloons, Renegade Roundup, where racers are split into teams of cops and robbers, Bob-omb Blast, where you throw bombs at other racers to get points, Coin Runners, where you try to collect the most coins to win, and Shine Thief, where you have to hold a star for 20 seconds to win, but your opponents can steal it away from you. These 5 modes can be a great distraction when you get tired of regular races, keeping the game fresh for a long time.

Every race in MK8DX is a fast-paced battle for first place. You drive at high-speeds, drift to gain speed boosts, fly off ramps, and collect mystery boxes that give you random power ups. It can be one-use weapons to set back your opponents. Or it can be one-use items that boost you in some way.

For example, if you get a banana peel, you can drop it on the track, so anyone who drives on top of it spins out, setting you further ahead of them. Or if you get Bullet Bill, you can transform into a massive bullet, gaining increased speed, automatically steering through the track, and knocking out any opponent you touch. This is very useful for catching up to other racers, especially because the effect's duration increases the closer you are to last place.

The end result is a very enjoyable gameplay that is equal parts strategy and skillful driving. It can be very easy to spend hours playing and not notice the passage of time.