Super Mario Kart Deluxe: one of the most ambitious SNES rom hacks ever finally gets a release date

After years of work, developer duo MrL314 and ScouBsmk have finally given a release date to Super Mario Kart Deluxe, one of the most ambitious rom hacks ever built for the Super Nintendo. Announced via a teaser video, the project will launch on December 25, 2026, right on Christmas Day.

Built on top of the original Super Mario Kart (1992) code, the hack doesn't just add a few cosmetic tweaks: it introduces eight new playable characters (Toadette, Wario, Kamek, Birdo, Dixie Kong, Waluigi, Bowser Jr. and Daisy), six brand new cups with original tracks, new items, a reworked soundtrack, and even a story mode with boss fights, a first for the series on 16-bit hardware.

A project pushing the Super Nintendo to its limits

For rom hacking fans, Super Mario Kart Deluxe looks like a technical showcase: squeezing this much new content into the strict limits of an SNES cartridge is a genuine feat, and the community has been following the project for years on dedicated forums like Retro Game Boards. The hack will be distributed as an IPS/BPS patch to apply to a legally dumped ROM of the original game, and its project page is already listed on Romhacking.net, which will host the final patch on release day. Applying it only requires a free IPS/BPS patcher such as Floating IPS (Lunar IPS), the same tool used for the vast majority of SNES translations and hacks.

Whether the announced timeline holds remains to be seen, but after years of waiting, the SNES rom hacking community finally has a concrete date to circle on the calendar.

Source: Time Extension