How to set up your own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe LAN Party!

LAN parties are somewhat a thing of the past since players nowadays don’t generally lug around entire computer setups or TV-Console combos to their neighbor’s house. However, in the case of the Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe this might actually be a viable option since the console is portable, and so is the dock. Even without a TV setup, the Nintendo Switch can still benefit from LAN mode while at a friend’s house since even a wired connection is quite a bit smoother than the Switch’s wireless mode.

Without further ado, here’s how you can set up a LAN party to get the most out of your Nintendo Switch!

The Setup

What you need to have…

• A Nintendo Switch
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Any kind of router
• Friends, rivals, or family with their own copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Nintendo Switch consoles
• OPTIONAL: USB compatible LAN adapters, Ethernet cables, Nintendo Switch Docks, and TVs

What you need to do…

To enable the “LAN Play” option, simply go to the main menu of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, hold down L and R, then press down on the left joystick. This will change “Wireless Play” to “LAN Play.” From there, you can choose to play LAN games in either single player per console or two player split-screen. Before we can actually create a LAN room, you will need to be connected to a LAN server. This means getting yourself a router that you can connect all of your Nintendo Switch consoles to.

While Nintendo Minute released a video detailing that LAN parties require a wired connection via an Ethernet-based router, this is not the case. In fact, in my tests you can still create a LAN room with a wireless connection. However, Ethernet-based routers are much faster — and more convenient thanks to lack of wireless setup — so I would only do this if wired connections are out of the question or if you have an 802.11 a/c connection. You can still get some benefit out of an 802.11 b/g/n connection, but the lower frequency makes it only slightly better than the native wireless play.

Get Playing!

Once you have your LAN setup done, the process is the same as with a regular wireless or internet room. While a LAN party may not be the most efficient way to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s certainly the way to play if you’re looking to get extra competitive. So what are you waiting for? Let’s race!

Will you ever find a use for LAN mode? Happy that LAN mode is actually included at all? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!