Mario Kart 8 has easily earned its spot as one of the best Switch games ever made despite being a WiiU port. Even though it wasn’t brand new, it was the perfect game to reveal the Switch with, but we’ve had plenty of time to master all the tracks over the years. Nintendo decided to recreate that moment when revealing the Switch 2 by showing off a new entry in the kart racing franchise. We later learned that this latest entry in one of the best Nintendo franchises is breaking away from the numbered naming formula and is called Mario Kart World. Fasten your seatbelts because we’re going to activate Star Power and blast through all the information we know so far about Mario Kart World.
While Mario Kart World is going to be a launch title for the Switch 2, others like Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be upcoming Switch 2 games later in 2025.
Release date
Mario Kart World is a launch title for the Switch 2, meaning it will release on June 5, 2025.
Platforms
While some of us hoped that Mario Kart World would be a cross-generational game like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and have both a Switch and Switch 2 version, that isn’t the case. If you want to play the latest kart racing experience, you can only get it on the Switch 2.
Trailers
This is technically a trailer for the Switch 2, but it is also the first look at Mario Kart World. We see a cast of Mario characters racing down a dusty, western-looking highway in the Mario Bros. Circuit in various carts and motorcycles. Sadly, the footage is quite brief so not a lot can be gleaned.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct opened with a massive breakdown of Mario Kart World. It was all gameplay focused, which makes sense, so check out the trailer first and we will break it all down below.
Gameplay
Mario Kart World has a lot of new things going on to cover, but the basics are still what you would hope. It is a cart racer at heart, where you will compete in various races with differing rules, tracks, karts, items, hazards, and more. The big new addition in Mario Kart World is the huge number of racers that can compete at once. For the first time, up to 24 racers will be able to race together.
The focus in World appears to be to create a more seamless experience. Instead of returning to a menu between races, each track in a set links together in one large map. There is even a mode where you and your friends are free to freely drive across the entire set of courses to explore and take photos. Even during races, you can break off the course if you think it will save you time.
One new mechanic shown off is grinding. We see karts and bikes doing their best Tony Hawk impression, riding along rails and powerlines. We also see karts riding and bouncing between walls. One very interesting new move is the rewind feature that lets you pull a Prince of Persia and rewind yourself to try a jump or trick a second time. But, this only rewinds you, not the other racers who will continue to speed ahead.
While there isn’t a major new gimmick like in past games, there are several new things to get excited about. One is weather conditions, which can change how races play out. Rain, for example, could affect how your kart handles on various terrains.
In terms of game modes, we know that the traditional Grand Prix mode will be back, with each Prix containing four courses. Regarding new game modes, we know of Knockout Tour, which acts as an elimination race. Here, racers need to hit each checkpoint at or above a certain placement to avoid being knocked out. That placement becomes more strict as the number of racers dwindles down.
The course we know of so far includes Mario Bros. Circuit, Crown City, Salty Salty Speedway, Starview Peak, Boo Cinema, Toads Factory, Peach Beach, Wario Shipyard, and plenty of reimagined course from previous games will be placed around the map as well. Rainbow Road was also heavily teased as the final course once you complete all the Grand Prixs.
There are tons of new items to try out as well. A few we know of are the Coin Shell which leaves a trail of coins when thrown, ice flower to freeze other racers, hammer to toss tons of hammers like a Hammer Bro, Mega Mushroom to grow in size and run over other races, a feather to jump, and a Kamek item that appears to have multiple random effects.
Accessibility was a huge component of Mario Kart 8, and we have a similar set of options here. You can turn on Smart Steering, Auto-Accelerate, and Tilt Controls to make the game more comfortable for players of different skill levels and needs.
There’s also Free Roam Mode, which we talked about earlier. This mode allows you and your friends to casually explore the new world map of the game. Besides just enjoying the sights and sounds of the world, there are also P-switches you can find that create unique challenges to try out, hidden medallions to find, and mysterious switches to find that we don’t know the use of just yet.
Battle mode will return as the familiar balloon battle mode or coin runners. You can also test your skills in time trials to compete against yourself or ghost data from other online players.
World supports up to 4 players in split-screen on a single Switch 2, 8 via local Wi-Fi using two consoles, and online play with up to 24 racers.
We got the chance to go hands-on with Mario Kart World and put it through its paces. While we loved what we played, we’re still not sure this game is worth its high asking price.
There are new characters and costumes to dress them in, but we weren’t able to customize or swap out any karts. We do know each character and vehicle will have independent stats to mix and match, and costumes can be unlocked by getting meals from Yoshi’s gas stations around the map. Once unlocked once in Free Roam, you can select that costume from the character select screen going forward.
What wasn’t clear from the trailers is that the tracks aren’t loops anymore but multi-stage tracks that don’t circle back on themselves. This makes sense given the new world map modes and connectivity between races. However, during custom races, you can choose to race around a single course for multiple laps, like older games.
While exploring the map in free-roam, we enjoyed the chill nature and sights and sounds to be found off the main course, but there’s not a ton to do out there besides find specific points of interest.
What can’t be denied is how well the game runs. We never felt the frame rate drop and, while certainly not a graphically intense game, is always bright and vibrant.
Confirmed characters
This is every playable character that will be included in Mario Kart World at launch. Most will have one or more outfit variations, and we expect more characters to be added to the roster as DLC, but this is a complete list of the unique characters available.
- Mario
- Luigi
- Peach
- Daisy
- Yoshi
- Toad
- Bowser
- Koopa Troopa
- Wario
- Waluigi
- Rosalina
- Pauline
- Donkey Kong
- Shy Guy
- King Boo
- Birdo
- Baby Mario
- Baby Luigi
- Baby Peach
- Baby Daisy
- Baby Rosalina
- Bowser Jr.
- Toadette
- Lakitu
- Dry Bones
- Goomba
- Nabbit
- Wiggler
- Hammer Bro
- Cow
- Spike
- Piranha Plant
- Monty Moile
- Cheep Cheep
- Pianta
- Sidestepper
- Ostro
- Cataquack
- Coin Coffer
- Conkdor
- Dolphin
- Fish Bone
- Para-Biddybud
- Peepa
- Penguin
- Rocky Wrench
- tepper
- Snowman
- Singby
- Swoop
Preorder
There are no preorders for Mario Kart World as of now, but you can get it as part of a Switch 2 preorder bundle. We will update you here on how you can preorder the game on its own once we learn more. You should be aware that Mario Kart World will cost you $80 at launch.
