Mario Kart 8 was not only the highest-selling game on the Wii U, but is also currently the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch, beating out the second-place spot (Animal Crossing: New Horizons) by an eye-watering 20 million copies. It’s only natural that Nintendo would want to capture that success from the outset with the Nintendo Switch 2. The very first teaser for the Switch 2 featured around 20 seconds of footage of what seemed to be a new Mario Kart entry, one that looked much bigger than anything the series had done before.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s long-awaited Direct has finally aired, and this new Mario Kart – officially titled Mario Kart World – was the first thing to be shown off. Along with larger tracks and the confirmation of 24-player races, Mario Kart World is bringing a slew of new features to the franchise.
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Every Mario Kart World Feature Confirmed During the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct
Drive “Virtually Everywhere”
One of Mario Kart World‘s trailer taglines, players will be able to “drive virtually everywhere” in the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. This means that players will now be able to jump, grind on rails, and seemingly drive on walls for a brief duration. While grinding on rails, players will also be able to perform tricks, presumably to receive continuous speed boosts.
A World-Spanning Track List
Mario Kart World is really making the most of its namesake feature. The meat of the game will be its 7 Grand Prix cups, each consisting of four individual tracks. Each of Mario Kart World‘s tracks is set in a different location, some of which take place in the same real-world-inspired region. When playing Mario Kart World‘s Grand Prix mode, each track in a cup is connected and flows seamlessly into one another, meaning players race through four tracks consecutively with no loading screens in between.
In Mario Kart World‘s Knockout Tour mode, players will drive from one end of the world to the other. This mode will see players racing across 6 consecutive tracks, and at the end of each one, they’ll pass through a numbered gate. If the player’s position is lower than the gate number, they’ll be eliminated from the race entirely.
Free Roam
Another huge new feature is Mario Kart World‘s Free Roam mode, where players have free rein over the entire world and all of the game’s tracks. Either alone or in co-op, players can drive freely around various environments, discovering shortcuts that they can use during races, and finding fun secrets hidden throughout the world. This Free Roam mode also seems to come with a Photo Mode feature,
Fans will find out more about Mario Kart World on April 17, when it’ll receive its own dedicated Nintendo Direct.
Increased Character Customization
During Mario Kart World‘s reveal trailer, fans can see Mario consuming a big sandwich that seemingly changes his outfit. The same then happens to Luigi, Bowser, and Peach, with the latter then shown wearing a few different outfits. It’s currently unclear if these outfits will be purely cosmetic or if they’ll have any bearing on gameplay. It’s also unclear if this customization is solely item-based or if players will be able to swap outfits before a race.
Dynamic Time of Day and Weather Effects
Mario Kart World also showed off some dynamic time of day and weather effects, which, according to the trailer’s VO, will change the “atmosphere” of a track. It’s unclear if these mechanics will affect gameplay, such as rain making steering more difficult.
- Released
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June 2, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo