The Nintendo Switch 2 is fast approaching, and headlining its marketing efforts and release schedule is Mario Kart World. Functioning as Mario Kart 9 after Mario Kart 8 dominated the Wii U and Nintendo Switch generations, Mario Kart World is expected to start the Switch 2’s life with a bang. It looks likely to succeed in its mission, as the game is the largest departure from Mario Kart’s norm so far while also expanding everything that has made the series work so well.
Mario Kart World has taken the bold step of going open-world, a rarity in the kart-racing subgenre that has been implemented in interesting ways. Depending on the mode and selected rules, racetracks can include multiple laps or be a single straight shot and also include different paths leading in and out of them. These connective roads keep Mario Kart World’s races going even outside formal tracks while also enabling a Free Roam mode where players can truly drive anywhere. Coupled with the battle royale-style Knockout Race, Mario Kart World has a lot going for it, though there’s one topic it has yet to properly address.
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Mario Kart World Feels Like the Rare Sequel One Racing Classic Never Got
Mario Kart World’s open-world structure makes it feel like the sequel that one 1997 Nintendo 64 racing classic never received but arguably deserved.
Mario Kart World Is Ideal For A Story Mode
The Mario Kart Franchise Has Been Overdue For A Story Mode
With all of these new features and considerations coming to Mario Kart World, it feels like prime real estate for adding the series’ first single-player story mode. Free Roam is comparable and does allegedly have an aspect to it that Nintendo hasn’t shown yet, but it allows for multiplayer sessions and is generally meant to be a more aimless experience for relaxation and practice. Mario Kart World has the potential to do much more than that, primarily because its other modes and mechanics give it the framework to do so.
Other spin-off Mario games, like the various Mario Sports series and Super Mario Party Jamboree, have used either new environments or existing ones to build story modes of varying complexity, and Mario Kart World has way more space to make one work. Even if it’s roughly on par with those in terms of narrative and gameplay complexity, it could still be a massive value addition to the already stuffed Mario Kart World and would also reach an audience that normally drops Mario Kart games after a few Grand Prix runs. Mario Kart World doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel to get another good selling point.
How Mario Kart World’s Story Mode Could Play Out
As for what a single-player story mode in Mario Kart World would look like, the most likely outcome is a straightforward plot involving either the player gearing up to participate in a tournament series across the Mushroom Kingdom, potentially ending in a cross-country marathon race, or something like that happening with Bowser causing trouble in the background. There could be an original villain if this story mode wanted to keep all of its record-setting roster of Mario drivers playable, but the outcome would be the same. With their goal in place, players will set out to prove themselves.
Progress In An Open-World Mario Kart Story Would Be Gradual
Starting from an early location like Mario Circuit, Mario Bros. Circuit, or Crown City, players will be able to drive around like in Free Roam mode, but this time with NPCs around and barriers erected in some paths. Completing quests from those NPCs, like competing in races, collecting items, and even participating in battles or platforming challenges should unlock the path forward, potentially with multiple routes presenting themselves. With collectibles and unlockables scattered throughout the mode and a climax set in Bowser’s Castle or Mario Kart’s ever-present Rainbow Road, a story mode in Mario Kart World could be a big hit.
- 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
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
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1-24
