Mario Kart World, a new installment of the popular Mario Kart franchise, was officially announced for the Nintendo Switch 2. One of the few games we knew would be released for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a new installment of Mario Kart. The game was teased in the official Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, with more racers and impressively large tracks teased. Today, we finally learned concrete details about the game, along with some new surprises.
Mario Kart World will feature races with 24 drivers on the track along with several new game modes. New features included in the game include a Free Roam mode that allows players to freely explore courses and a knockout mode in which players are periodically eliminated if they don't remain in the top segment of drivers as they hit checkpoints in the races. Each course will also feature varying weather patterns and different times of day. Mario Kart World will be a day one game for the Nintendo Switch 2 for its June 5 launch.
What We Know About Mario Kart World
Game Will Feature New Courses And New Racers
Other new features seen in the new trailer include the ability to drive "off-course" between races, allowing players to more fully explore the world of Mario Kart World. We saw several new characters, including Pauline, Moo Moo, and a Hammer Bro, as well as the tease of several new power-ups. At one point, we saw a driver enter their vehicle into a truck and take control of it, with the truck speeding up and crashing into other racers.
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild & TOTK Are Getting Their Own Nintendo Switch 2 Games
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will be receiving some new features and graphical upgrades on the Nintendo Switch 2.
More types of karts will also appear in the game, with boats, snowmobiles, and tractors all confirmed to appear. Some of the courses revealed in the new trailer include the following:
- Mario Bros. Circuit
- Crown City
- Whistletop Circuit
- DK Spaceport
- DK
- Starview Peak
- Sky-High Sundae
- Wario Shipyard
The main draw for Mario Kart World is its interconnected courses in a large environment. There will also be a Free Roam mode where players can drive off-course in any direction to explore areas and take photos with friends.
Our Take: Mario Kart World Looks Appropriately Epic For Nintendo Switch 2
This Is The Perfect Launch Game For New System
Mario Kart World looks absolutely fantastic and might be a perfect launch title for the new Nintendo Switch 2. Not only does the game take advantage of the new multiplayer chat features for the Nintendo Switch 2, but it also seems much bigger than Mario Kart 8, which seems wild to think about given the sheer number of courses and characters in the previous installment. We can't wait to dive into the world of Mario Kart World and race all of our friends in this brand-new game.
Source: Nintendo of America/X
Mario Kart World
- Released
- June 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, s Interact
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Prequel(s)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Franchise
- Mario Kart
- Number of Players
- 1-24
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- June 5, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- June 5, 2025
