Mario Kart World

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Note: This game has just released, so certain details are still being added.

Mario Kart World is a kart-racing game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. It is the 11th mainline Mario Kart game in the series (16th overall if including the arcade games and spin-off titles). It was first revealed alongside the system in the consoles "first-look" trailer released on January 16th, 2025. Following that, on April 2nd, 2025, the game and title were fully revealed in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation. A dedicated Direct for Mario Kart World was shown on April 17th, 2025, and provided more information on the upcoming title. It released on June 5th, 2025 as a launch title for the Switch 2.

Contents

Gameplay
- Controls

Differences to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[]

Disclaimer: The below section contains speculation gathered from the reveal trailer and other promotional material. Some information may be inaccurate or incorrect.

New Features[]

New Game Modes: Free Roam and Knockout Tour.
Grind Rails have been added.
Rewinding: You can now rewind a few seconds back on the road. (Only works while in Free Roam or racing solo)
Charge Jumping: You can now charge up a trick boost anywhere on the road.
Air Tricks: You can now trick multiple times in the air. You can also trick off of other racers.
Wall Riding: You can also ride on walls now. Tricking towards the wall before you hit it will cause you to ride it, where you will charge up a mini turbo and can trick off at any time.

Changed Features[]

You now travel from course to course directly in Grand Prix, rather than through a menu.

Removed Features[]

Gliding has been removed. Your kart now transforms into a plane when using a glider ramp.
- Underwater driving has also been removed. Instead, your kart now transforms into a boat and drives above water.
Anti-Gravity as a standalone feature has been removed. Your kart can still stick to certain walls, but spin boosting is no longer available.
Kart customization has been removed, and replaced with pre-built karts for the first time since Mario Kart Wii.
Miis are removed due to controversy.

Development[]

A successor to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) was rumored ever since the release of Booster Course Pass for the game in 2022. In 2022, it was reported that this new Nintendo racing game had been in development for "at least two to three years" and would feature a new "twist". On January 16th, 2025, Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch 2 with footage of a new Mario Kart game. Critics likened the art style to Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, both released in 2023. In a Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced the title Mario Kart World and revealed the first trailer.

Gameplay[]

Confirmed Items[]

Mega Mushroom

Coin Shell
Golden Mushroom
Hammer
Super Horn
Coin Box
Triple Mushroom
Bullet Bill
Mushroom
Feather
Banana
Red Shell
Green Shell
Spiny Shell
Bob-omb
Boo
Triple Red Shell
Triple Green Shell
Lightning
Coin
Ice Flower
Boomerang Flower

Controls[]

Racers[]

Courses[]

Race Courses[]

Mario Kart World contains 30 race courses.*

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Shell Cup
Mario Bros. Circuit New Course	DS Desert Hills OG Game: Mario Kart DS Also in Mario Kart Wii	DS DK Pass OG Game: Mario Kart DS Also in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour	Koopa Troopa Beach (SNES Koopa Beach 2) OG Game: Super Mario Kart Also in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Tour
Crown City New Course	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar OG Game: Mario Kart 7 Also in Mario Kart Tour	Starview Peak New Course	Faraway Oasis New Course
Whistlestop Summit New Course	N64 Wario Stadium OG Game: Mario Kart 64	SW Sky-High Sundae OG Games: Mario Kart 8 DeluxeAlso in Mario Kart Tour	Crown City New Course
DK Spaceport New Course	DS Airship Fortress OG Game: Mario Kart DS Also in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour	3DS Wario's Galleon (Wario Shipyard) OG Game: Mario Kart 7 Also in Mario Kart Tour	Peach Stadium New Course

Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup	Special Cup
GCN Peach Beach OG Game: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Also in Mario Kart Wii	Cheep Cheep Falls New Course	Wii Moo Moo Meadows OG Game: Mario Kart Wii Also in Mario Kart 8 (Deluxe)	Acorn Heights New Course
Salty Salty Speedway New Course	Dandelion Depths New Course	N64 Choco Mountain OG Game: Mario Kart 64 Also in Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Tour, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Mario Circuit Mario Circuits 1, 2, & 3 OG Game: Super Mario Kart Also in Mario Kart DS (MC1) , Mario Kart Wii (MC3) , Mario Kart 7 (MC2) , Mario Kart Tour, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (MC3)
GCN Dino Dino Jungle OG Game: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Also in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour	Boo Cinema New Course	Wii Toad's Factory OG Game: Mario Kart Wii	Peach Stadium New Course
Great ? Block Ruins New Course	Dry Bones Burnout New Course	Bowser's Castle New Course	Rainbow Road New Course

* - Crown City and Peach Stadium each appear twice, each with two different layouts similar to Mario Kart Tour's city courses.

Tribute Courses[]

Some P-Switch missions are tribute races to Super Mario Kart, and newly inspired intermission tracks.

SNES Ghost Valley 1
SNES Ghost Valley 2
SNES Ghost Valley 3
SNES Choco Island 1
SNES Koopa Beach 1
Vanilla Lake*
Daisy's Palace

* - The game does not specify whether it is Vanilla Lake 1 or 2.

Battle Courses[]

Mario Kart World contains 8 battle courses. 6 of them take place in regular race courses, along with one new course and one retro course.

Mario Bros. Circuit Race Course	Wii Moo Moo Meadows Race Course Also in Mario Kart 8	Peach Stadium Race Course	Salty Salty Speedway Race Course
Chain Chomp Desert New Course	GCN Dino Dino Jungle Race Course	N64 Big Donut OG Game: Mario Kart 64 Also in Mario Kart 7	DS DK Pass Race Course

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

In the game trailer, Donkey Kong bears a strong resemblance to his design from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The game now features 24-player races, as opposed to the 8 and 12 player races in past games.
N64 Wario Stadium returns in this game, therefore making it the last Mario Kart 64 track to be brought back as a classic course.
No Items are shown in the first look teaser.
This is the first game since Mario Kart: Double Dash!! to have the Special Cup as the last cup.
- It is also the first game in the series to have the Special Cup after the Shell, Banana, and Leaf Cups, as well as the first game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to have the Special Cup after the Lightning Cup.
This is the first game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to have a Bowser's Castle outside the Special Cup.
- It is also the first game since Mario Kart 64 to not have Bowser's Castle right before Rainbow Road
- Mario Kart World is the only game that had one of it's tracks be turned into a retro track in another game before it's proper debut in it's attended game technically making it the only Mario Kart title to have it's first course be a retro track.

References[]

↑ ^1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 ^1.17 ^1.18 ^1.19 ^1.20 ^1.21 ^1.22 ^1.23 Nintendo of America (January 16, 2025). Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer. YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2025.

Mario Kart games
Main Titles	Super Mario Kart (1992, SNES) • Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64) • Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001, GBA) • Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003, GameCube) • Mario Kart DS (2005, DS) • Mario Kart Wii (2008, Wii) • Mario Kart 7 (2011, 3DS) • Mario Kart 8 (2014, Wii U) • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017, Switch) • Mario Kart Tour (2019, Mobile) • Mario Kart World (2025, Switch 2)
Arcade Titles	Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005) • Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007) • Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013) • Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017)
Spin-off Titles	Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020, Switch)

[trailer-1] 1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 ^1.17 ^1.18 ^1.19 ^1.20 ^1.21 ^1.22 ^1.23 Nintendo of America (January 16, 2025). Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer. YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2025.

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