Nintendo recently unveiled a wealth of exciting details about the highly anticipated launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, *Mario Kart World*, during their Mario Kart World Direct. This comprehensive showcase provided insights into new characters, courses, races, hidden secrets, and more. Our detailed roundup aims to keep you informed and engaged as we eagerly await the game's release on June 5, 2025, alongside the Nintendo Switch 2.
Courses -------Mario Kart World is set to feature an impressive array of both new and classic courses, seamlessly integrated into a vast, interconnected map. The Direct introduced us to a selection of these thrilling tracks, including Mario Bros. Circuit, Crown City, Salty Salty Speedway, Starview Peak, Boo Cinema, Toad's Factory, Peach Beach, and Wario Shipyard.
For fans of the series, the reimagined classic courses promise fresh experiences within the expansive world of Mario Kart World, ensuring that even familiar tracks feel new and exciting.
Characters and New Techniques
With the capacity for up to 24 racers in a single race, Mario Kart World boasts a diverse roster of characters, ensuring variety and fun for all players. The Direct showcased a wide range of characters, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina, Rosalina, Koopa, Rocky Wrench, Conkdor, Goomba, Spike, Cow, King Boo, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Birdo, Bowser Jr., Lakitu, Toad, Wario, Pauline, Toadette, Shy Guy, Nabbit, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro, Monty Mole, Dry Bones, Wiggler, Cataquack, Pianta, Sidestepper, and Cheep Cheep.
Players can look forward to enhanced driving dynamics with the introduction of new techniques. The Charge Jump allows racers to dodge attacks, reach higher places, grind on rails, and even ride on walls temporarily. Another exciting feature is Rewind, which lets players retry a section to navigate hidden paths or perfect a turn. However, players must be cautious as rivals continue to move forward during a rewind, potentially leading to more challenging situations.
Mario Kart World Screenshots
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Races - Grand Prix and Knockout Tour
Mario Kart World offers two main racing modes: Grand Prix and Knockout Tour. The Grand Prix mode is a familiar format where players compete across multiple races to win cups like the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and more. This time, the transition between courses is seamless, enhancing the game's open-world feel.
Completing all Grand Prix Cups unlocks a challenging "colorful course," likely hinting at the iconic Rainbow Road, complete with new obstacles such as cars firing Bullet Bills and Hammer Bros. tossing hammers.
Knockout Tour introduces a battle-royale-style race across the map, where players must reach designated checkpoints on time to avoid elimination. The last racer standing wins in modes like Golden Rally and Ice Rally.
Mario Kart World Free Roam
The Free Roam mode in Mario Kart World allows players to explore the world without the pressure of racing. Players can discover P Switches, collect blue coins, and embark on missions to hone their skills. Hidden treasures like Peach Medallions and secret panels await exploration, while a photo mode captures memorable moments.
A delightful addition is Yoshi's restaurant, where players can grab "Dash Food" for a speed boost and themed outfits inspired by their meal choices, including cheeseburgers, sushi, skewers, chips, roasted meat, pizza, ice cream, and more.
Playing Mario Kart World with Friends
Playing Mario Kart World with friends enhances the experience, with various multiplayer options available. Players can enjoy four-player local play on a single system, local wireless play with up to eight players using two systems, or online play with up to 24 players globally.
The game also allows players to free roam with friends between races, with the ability to see and fast travel to friends' locations on the map. Custom races, battles, and photo mode are available in this social setting.
GameChat enhances the multiplayer experience, enabling voice communication and live video reactions for players with compatible cameras. When playing on a single system, the camera can detect up to four faces simultaneously.
Modes -----In addition to the main modes, Mario Kart World includes Time Trials with the option to race against global ghost data online. VS Mode offers extensive customization, allowing up to four teams to compete. Battle Mode returns with classics like Coin Runners and Balloon Battle.
Items
Alongside returning favorites like Bullet Bill and Lightning, Mario Kart World introduces new items such as the Coin Shell, which knocks rivals off course and leaves a trail of coins. Other new additions include the Ice Flower to freeze opponents, Hammers to attack and block paths, the Mega Mushroom for size and power boosts, the Feather for jumping to avoid attacks, and the Kamek item for mysterious transformations.
Support Features
Nintendo aims to make Mario Kart World accessible to players of all skill levels with support features like Smart Steering, Tilt Controls (compatible with Joy-Con 2 wheel), Auto-Use Item, Auto-Accelerate, and customizable Vertical and Horizontal Camera settings.
For more insights, don't miss our hands-on preview of Mario Kart World, the rationale behind its $80 price tag, and our exclusive interview with Nintendo's Bill Trinen about the Nintendo Switch 2.
