Mario Kart World launched day one on Switch 2 and flips the traditional Mario Kart formula right out of the gate. Instead of choosing races from a list or following a fixed order, you drop into a moving kart on a sprawling open-world map. This time, you don’t get races, time trials, unlockables, and biomes handed to you—you find them while driving.
It forces you to play smarter, not just faster. Progress depends on exploration and choice, not menus. You’ll find yourself racing through canyon drops, exploring diverse terrains, and stumbling on hidden challenges as you play.
In this article, we unpack how Mario Kart World reinvents the series, what new features it brings, and how all that reshapes gameplay. You’ll also discover the key things you need to know before jumping into the action on Switch 2. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
Mario Kart World Overview
Here’s a full snapshot of what powers Mario Kart World: where it runs, how it performs, and what sets it apart from every Kart game that came before.
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Platform: |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
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Release Date: |
June 5, 2025 |
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Multiplayer: |
Up to 4 players on the same system / 24 players online |
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Game Modes: |
Free Roam, Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, Time Trials |
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Performance: |
1440p docked, 1080p handheld, 60fps across the board |
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New Features: |
Open-world exploration, dynamic weather, wall driving, rail grinding, GameChat voice & video support |
Now that the specs are out of the way, let’s break down what’s actually new here. I’ll walk you through how the game is structured, what the different biomes bring to the table, some of the new movement tricks, and how multiplayer shakes out.
The Whole Game Is Now a Map
Past Mario Kart games have always started the same way. You picked a cup from a list, raced through four preset tracks, and unlocked the next set. Switch 2’s flagship racer does away with that system completely. It drops you into an interconnected world made up of different biomes, and every racing event is placed somewhere inside that space.
Grand Prix gates are hidden in city alleys, on top of snowy peaks, or deep in jungle zones. Some are easy to spot, others are tied to side missions or puzzle-like navigation. This makes the early hours less about racing and more about wandering. The game encourages you to treat their kart as a way to explore and not just compete.
And that exploration does have a purpose. Unlocking characters now requires finding specific challenges. Side events like time trials or P-Switch obstacle runs reward coins and vehicle parts. Even finding certain biomes is key to opening new gameplay modes.
In Mario Kart World, races aren’t selected from a list—you drive to race gates placed across the world. Characters unlock through completing map-based challenges, and progression relies on collecting items like World Tokens to open new events and areas.
Each Biome Teaches You a New Way to Race
The tracks in Mario Kart World don’t ease you in. They’re tighter, riskier, and less forgiving than anything in MK8 Deluxe. Miss a drift and you’re flying off the edge, especially since rails are gone in places where you’d normally expect a safety net.
But what really changes how you drive is the biome design.
On desert courses like Desert Hills, shifting sands and cactus obstacles punish sloppy drifts and force early turns. Urban tracks such as Crown City overwhelm your senses with flashing neon signs, speeding hovercars, and tight corners that demand quick reflexes. Meanwhile, sky-high courses like Sky-High Sundae challenge you with slippery surfaces and aerial shortcuts that require precise control, especially for heavier karts. These varied settings aren’t just for show—each demands a unique driving approach.
For handheld players, switching to the Attack Vector grip shell can make those biome shifts feel more manageable—its modular design offers three grip options: Feather for portability, Balance for all-around control, and Anchor for pro-level precision on tricky terrain.
You don’t unlock these tracks from a menu either. You find them in Free Roam, often as regular paths that later reappear as full races. If you’ve already driven that canyon or alleyway, you’ve got an edge when it becomes part of a Grand Prix.
This time, setup matters more than in the previous Mario Kart games. Some grind rails are only manageable if your kart is light enough or your boost recharge is fast. I’ve had runs where a shortcut looked tempting, but my kart was too heavy and just slipped off. That kind of punishment forces you to think. I’ve adjusted my build mid-session more here than in any Mario Kart game before.
You Can’t Win Without Mastering These Moves
If the biomes shake up the way tracks behave, the new movement mechanics change how you approach them. Wall riding, rail grinding, and charge jumping aren’t just flashy tricks: they open up shortcuts, split routes, and give you more control over how you race.
- Wall riding kicks in after a launch. You either hit a ramp or pop a Feather, then aim your kart toward a vertical surface. If your angle’s clean, you’ll zip along the wall and shave seconds off your lap.
- Rail grinding is all about timing. Jump onto a glowing rail, stay centered, and you’ll land a shortcut or burst forward, but mistime it and you’ll drop to a slower route.
- Charge jumping feels like a grounded launch. You hold the R button while driving straight to build energy, then release to jump forward. It’s a smart way to reach upper paths, connect into wall rides, or grab floating rewards that are out of reach with a standard boost.
Many players have pointed out that these moves are baked into the core of the game. A missed grind or failed wall ride isn’t just a small mistake — it can cost you the race. But when you land them, the payoff feels solid. The mechanics demand timing, awareness, and practice. That’s why they’ve been getting praise across the board.
Multiplayer Scales Big, But Plays Better Small
Mario Kart World introduces 24-player online races for the first time. It sounds exciting, and sometimes it is, but once the screen fills with item spam, clean driving doesn’t always stand a chance. One red shell can turn into three, and even skilled players often find themselves slipping from the front to the back in seconds.
To counter that chaos, Nintendo added a new competitive mode called Knockout Tour. Instead of a single race, it's a series of elimination rounds. In each round, racers must reach a checkpoint before the timer runs out. The slowest players are dropped, and the clock shrinks as the event goes on. It’s not about finishing first. It’s about lasting through all six stages. That structure shifts the focus from speed to survival, and forces players to take risks they wouldn’t normally take.
In a mode built around tension and survival, even a low-battery flash can snap you out of the moment. That’s why the Energy Pack is essential—it clips on seamlessly, powers your session without cables, and with 10,000 mAh capacity, it’s rated to triple your playtime.
In standard modes, smaller lobbies offer the best experience. With 8 to 12 players, there’s enough unpredictability to keep things tense, but enough space to actually use the game’s mechanics like rail grinding, wall riding, and charge jumping, without constant interruptions.
Online voice and video chat, new to the series, brings back the feeling of couch multiplayer. GameChat lets you hear real reactions in real time, which brings back some of the feel of couch co-op, even when racing remotely. It makes wins more satisfying and failures sting more.
Not every mode is worth your hours, though. Free Roam multiplayer lets you explore the open-world map with others, but most progression features are disabled. There are no side quests, no tokens to collect, and no gates to unlock. It’s exploration without reward.
In single-player Free Roam, some areas include timed puzzles or pressure-plate sequences that seem built for two players—like switches positioned on opposite ends of a canyon, or triggers that require simultaneous activation. But when you switch to multiplayer, these puzzles do not activate. The co-op intent is there, but it’s not functional in multiplayer.
Racer Unlocks Are Earned Through Exploration
Mario Kart World launches with over 50 characters, including 24 playable racers and 26 NPC drivers and creatures. Not all of them are available from the start. Instead of unlocking characters by coin milestones like in MK8 Deluxe, this game requires you to explore the world and complete challenges scattered across the map in Free Roam mode.
Some characters unlock by finishing specific Grand Prix cups or hitting milestones in single-player modes. Others become available through unique in-game challenges, such as using the Kamek item during races to transform into other characters. When you transform into a character you haven’t unlocked yet, they become permanently available for future play. This adds a fun layer of discovery mid-race that encourages experimentation.
What You Earn and What You Spend in MKW
Mario Kart World centers progression on in-game rewards rather than hidden menus. You earn Gold Coins by smashing item boxes, hitting coin stacks in Free Roam, following Coin Shell trails, or collecting dropped coins after bumping opponents.
Holding coins also gives you a minor speed boost during races, and 100 coins unlock new vehicles like karts, bikes, or ATVs. Free Roam hides more than just coins. You’ll track down P‑Switch locations to start coin-trial mini events, locate Peach Medallions (rose-gold coins), and interact with ?‑Panels for hidden goodies. Nintendo Life confirms these collectibles, but they don’t appear to have separate currencies—they feed into challenges and vehicle unlocks
Kart Setup Isn’t Just for Show
Mario Kart World gives you 40 vehicles in total. That includes 23 karts, 11 bikes, and 6 ATVs. Only 11 are unlocked from the start. The rest are tied to coin collection. Every time you hit 100 Gold Coins, you unlock a new vehicle. Coins show up all over—item boxes, tracks, coin stacks in Free Roam, and even from rival racers. Each coin also gives you a small speed bump while racing.
Unlike Mario Kart 8, you’re not mixing and matching parts anymore. There’s no wheel swapping or energy tuning. Every kart comes with its own built-in stats for speed, handling, acceleration, and weight. What you pick affects how you drive, and there’s no room for cosmetic fluff. It’s a performance-based system now.
Free Roam and Time Trials give you room to test each vehicle on different terrain. And in multiplayer, you can tell who’s picked the right ride. Players who study stats and match them to the course always have the edge.
How Gamers Reacted to Mario Kart World
The initial response from players has been mostly positive, especially among longtime fans hungry for something new. Reddit threads have filled up with clips of players discovering hidden races and shortcuts. There’s also early debate forming around competitive builds — some are favoring light frames and rail-heavy setups, while others argue for traction-first builds that can handle dynamic weather.
Still, concerns are being raised. Some players dislike the lack of structure early on. Others feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of the world and the slow drip of early rewards. Nintendo will likely patch pacing and multiplayer limitations, but the foundation here has stirred more excitement than cynicism — which says a lot, given how familiar the Mario Kart formula had become.
Final Thoughts
Mario Kart World doesn’t begin with a menu. It drops you into a living map where every track, upgrade, and unlock is something you stumble on while driving. New movement mechanics like rail grinding, wall riding, and charge jumps give skilled players more room to experiment without leaving beginners behind. Knockout Tour brings a new kind of pressure, turning races into survival runs where staying in is the only thing that matters. Free Roam is light on rewards but heavy on atmosphere, built more for wandering than grinding. It may not toss you through gravity-defying loops like 8 did, but this one gives you more room to think, explore, and actually master the road.
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