During today’s Nintendo Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct, Nintendo officially revealed its new Mario Kart game coming to the console, which we now know to be titled Mario Kart World. It’s Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and it’s a launch day release on June 5.
The trailer today was a fast-paced explosion of neat new elements. Rapidfire, we got a look at a number of returning characters, new tracks, and feature such as jet skis on water, rail grinding on the edges of courses, the ability to bounce off walls, customizable characters with hats and outfits, changing weather and time of day on courses, a photo mode, and the ability to play as the cow from Moo Moo Meadows. You heard me!
The biggest feature of World is the ability to drive off-road essentially anywhere you want on the course in what seems to be a large open world. In a new mode called Knockout Tour, racers have to drive across the open world to different checkpoints from course to course, and get knocked out if they’re below a certain placement when they reach checkpoints. And there’s a free roam mode where you can just drive around for fun, no racing involved, with friends if you like.
There’s so much to dissect here! We saw a lot more of the roster of characters for one. It includes: Mario (obviously), Bowser, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Toad, Lakitu, Wario, Yoshi, Paulina, Luigi, Birdo, Shy Guy, Baby Daisy, Waluigi, Toadette, King Boo, Donkey Kong, Wario, Baby Rosalina, Baby Mario, Koopa, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Nabbit, Shy Guy, Hammer Bro, Penguin, Pokey, Pianta….okay this list is getting weird. The Moo Moo Meadows Cow. The Super Mario World dolphin? Wait, am I seeing things?
Nope.
THEY REALLY ARE ADDING ANYBODY LMAO https://t.co/UcvrIXxg57 pic.twitter.com/JJdofUopVe
— No Context Super Mario (@SuperMarioOOC85) April 2, 2025
We also saw a number of new courses In addition to the desert-themed course with Yoshi’s Diner that we saw in the initial reveal, we saw a new course that seemed to involve driving along canals on jetskis, something called “DK Pass” that looks a bit like Mount Wario and makes use of snowmobile karts, a course seemingly themed after the construction tower of the original Donkey Kong game, a new big city track, a jungle-themed course with an overgrown giant Question Block, some sort of Peach-themed temple, and a whole lot more.
The last “mainline” Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 8, originally came out way, way back in 2014 for the Wii U, and was later re-released as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch. Since then, it’s become the definitive Mario Kart game, selling nearly 65 million copies and getting numerous updates over time with new racers, tracks, karts, and more. While other Mario Kart games have come out during that time, such as Mario Kart Tour on mobile and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, this new Mario Kart release on Switch 2 is a major step forward for Nintendo as it says goodbye at last to one of the best-selling games of all time. Can Mario Kart World surpass it? We’ll have to wait and find out.
You can catch up on everything announced at the Nintendo Direct today right here. More information is coming on Mario Kart World in a future Nintendo Direct dedicated to the game.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
