Mario Kart World officially revealed

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In the aftermath of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation, we find ourselves residing in a realm devoid of uncertainty about this upcoming console. The event spanned an hour, showcasing everything from the release date and groundbreaking game announcements such as Donkey Kong: Bananza and a brand-new FromSoftware title exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch 2. However, the presentation commenced with the unveiling of a fresh installment in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart World, which has been in development for eleven years. While it was previously glimpsed in the January reveal trailer, it didn’t receive an official title until now. We now have clarity that Mario Kart World, a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, is set to debut alongside the console in June.

Mario Kart World will launch alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 in June

The popular video game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, initially launched for the Wii U in 2014 and later ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2017, has an impressive history. Some Nintendo Switch owners might not be aware of this fact. Since its move to the Switch, it has climbed the charts to become one of the top five best-selling video games ever, with over seventy-five million copies sold as of February 2025.

Interestingly, since 2017, the number of tracks available in the game has nearly doubled due to DLC, with these expansions being exclusive to the newer console. However, it’s surprising that during the Switch’s lifecycle, there was no entirely new Mario Kart game released. Fortunately, this will change with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2.

The presentation began with a two-minute trailer and analysis for Mario Kart World. The title doesn’t merely represent a fresh spin, it signifies a massive map spanning different regions and environments. The trailer hints at the possibility for players to drive “almost everywhere”, implying they will traverse from course to course in the new Grand Prix races. Instead of pauses between races, players now have to travel from one track to another. Additionally, there’s a Free Roam mode that lets players explore the world freely, even enabling four friends to discover it together.

In the January Switch 2 unveiling trailer, it was observed that Mario Kart World supports a whopping 24 racers simultaneously, making it the most ever in the series and promising some wildly chaotic and densely packed races. A fresh racing mode called Knockout Tour is also being introduced, which progressively eliminates participants with each race. As players complete laps, those who pass a particular position when crossing checkpoints throughout the course will be eliminated from the competition. This new mode takes players on a global tour, spanning up to six different tracks.

Beyond these features, gamers can also traverse along tracks using rails, perform wall-riding, do back-and-forth jumps, and switch costumes for each character. Notably, the game world seems to feature weather that adjusts and evolves in real time. This means that the same race could look completely different based on whether it’s raining or sunny. Regrettably, as mentioned during the Direct presentation, Mario Kart World has been confirmed as an exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2, so this particular feature might not be accessible for current Nintendo Switch owners.

This represents a significant advancement for the lengthy “Mario Kart” franchise. Having had eleven years to develop new ideas, it’s hoped that this will result in a successful outcome. However, we won’t have to wait long to find out, as Mario Kart World is set to debut simultaneously with the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5th, 2025. Notably, it can also be obtained as part of a package deal that includes the new console itself.

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2025-04-02 18:32