The first thing shown off during the Nintendo Switch 2 presentation was an extended look at Mario Kart World, a new game in the series with a large open world full of diverse regions and even differing lighting and weather conditions.
In this version of the game, you can go off the track during a race and drive anywhere without being slowed down, allowing for more freedom in each course. Also, like Forza Horizons, there is an open world to explore, so you need to drive to your next race after each event.
$aces now include 24 entrants, doubling the maximum number of racers from Mario Kart 8. This also means we’re going to need a lot more characters, and the game’s first trailer doesn’t disappoint. The first one to catch my eye was the cow from Moo Moo Medows from the Wii version of the game.
Other familiar faces from past Mario Karts all seem to be included, but I noticed Pauline from Super Mario Odessy alongside King Boo, Lakitu, Gooba, Nabbit, and a Hammer Bro. It also looks like all the characters are going to get some form of outfit customization. Others online have spotted a snowman, a guy from Delfino Beach and more.
These new outfits seem to trigger in the game after drivers pick up some food items. Other examples in the trailer show Mario eating a hamburger and then appearing in more casual racing clothes. At other points, Luigi appears dressed as a farmer, a Bowser looks metal and a disco Waluiji hits a jump.
Other new items include a coin block that gives you many coins at once and the Hammer Bros hammer. It also looks like there are more interactable items in the environment. In one city-themed track, we see drivers take control of a semi-truck and shoot through barrel cannons placed around the map.
Like Mario Kart 8, characters race across a variety of terrains, including snow, dirt, and cityscapes. Players also drive their cars on top of water, more like speed boats, instead of underwater, like submarines in which is what happens in Mario Kart on Switch one. We also see players flying through the air, but instead of using gliders, the karts grow wings to look like little planes.
However, what looks to be the most fun new addition is the ability to grind on rails and drive on walls. This looks like it gives the game a fun form of movement, which stems from skateboarding games or even Titanfall. This should make races more interesting and allow the developers to hide fun platforming elements in the open world.
Since there is an open world in the new game you can free roam to explore wherever you want. You can also do this online with friends to hang out in the virtual Mario Kart world. However, beyond racing and exploring, it seems like the only thing you can do is take photos.
Finally, there is a single new mode called ‘Knockout Tour’ that lets you and your friends start a hectic 24-player race across the world by chaining up to six courses together to make a mega map with multiple checkpoints. If you don’t make it to a checkpoint in time you will get cut from the race for some battle-royle adjacent gameplay.
The game is launching on the same day as the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. An upcoming Nintendo Direct on April 17 at 9am ET will show more of the game.
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