Mario Kart World had its own Direct today, and the 15-minute show revealed everything players need to know before jumping into the game.
The Mario Kart World Direct was first revealed at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, though Nintendo didn’t put a date or time on it until yesterday.
The Mario Kart World Direct opened with an introduction to a few new courses:
- Mario Bros. Circuit, which exists in the canyon
- Crown City, which is a city-style map that includes flying.
- Salty Salty Speedway includes canals inside the city views
- Starview Peak, a new slippery snow-themed map
- Boo Cinema, a cinematic, spooky course
The maps are also more challenging, as other cars and characters on the sidelines will attack drivers.
Toad’s Factory, Peach Beach, and Wario Shipyard are also making a return with new graphics and new themes. Part of this includes the difference in the maps between night and day. Others are coming as well.
Several new characters were teased, included Goomba, Spike, Penguin, Cow, and More.
Grand Prix and Knockout Tour are the two events players can take on. Each can have 24 drivers, the most in the series’ history. Of course, other modes like Time Trials, VS Race, and Team Races are still included in Mario Kart World.
By completing all the Grand Prix cups, it was teased that Rainbow Road would be the reward.
Knockout Tours are extended racing cups that let players drive around the world. Players have to finish checkpoints at certain places in order to continue the race — it’s more of an arcade-style racing tournament.
There’s also battle modes coming back, like Balloon Battle and Coin Runners.
Several new items were highlighted, like the Coin Shell, Ice Flower, Hammer, Mega Mushroom, Feather, and Kamek (which transforms other racers). New attacks were also shown off, like the Charge Jump and Rewind.
Smart Steering, Tilt Controls, and other settings help players who may be new to the series. These also existed in past Mario Kart games.
One of the most unique things about Mario Kart World is its ability to drive around the world in Free Roam. Doing so also gives players the ability to unlock new outfits by stopping at drive-ins with snacks. After eating, players will unlock outfits for certain characters that match the theme of the food they have.
While roaming around, players may encounter missions that test their driving skills. There are also coins, medallions, panels, and more that keep things fresh.
Free Roam also includes a Photo Mode that players can open whenever. There are frames, poses, and stickers players can use to customize these pictures.
Mario Kart World will have up to a four-player split screen. Local multiplayer can also include up to 2 players on a system. Online Play will also be part of Mario Kart World.
If you’re playing with friends, then you’ll wait around in the overworld to meet with them. Together, players can roam the world or head to courses together.
Of course, the new Nintendo Game Chat that’s coming with the Nintendo Switch 2 can be used in Mario Kart World. The camera is also an interesting addition — Blue Shell your friends or family and see their reactions immediately. Plus, it can capture four faces at once.
Mario Kart World will be available on June 5, 2025, when the Nintendo Switch 2 releases.
Fans can watch the Mario Kart World Direct below to see the action for themselves:
