Mario Kart World takes players off the track into an open world

By Jesse Lennox Published April 2, 2025

The latest entry in the Mario Kart series is here and will be called Mario Kart World, and it boosts the number of racers to a total of 24 at one time and all new game modes when it releases on June 5. Double the players, double the shells, double the chaos. Don’t worry, though — while there might be more racers on the track at any given time, your favorite characters are still present, with familiar faces like Yoshi, Toad, Peach, and many more making an appearance. More information will be given about this upcoming Switch 2 game on April 17.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct didn’t open with hardware details like we expected, but a deep dive into the new Mario Kart World, which will be a launch title for the Switch 2 on June 5. We already saw a few of the new racers in the teaser, but this new look at the game showed off a ton of new features and racers to look forward to. The big new addition to World is the new free roam mode where players can drive freely all around the various courses in a more casual mode with friends and take photos together. There’s also a Knockout Tour mode where players will race from one end of the world to the other through multiple checkpoints. However, only a certain number of players can pass a checkpoint before anyone behind will be kicked out until only one racer remains.

The Grande Prix mode is back with seven themed races with four courses in each, but now it supports up to 24 racers at once and you will race from one course to the next rather than go back to the menu. Weather will also be a new factor to consider in World, with various conditions changing the conditions of the track. New modes of racing are also shown off, from grinding on rails and power lines, riding along walls, and snowmobiles and jetskis for crossing snow and water, respectively.

Mario Kart World will launch exclusively on the Switch 2, with more information coming up soon on April 17.