Nintendo dedicated a live stream Thursday to its upcoming Switch 2 game Mario Kart World, revealing more details about the game’s new and returning tracks, characters, and more. Nintendo says the open-world racing game will be the largest Mario Kart game in the series’ history, featuring an interconnected world for up to 24 drivers in different modes. “Mario Kart World” will be released exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 as a launch game on June 5.
Mario Kart World courses, characters
The 16-minute Nintendo live broadcast showed a diverse open world of cities, plains, deserts and oceans, with tracks all over the map in Grand Prix, Knockout, Free Roam and other modes. The world also features dynamic weather conditions and day and night cycles.
Some of the new tracks confirmed in the direct reveal include Mario Bros. Circuit, the urban-themed Crown City, and Salty Circuit, where you can race through winding canals. There are even more new tracks, like the icy Starview Peak, where you race up a snowy mountain, and Boo Cinema, a haunted theater track filled with ghosts and ghouls.
In addition to the new tracks, popular old tracks such as Toad’s Factory, Peach Beach, and Wario Shipyard are also back.
Mario Kart World will feature a cast of racers with familiar and new characters. Of course, game stars such as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, and Yoshi are all here. New characters include Goombas, Spike and the already popular Cow.
Mario Kart World Mode
The game has two main racing modes: Grand Prix and Knockout. Grand Prix is ​​a classic Mario Kart mode where players compete in four different races to win various trophies. In Mario Kart World, racers need to drive from one track to the next because the tracks in the open world are connected to each other.
Knockout circuits, on the other hand, feature extended rallies across multiple tracks, with checkpoints spread out at various locations. Racers who fail to advance will be eliminated. In addition to hostile racers, players will also have to fight obstacles on the track in this mode. Both main modes can be equipped with up to 24 drivers.
In addition to competitive matches, players can roam freely throughout the map and explore the game’s many landscapes.
Mario Kart World will also feature new racing techniques such as charge jump moves, chain wall rides, and more. New items include coin shells, which target racers ahead and leave coins behind; ice flowers, which freeze your opponents; hammers that crush other racers; and more.
The Switch 2 launch game can be played online or locally, with split-screen support for up to four players on the same system. Mario Kart World also supports local wireless play for up to 8 players (up to 2 players per Switch 2 system). Online play can host up to 24 players, the most in Mario Kart history.
Mario Kart World will launch with Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5th. The game will also ship as part of the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart bundle.
