Mario Kart World is the headline launch game for the Nintendo Switch 2, and the company just hosted a special Nintendo Direct dedicated solely to this fresh spin on their racing franchise.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders bundled with Mario Kart World have already been selling out as is, so we knew going in that anticipation for the game was through the roof (even with that hefty price tag).
We first caught a glimpse of it way back in January when the console was first teased, and I managed to get some hands-on time with it myself earlier this month.
The game represents a huge shake-up to the Mario Kart formula, and the Direct ended up recapping the core modes while also showcasing some new features.
We saw new and returning courses, new modes, extra Free Roam activities, and revisited the integration of Switch 2's GameChat functions.
As Nintendo Directs go, it wasn't the most exciting update, but it was good to get a closer look at the Switch 2's big launch title.
Need a recap on today's Mario Kart World livestream? You can find all our coverage below.
Nintendo Mario Kart Direct — watch it here
Today's Direct is now over, but if you need to get caught up, we've embedded it here:
LIVE — LATEST UPDATES
Welcome!
Mario Kart World is going to be big. Really big. The last entry in the series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was the best-selling game on the Switch 1. As I'm reliably told by Wikipedia, it shifted 67.35 million copies as of December 31, 2024.
So there's obviously going to be a lot of interest in Mario Kart World and I'm here for all the build-up to today's event.
A 15-minute Nintendo Direct
Today's Direct is set for a runtime of around 15 minutes according to Nintendo's own estimations. That's quite a decent amount of time to devote to just one game and it'll be interesting to see what Nintendo chooses to focus on.
Join us on April 17th at 6 a.m. PT to learn more about #MarioKartWorld for #NintendoSwitch2 in the Mario Kart World Direct. The livestream will be roughly 15 minutes. #NintendoDirect Watch it here: https://t.co/YtvEgjWKyx pic.twitter.com/3MistrmyOhApril 16, 2025
The company could probably spend a decent amount of time just focusing on the sheer number of characters included this time around. But personally, I'm hoping to hear more about Free Roam mode. We've only seen a tiny bit of it in action so far, so I'd like to know exactly how this is going to work in practice.
"Drop the price!"
If there's one thing we can be sure of for today's Direct, it's that the live comments section will be enflamed by people demanding Nintendo lowers the price. Expect a waterfall of "Drop the price!" calls to accompany the video.
The Japanese gaming company has caused something of a stir by confirming that Mario Kart World will retail separately for £74/$80 when it launches. You can get it for less than that if you buy it as part of a Nintendo Switch 2 console — but it's still a new high in terms of video game pricing.
Plenty of analysts have suggested this will open the floodgates to other publishers pricing their games even higher. That rumor about GTA 6 possibly costing $100 doesn't seem so crazy now, does it?
My thoughts on Mario Kart World
Earlier this month, Nintendo let a select group of media and influencer types get hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 at an event in London. All told, I had about 20 minutes playing a Mario Kart World demo in both handheld and docked mode.
I came away mostly impressed with the fact it's still clearly a Mario Kart game, but bigger and better in almost every way. What was particularly noticeable was how the tracks weave their way through an even greater range of locations with weather changes occurring as you race. So you might find yourself blazing through a desert environment before coming across a bazaar full of market stalls as the rain begins to pour down.
Just don't expect the kart's handling to change dynamically along with the weather. This isn't Gran Turismo we're talking about...
Mario Kart World Predictions: What might we see?
I can't help but wonder why we're getting another extended look at Mario Kart World. There must be more to learn, seeing as the game's already gotten an extended look at a Nintendo Treehouse event, right?
The biggest thing I'd like to know is what else (if anything) the "World" has to offer. Are there hidden missions lurking out there in Free Roam? Maybe some stunt or drift missions?
Plus, seeing as the starting grid has been expanded to 24 racers, I'd like to see the other characters in the mix... even if the Moo Moo Meadows Cow is the obvious star arrival.
Also, given the high price (and the drama it caused), I'd be interested to learn whether Nintendo has plans to continue supporting the game with new tracks or Knockout routes.
Mention of a 200cc speed class would be nice, and I'd love to see even more courses today, specifically because I want Waluigi Pinball on Switch 2. - Martin Shore
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is on sale now
Mario Kart World may be costing $80 when it launches — but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently down to half that price at Woot! right now.
The biggest-selling game on Switch 1 will hopefully still be playable on Switch 2 thanks to the new system's backwards compatibility with most first-gen games. So, if Mario Kart World is too rich for your blood, you can get a whole lot of enjoyment for much less by opting for the previous entry in the Mario Kart series.
One hour to go...
We're a little over an hour away from Nintendo's Mario Kart World Direct kicking off and if you want a preview of what to expect, you can revisit this video Nintnedo shared a couple of weeks ago of Grand Prix mode in action.
Of course, we all know how Grand Prix works so I'm super excited to see how other modes in Mario Kart World — like Free Roam and Knockout Tour work. Especially that latter one with 24 racers now lining up on the starting grid.
Any surprises?
Will Nintendo surprise us with any other Switch 2 news besides showing off Mario Kart? Perhaps the company will hint at a U.S. pre-order date or provide us with some information related to the console to tide us over until it's ready to reveal the details?
Probably not, but we can dream, can't we? We're waiting patiently for a date; the leaks are keeping us busy, but we're hoping for something concrete.
In the meantime, let the Mario Kart hype get going, because we're just a half hour away from the start of the Nintendo Direct.
Less than 10 mins to go
We're getting near to kick-off time now and there's a lot of talk about what Nintendo will reveal to us today.
For example, will the company discuss any potential Mario Kart World DLC? And, if so, will gamers be expected to pay for that on top of the $80 base rate?
Not long until we find out.
Star of the show?
As we get ready to begin, it's going to be interesting to see what time gets spent on the characters themselves. Any new costumes or surprises we don't know about?
It's going to take a lot to unseat Moo Moo Meadows Cow as the crowd favorite among Tom's Guide's roster of Mario Kart players...
Start your engines!
The livestream has begun! And we're getting some beautiful shots of the in-game scenery.
An "inter-connected world"
Drive virtually anywhere in this "inter-connected world" and you can "freely drive between them".
We're going to start with a course introduction. Each one is inspired by its surrounding region
Old meets new
There's new courses like Boo Cinema meeting old favorites like Toad's Factory and Wario Shipyard. The courses will take place at both day and night.
Grand Prixs are all connected
Flower Cup, Mushroom Cup and more Grand Prix races are all available throughout the world. And for the first time you'll need to drive yourself to the next Grand Prix race.
A "certain colorful course" just got tipped if you complete all the Grand Prix. Sure sounds like a new Rainbow Road course to me...
Knockout Tour!
We just got a brief glimpse of Mario Kart World's new mode, Knockout Tour.
This has up to 24 racers competing to stay in contention. At the end of each lap whoever is trailing gets knocked out of the race.
Drive-thru outfit change
Ok, we've got a bit of info here on outfit changes. Apparently, you need to stop at Yoshi's drive-thru pit stops to grab a snack. Costumes are then based on the food you order.
It sounds like these will be spread out across the world so there'll be a good bit of collection involved here to find them all.
New tricks — Rewind
Mario Kart World will introduce a new feature called "Rewind" that lets you turn back time for a brief period to let you take a second attempt at a corner or a jump. It sounds a lot like what you've been able to do in the Forza games for a long time.
The more I hear about Mario Kart World, the more I'm reminded of the excellent Forza: Horizon series.
Free Roam
Onto the Free Roam mode and it's clear the influence is here from Breath of the Wild. In between races, you can go "to the edge of the world" to explore what's there.
There will be a number of "P" switches to unlock missions and "hone your driving ability" outside of races as well as hidden coins, hidden panels and other unlockables.
GameChat makes an appearance
Ok, Nintendo is hyping up its GameChat feature now. I'm still not sold on this as earlier streams have shown some pretty serious lag happening during this feature.
And that's it
And we're done. That was a pretty swift video and it looks like Nintendo kept it to around the 15 minutes as promised.
There wasn't much by way of really new stuff, but some of the elements of the game we knew about have been fleshed out.
Let's go back over some of the highlights.
Meet up with friends
There's a lot of "World" in Mario Kart World.
Specifically the Free Roam sandbox mode looks to have really been opened up with Nintendo seemingly making the whole map driveable with missions and collectibles dotted all around, alongside all the races you can take part in.
The social side of the game has been given a boost as when you're driving around you'll be able to meet up with friends anywhere in the world to take part in races together.
New items
Nintendo has confirmed that Mario Kart World will also bring several new items to the table. You can use Ice Flower to freeze other players while the aptly-named Hammer item will let you chuck hammers at them.
There's also the Mega Mushroom which will increase your size and the Feather item lets you jump higher for better dodging. Finally, there's Kamek who will make an appearance but Nintendo says we'll "have to wait to see what that one does".
Key takeaways
Ok, so we're all wrapped up on Mario Kart World's exclusive Nintendo Direct and while we didn't get a huge amount of new info. We got confirmation of a few different things. Here's the key takeaways nicely wrapped up for you.
New and old tracks: Alongside new routes like Crown City and DK's Spaceport, Nintendo is bringing back old tracks like Wario Shipyard and Boo's Cinema.
New items: Ice Flower, Mega Mushroom, Hammer and Feather are all new items at your disposal
New moves: Rewind lets you turn back time while Charge Jump lets you launch into the air and clear obstacles.
Free Roam: Drive around the entire world, Forza: Horizon style to meet friends, find races and discover hidden extras
More characters: Up to 24 races and some new faces, although we didn't get a breakdown of all the new arrivals.
GameChat and Camera integration: Nintendo is building on the new features of Switch 2 by including in-game real-time chat and compatibility with the Switch 2 camera so you can see and hear your friends as you shell them.
We'll no doubt be following up on all of these improvements when we finally get our hands on a Switch 2 and review copy of Mario Kart World. But so far, I have to say that this looks like it'll easily be the biggest and best Mario Kart ever made. Let's-a-go!
Pre-ordering a Switch 2
@tomsguide ♬ Hard News - DM Production
We may be done with Mario Kart World's Direct for today — but there's still the looming question of whether or not anyone will actually be able to play it on launch day due to pre-order situation currently ongoing.
We're tracking all the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order restocks right here so you can keep checking back for the latest news on snaring a console and copy of Mario Kart World.
I can't wait to see Rainbow Road
We got to see a couple of new (and returning) courses today, but our Mario Kart World guide also hinted that "a certain colorful course will appear" once you've conquered every Grand Prix race.
That mention came around the 5-minute mark, as we saw a Mario Kart trophy speeding up into the sky, leaving a rainbow trail behind it. So that's all but confirmation of Mario Kart World's version of Rainbow Road, right?
Nintendo was keen to keep this extra course a mystery, and that's set my mind racing as to what this series mainstay might look like in this new format.
Is it going to be as tricky to drive over as some of the past iterations? Could it stretch across most of Mario Kart World? And what happens if you fall off it? Seems we'll have to wait till launch to find out... - Martin Shore
Modes of fun
On top of the fresh challenges to be found in the world in Free Roam, we learned that Mario Kart World was looking pretty packed.
Knockout Tour is the shiny new race type, and we expected Grand Prix races weren't going anywhere, but we also got to see several other modes of play today.
Time Trials, a customizable VS Race mode (including the ability to split the 24 racers into up to four teams), and a Battle mode (featuring Balloon Battle and Mario Kart Wii's Coin Runners game-type) will also be in the game, offering racers plenty of variety. - Martin Shore
Racing with friends
If you're itching to get some local co-op going when Mario Kart World lands, you'll be pleased to know the Direct confirmed some technical details about Mario Kart World multiplayer.
Up to 4 players can race together in split-screen on one single Switch 2 system, though the gameplay didn't look as smooth here.
Meanwhile, up to 8 players will be able to race together in Wireless Play (which can support up to 2 racers per console). Of course, up to 24 players will be able to race or battle online.
Instead of sitting in a lobby, it looks like you'll be able to zoom around the open world while you wait for friends to join you on the map. You can even fast travel to your pals elsewhere on the map, before battling, racing (including with custom rules), or just exploring. - Martin Shore
New Tricks: Charge Jump
New techniques are making their debut in #MarioKartWorld! With Charge Jump you can leap over obstacles, grind along power lines, and dodge attacks from rivals! Charge Jump toward a wall to Wall Ride for a short period of time! pic.twitter.com/xuFqRsFDnyApril 17, 2025
Nintendo is now releasing clips from the Mario Kart World Direct showcasing some of the new features, and one such clip shows off another of the new manoeuvres players can pull off. If you didn't catch it before, aside from Rewind, we've also got Charge Jump.
It's not just a new way to build up speed on the track; you can use a Charge Jump to grind on specific surfaces or leap towards barriers to Wall Ride and open up new pathways, or to leap over obstacles and avoid incoming items from rival racers!
All these new editions sure do make Mario Kart World look even more chaotic than before! - Martin Shore
