'Mario Kart World' Races Are More Chaotic—and Better—Than Ever

When working on the first Mario Kart game for Switch 2, Nintendo decided against sticking to numbered sequels, opting instead to call what would have been the series’ ninth entry Mario Kart World. It signaled the team’s ambition to try a more modern approach to the popular franchise.

Mario Kart World is the Switch 2’s most high-profile launch title, and it’s the series’ newest game in roughly a decade. That’s a lot of pressure even for a Nintendo flagship property, but Mario Kart World does not disappoint. During a private hands-on event held in New York, WIRED spent several hours with the game’s single and multiplayer modes, including its Knockout tour, battles, and vast open areas. While it wasn’t enough for a full review of the game, the time we spent with Mario Kart World offered a promising look at the Switch 2’s debut.

The biggest change to the game is right there in the title: an interconnected world map, Free Roam, that players can explore every part of, even outside of races. In other words, players can drive everywhere, from beachy tracks to snowy mountains, offroad or on. Hidden throughout the game’s world are special challenges and unlockables, including drive-throughs that grant certain characters new outfits.

That world feels impressive in scope and unlike any of the previous games in the series, where the most exploring players could do involved hunting for shortcuts to use in races. While it’s possible to stick to roads and highways the whole time you spend in Mario Kart World, the real joy here is in charting your own path between grand prix.

“The first thing that we had to think about was how to build in all of these racing routes all over that world like a network that overlays it,” producer Kosuke Yabuki said, through a translator, at the event. “So in thinking of that network of all of these connected routes, we had to consider them one by one and make sure that each one was pleasurable and interesting, and that it would offer a lot of value and fun for the player no matter which way they went.”

Keeping the world interesting meant creating variety in these routes, Yabuki says, whether that was a large road or smaller, forest trails. “We're certainly not bound by thinking about real-life geography, where we're using islands and towns exactly as they might appear somewhere.”

Yabuki says the team didn’t want to use the phrase “open world” to describe the experience, because it’s a term too broad for what they wanted to accomplish. “The beginning of this project really was thinking about that vast interconnected world,” Yabuki says. “How do we layer on top of that all of the experiences that you're accustomed to having in a Mario Kart game as well.”

Part of that meant that players need to be able to quickly grasp its mechanics, which means the act of racing itself is as basic as pressing a button to hit the gas. More advanced techniques exist for players who get the handle of things, including grinding on walls and railings and jump-boosting your way out of attacks.

Mario Kart World’s competitions feel more chaotic than previous entries, in large part due to the fact that the races have doubled in size. Now, up to 24 players battle for first place; previous games allowed for 12 players per race. During the circuits we played, that meant that very rarely did a race feel like an easy win. A first-place cruise can be easily slapped away with well-timed attacks from opponents or, more terrifying, a blue shell.

But the game also makes recovering from a low ranking during the same run entirely possible—as long as you’ve got enough time to score a few items and keep your kart steady. If races aren’t your speed when it comes to rivalry, Mario Kart World also includes some familiar battle modes, like balloon popping. It’s simple, but a fun challenge: attack the other racer’s balloons on their kart without getting yours popped, while everyone zooms around and fights for items.

The game’s best offering for competition by far, however, is its Knockout Tour—one long elimination race where players need to achieve a certain placing to continue, until a winner is crowned. The pressure to place adds a thrilling sense of urgency that normal races don’t always achieve, as every moment counts, and mistakes will cost you.

There’s a great deal of potential for online play in Mario Kart World, including with the Switch 2’s GameChat and camera options—as long as your friends and family are able to grab the compatible hardware. With the impact of tariffs on the upcoming launch, as well as questions of whether retailers will be able to stock enough consoles to meet demand, it’s still unclear how accessible the Switch 2, game, or accessories will be when the new platform launches this Thursday.