Mario Kart World adds 10 classic courses in free update

Mario Kart World is getting a surprise free update later today, adding 10 classic courses from the original Super Mario Kart released on the Super Nintendo.

Announced during today’s Nintendo Direct, the free update adds a slew of tracks from the seminal 1992 kart racer, reimagined in Mario Kart World with 3D visuals compared to the original game’s Mode 7 scaling.

Among the locations coming to Mario Kart World in the free update include Choco Island, Vanilla Lake and Ghost Valley, each featuring multiple layouts.

In a nod to Super Mario Kart, you can drive over question mark panels placed on the track to gain power-up items. However, the classic courses can only be accessed in VS Race mode, and not Free Roam.

It’s a welcome update, since the Switch 2-exclusive kart racer hasn’t received any new tracks since it launched last June. While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe added 48 additional tracks via the Booster Course Pass, Nintendo hasn’t announced any premium DLC plans for Mario Kart World so far.  

In a surprise move, Nintendo also added eight-player split-screen support to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch 2 last week, nine years after its original release.