Following a brief glimpse in the Switch 2’s announcement trailer in February, Nintendo has unveiled the next Mario Kart entry during an extended 60-minute Direct presentation. It turns out the sequel to the best-selling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn’t Mario Kart 9: it’s called Mario Kart World.
As we suspected after seeing the large-scale desert environment teased in the announcement trailer, Mario Kart is going open-world for the first time in the series.
Mario Kart World sees you visit “various regions that span the globe,” with the ability to drive off the race track Forza Horizon-style.
Like previous games, a classic Grand Prix mode will have championship cups featuring four courses, with the Mushroom, Flower, Star and Shell cups returning. New tracks shown in the selection screen include the Mario Bros. Circuit desert track shown in the announcement trailer, Crown City, Whistlestop Summit and DK Spaceport among others.
Instead of selecting tracks on a menu, you can drive to the next course after finishing a cup race. Envionments will be brought to life with different times of day and weather conditions changing the atmosphere.
Races will feature up to 24 drivers on-screen battling it out for maximum chaos – the most in the series’ history.
A new Knockout Tour sees you race across the world, passing through as many checkpoints as you can. This is essentially an elimination mode where you are knocked out if you fall behind. There’s also a free roam mode, allowing you to freely drive around the world, find new areas with friends and take photos.
New vehicle types were also shown, including snowmobiles and water vehicles, along with grinding on rails and wall-riding.
Mario Kart World release date
A release date is yet to be confirmed, but Nintendo confirmed that Mario Kart World will be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title this year. The digital version will cost £66.99, while a physical edition will set you back £74.99.
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