I’ve been racing with Mario since the SNES days. Every generation brought something new, but I never expected an open world. Mario Kart World arrives as a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title and the first brand-new entry in over a decade. It builds on what worked before while aiming to modernize the series in bold ways.
The basics are still here. You pick a character, hop in a kart, and throw shells at anyone who dares pass you. But Mario Kart World pushes beyond traditional circuits. Now, it offers a single, connected world filled with collectibles, challenges, and new ways to race.
Whether you’re jumping into a Grand Prix or chasing survival in Knockout Tour, this version adds more structure and variety. And if you’re curious about performance, visuals, or how the open world holds up, that’s where things get interesting.
Racing Without Borders
Instead of loading into individual tracks, Mario Kart World connects everything through one massive map. Grand Prix mode still exists, but now you drive between tracks instead of warping between them. The first race starts like usual, but after that, you’re off, drifting across highways, beaches, or forests until the next checkpoint.
At first, the rolling starts between tracks felt odd. But after a few cups, it started to click. It’s a small change that gives races a better flow, and I stopped missing the old three-lap format pretty quickly.
Knockout Tour pushes this even further. It’s a 24-player elimination mode that races through different parts of the map in one continuous sprint. Miss a checkpoint cutoff, and you’re out. I made it to the final segment once, barely dodging a red shell and surviving with one hit left. It was the most tense I’ve felt in a Mario Kart race in years.
Outside of those, Free Roam fills the space between races. You can drive around, trigger challenges, and find collectibles. It’s not packed with activities, but it’s a decent change of pace when you don’t feel like competing. Mario Kart World doesn’t offer a story, but its structure gives the series a new shape. Everything connects, and that’s a shift longtime fans will notice right away.
Tricks, Grinds, and Kart Chaos
If you’ve played Mario Kart before, you’ll feel right at home. Drifting, boosting, and item chaos all return. But Mario Kart World adds new tools to help you stand out, or wipe out. Charge jumps let you leap off ramps or launch into wall rides and grindable rails. Nailing the angle matters, especially on tighter corners. One match, I missed the rail entirely, landed in the water, and still managed to place third thanks to a well-timed mushroom and someone else getting hit by lightning.
Water sections return too, but now your kart transforms automatically. You’ll shift from dry roads to rivers and back without missing a beat. It’s a smooth system that keeps the pace up and fits right in with the game’s larger, connected world.
Knockout Tour makes the most of it. Items come fast, and each checkpoint cuts a few racers. It’s tough, but fair. Grand Prix mode is more relaxed, even with the new one-lap and intermission format. Tracks feel tighter in design, and the transitions between sections help keep the races moving without needing loading screens.
Free Roam has its own controls, but nothing changes too drastically. You can still drive like normal, launch off ramps, or try out your tricks in open areas. It’s a solid place to experiment, though not everything in the world reacts to you. Drive-thru spots across the world let you pick up Dash Food, which unlocks new characters or outfits depending on who you’re driving. The core gameplay is still fun. These new ideas don’t replace what worked before, they just give you more ways to race.
The View from the Finish Line
Mario Kart World runs at 60 FPS in single-player and maintains solid performance across its different environments. Visuals are sharp and colourful, with HDR supported in both docked and handheld modes. The lighting stands out most during weather transitions, which can shift from stormy skies to bright sunlight mid-race.
Each area has its own music, mixing familiar Mario themes with new tracks. The day/night cycle shifts the tone subtly, with slower or more upbeat music depending on the time. Sound effects are clear and punchy. Characters even have unique touches, like Pauline singing during tricks or the classic item pickup chime triggering just before chaos breaks out.
Even in split-screen mode, the game holds up. I didn’t notice major drops unless we had the camera and GameChat both active. The little camera window above your kart adds a silly touch, especially during close finishes. Seeing your friend’s face drop as you pass them is satisfying in a way item hits never quite managed.
This is the best the series has looked and sounded so far. It doesn’t just keep up, it finally catches up to what a new system can do.
24 Racers One Finish Line
Online races in Mario Kart World now go up to 24 racers. It gets wild fast. Public lobbies let everyone vote on the next track, while friend rooms give you more control. You can even join online in split-screen with someone next to you, which works great for a quick session.
Knockout Tour is the star here. It’s all about surviving to the end. Racers get eliminated at checkpoints, and each round moves through a different part of the world. One match, I was clinging to ninth place, dodged a red shell, then got wiped out by a bomb seconds before the final gate. I wasn’t even mad. I just hit restart.
Battle Mode brings back Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. A few favourites from earlier games are missing, but what’s here works. If you get knocked out before time runs out, your points don’t count, so every round stays tense.
GameChat and the Switch 2 camera add some personality. Your face shows up in a little box above your kart, which led to my favourite moment so far: my friend got eliminated in Knockout Tour, and all I could see was their disappointed face staring straight into the camera. I almost crashed laughing.
Performance online is mostly solid. Frame rate dips happen during big moments, but nothing that ruins the match. When everything’s running smoothly, the chaos, trash talk, and last-second item hits make it tough to put down.
Mario Kart World is Worth the Ride Even With Detours
Mario Kart World doesn’t try to reinvent everything. It just adds more ways to play. Some work better than others. Knockout Tour is the best new mode the series has had in years. The online races are chaotic in all the right ways, and the Nintendo Switch 2’s added features actually make things more fun.
The open world? It’s a neat idea, but it doesn’t feel essential just yet. Outside of the occasional mission or collectible, there’s not much to do once you’ve seen it all. I liked messing around in it for a bit, but I didn’t go back much once the cups and Tour matches started pulling me in.
That said, the structure shift is a big deal. The way tracks connect, how races flow between locations, and how much you can do online, it all gives the game a different rhythm. It’s still Mario Kart, just stretched out in new directions.
After playing since the SNES days, I wasn’t sure what else this series could throw at me. Turns out, a survival race through a castle and a beach, with my friend yelling into the camera the whole time, was exactly what I needed.
Mario Kart World
Summary
Mario Kart World takes the series in a new direction with connected tracks, expanded online modes, and a massive open world. Knockout Tour is a highlight, delivering fast-paced chaos with 24 racers. While Free Roam feels underused, the core racing and presentation stay strong. Longtime fans will find plenty to enjoy, even if not every new idea lands.
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