Everything to know about Mario Kart World

Nintendo is launching its Nintendo Switch 2 console with Mario Kart World as its headlining game. It’ll be released on June 5 alongside the console, and is expected to introduce an open world system to the Mario Kart franchise. Nintendo gave players a peek at the game during its Switch 2 reveal broadcast in January, and then formally introduced it as Mario Kart World at a second showing on April 2. On April 17, Nintendo broadcasted the Mario Kart World Direct — a good 15 minutes or so just on the racing game, showing off a bunch of new courses, items, and more.

Of course, Nintendo is keeping the core of the series — racing — with Mario Kart World, with players competing on its iconic tracks inspired by Mario and friends. But for the first time, 24 players can race at once, moving freely through a big ol’ world where tracks are essentially interconnected; instead of a menu, it looks like you’re driving between courses to get started. (There are menus, though!) There’s more to do than race, though. Nintendo showed players simply driving around the world with friends, battling each other, and taking photos.

Here’s everything we’ve learned so far.

When will it be released and how much does it cost?

Nintendo will release Mario Kart World alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. It’s priced at $79.99, or a little less if you purchase it bundled with the console itself.

What do you mean it’s open-world?

Nintendo said in its previews of the game that players can drive “virtually everywhere in this fully interconnected world” as part of the free-roam mode. It showed a big map during its Thursday Mario Kart World Direct. Players can “freely drive between” the races that take place on the map. What’s more, is that driving between the courses is a part of the competition in the Mario Kart Grand Prix races, while racing around the map is an integral part of the Knockout Tours.

What courses will Mario Kart World include?

Rainbow Road was teased during Thursday’s Direct broadcast, but here’s what’s been confirmed or explicitly shown:

• Mario Bros. Circuit — A track with ridges and a southwestern theme
• Crown City — Bustling city where you drive through urban settings
• Salty Salty Speedway — Set in a city with water canals that looks inspired by Venice, Italy
• Starview Peak — A new magical ice-filled world where you drive with auroras in the sky
• Boo Cinema — A haunted drive-in theater
• Whistlestop Summit — A racetrack on a mountain with a steampunk feel
• DK Spaceport — A map inspired by classic Donkey Kong
• Faraway Oasis — Set in the savanna with lots of animals
• Peach Stadium — Set in and around Peach’s Castle

Are there new characters?

Lots! Nintendo has a bunch of returning characters but so, so many new characters in Mario Kart World. Like, a ton of random characters such as Peepa, Cataquack, Pokey, Stingby, and Dolphin. You can read the full list of confirmed playable characters here.

What new items are there?

Nintendo is introducing several new items in Mario Kart World:

• Coin Shell — The golden Coin Shell can be thrown like any other shell, but instead of honing in on your opponents, it’ll leave a trail of coins behind it. But you’re not the only one who can pick ’em up, so use it wisely or risk giving your opponents a competitive advantage.

• Ice Flower — The Ice Flower can be thrown at rival racers to briefly freeze them up and cause them to spin out.

• Hammer — Hammers are thrown in a big ol’ arc and get embedded in the course; rival racers that hit them will crash out. They also look useful for blocking off parts of the course to mess up the other racers.

• Mega Mushroom — The regular Mushroom item makes you big, but the Mega Mushroom makes you really big.

• Feather — You can do little hops already in Mario Kart, but the Feather item lets you do a big hop. You can use it to dodge incoming enemy items.

• Kamek — Kamek, the Magikoopa wizard, can transform other racers on the track. The video shows Kamek transforming racers into football players on racing vehicles. Nintendo didn’t show any other effects, but it sounds like there might be some surprises here.

What modes are there?

Mario Kart World has its Grand Prix, which is made up of the classic four race events to win different cups, like the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup. The new part of this is that you have to drive from track to track as part of the event.

In Knockout Tour, another mode, players race across the whole map to hit checkpoints to stay in the race or risk getting knocked out. Your rival racers will be trying to knock you out, but there are vehicles trying to hit you, too.

The Free Roam mode is exactly what it sounds like — free roaming the big, open-world map. This is where you’ll hang out and look for secrets, take photos, and practice for races.

Battle Mode is a classic and “more hectic than ever,” according to a news release. In Battle Mode, you’ll try to collect the most coins (Coin Runner) or burst balloons in Balloon Battle to knock players out.

Are there new abilities?

Yes! Nintendo showed a couple new techniques to master in Mario Kart World, like Charge Jump. “Use it to jump onto rails that you can grind, dodge attacks from your rivals and even jump toward a wall to ride on it for a short time,” Nintendo wrote in a news release. The other ability, Rewind, lets you rewind, say, if you missed a jump.

What’s multiplayer like?

There’s online multiplayer, of course, but you can also play split-screen with friends. You can use Nintendo’s new GameChat feature to chat with friends, as well as the Switch 2 camera (or another webcam) to see your friends.

Can I preorder it?

No, not yet. Nintendo hasn’t opened pre-orders for the game or the bundle in the United States; that’s on pause due to U.S. tariffs.