Mario Kart World (Switch 2) Review

It’s the question everyone’s been asking: after thirteen years of Mario Kart 8 across two platforms and two waves of expansion packs, where does Mario Kart go next? Do we bring more Nintendo characters into the fold for a “Smash Kart”? Or do we start again and go back to basics?

Instead, Nintendo doubled down on Mario Kart—not just as a brand, but as a concept. They made it bigger in a way no one expected (just don’t call it open world), ramped up the chaos on the track with more racers, and leaned into the “lore” of Mario Kart by making previously non-playable characters playable.

Let’s talk about the map first, because it fundamentally changes how the game is played across multiple modes—while also enabling a very chill, free roam mode. The massive map has race courses scattered throughout, all connected by roads. Grand Prix mode, which remains conceptually similar to past games, is now executed differently. Each Grand Prix is a set of courses linked across the map: you start at one, then after the race, you immediately barrel towards the next. Some courses are circuits, some are segments, but the lap counter, coins, and core gameplay all remain the same.

When I first heard you’d have to race between courses during the interstitials on the map, I thought, oh, that could be a little boring—but it’s all gated and curated in a way that keeps it fun.

This new open world also enables one of the game’s standout new modes—Knockout Tour, which for me has been the star so far – I can’t stop playing it. Like Grand Prix, there are a number of Cups—called Rallies here—to work through, each with six courses spanning the full length of the map. The twist is that after each checkpoint, you’ll be eliminated unless you’re in the top 16, 8, or higher, depending on the stage.

With the yo-yo nature of positioning in Mario Kart, you know how it goes—one minute you’re rocking first, then you get shelled, inked, smacked around, and suddenly you’re in twelfth. Item strategy becomes crucial here—even holding back a bit to get more powerful items can pay off. And with 24 players now on the track at any one time, defensive items are more important than ever. That’s why Nintendo has made a key change: items are now automatically dropped behind you or orbit around you if you’ve got three. This also makes items like triple mushrooms more likely to be stolen, adding to the chaos. The game handles that chaos impressively well, and the item balancing seems solid so far. Even new additions, like the Hammer Bros’ hammers, feel well-integrated into the item set.

All the traditional modes are here too—Time Trials, VS Races, and Battle Mode. However, we’re back down to just two modes in Battle, and there’s a bit of a problem. While Big Donut has returned from the Nintendo 64 days, it’s really the only classic track included—and even that has changed. It’s now part of the larger map, and by “larger,” I mean it’s literally in the open world and also physically bigger. The rest of the battle maps are also sections of the main map, and they’re just too large. Sure, there are 24 players now, but even with that many, it often feels like you can go too long without encountering anyone. The balance isn’t quite right in Battle Mode—it still needs some work.

Outside of racing, the map can also be explored in Free Roam mode—and I’m torn on this one. While there’s an inordinate number of P-Switch challenges to complete and Peach Medallions to find, there’s no real progression or meaningful reward for doing so. However, the Free Roam mode is probably the best place to show off, and the new trick system, which lets you wall ride, wall hop, grind, and pull up a rug and jump around all over the tracks. The skill ceiling for this is going to be super high, with some very athletic things already being posted on social media.

Some of the P-Switch missions are well-crafted technical challenges, but others feel more like GTA-style side missions, where you’re simply driving through a few bland “courses” made up of gates on the track. Completing challenges only earns you stickers to place next to your profile. They’re nicely designed, sure—but they don’t actually do anything.

On the other hand—and with my parent brain on—Free Roam also gives younger players a chance to explore the world of Mario Kart at their own pace, discover things on their own, and tell their own stories. It’s also a great way to learn the map and just chill out to some extremely excellent music. I’m not disappointed by Mario Kart’s Free Roam mode—I can simply ignore it if I want to. The map still does its job by fundamentally changing how the game plays, and that’s what really matters.

Mario Kart always shines when played with others, and Mario Kart World is no exception. Like 8, World is fully equipped with all the online features you’d expect—this time with the map acting as a lobby. Getting into races and rallies doesn’t take long at all, and everything happens on the fly.

The newest addition to the suite is GameChat, and aside from not being able to invite people once a chat has started (a GameChat limitation more than a Mario Kart one), it works surprisingly well. I played a range of modes in a lobby with players from the US, the UK, and Japan—with all of us on camera—and everything ran flawlessly. You can even use the cameras offline when playing locally with someone next to you.

With the added power of the Nintendo Switch 2, we’ve not only got a bigger game world and a new way to play Mario Kart, but also one of the most visually stunning Nintendo games to date. As you race and the map shifts from day to night, the sunsets, sunrises, and skyboxes truly shine. All of the racers also feature a wide variety of costumes and express themselves with great personality.

As I’ve been writing this review, I’ve had the title screen music playing. Why? Because the soundtrack in this game is simply amazing—it might be Nintendo’s best-ever collection of tunes. Not only is there all-new music for the courses, but also a large selection of remixed tracks from various Mario games, including Super Mario Land, Super Mario Maker, Wario Land, and more. It’s all done in a big band style and sounds tremendous. I’ve never wanted new additions to Nintendo’s music library sooner than this.

There’s a reason Mario Kart sells as well as it does (just ignore that it’s bundled with the console this time). It’s truly a game anyone can enjoy, and with the addition of new Knockout Tour modes, integration with GameChat, and the free-roam map that fundamentally changes how Mario Kart works, there’s truly something for everyone here. We’ve never seen Mario Kart look, run, and sound this good. Mario Kart World is peak Mario Kart.

Rating: 5/5