All the news from the Mario Kart World Direct

Recently, Nintendo shared with us a Mario Kart World Direct, revealing new information after being revealed in the Switch 2 Direct. Get in, loser, we’re going karting. Here’s the recap!

Courses

First up, we got a look at brand new courses, including:

• Mario Bros. Circuit
• Crown City
• Salty Salty Speedway
• Starview Peak
• Boo Cinema

We also got a look at a handful of classics tracks too, specifically Toad’s Factory, Peach Beach and Wario Shipyards. The existence of more classic tracks were confirmed as well, but mentioned to be “reimagined” and spread about the world. Finishing up the courses section was also the mention of day or night racing!

Characters

Mario Kart World packs plenty of charm when it comes to racer variety. The regulars–Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Yoshi–are all there, of course. But the real surprise lies in the more unexpected picks, like Goomba, Spike, and… a cow? Yes, you can actually race as a Moo Moo in Mario Kart World. Congrats on the massive career glow-up, girl. Other niche favorites like Lakitu, Conkdor, Wiggler, and more can be seen on the character select screen. There really is something for everyone here. Cataquack fans? You’re up.

Main Modes

Mario Kart World will feature two main race styles: Grand Prix and Knockout Tour, which will support up to 24 racers per event. In Grand Prix, you’ll choose a cup and race across four courses. However, you aren’t instantly dropped into the next track after finishing your laps. You’ll need to drive yourself to the next course!

Knockout Tour, on the other hand, is a more intense, extended race mode. You’ll travel from one end of the world map to the other across six consecutive courses, once again navigating the roads between courses manually too. You’ll need to place well enough in each race to continue, with the placements getting tougher each time.

Items

Mario Kart World brings back the classics with familiar items like the Bullet Bill and Power Star, but the latest Direct also revealed a handful of new additions to the item lineup. Coin Shells leave coins in their path for you, or other racers, to pick up. Ice Flowers allow you to hurl freezing projectiles to stop opponents in their tracks. Hammers can be thrown at other racers and even stick in the ground, creating an extra hazard. Mega Mushrooms enhance your size, letting you run over other players. Feathers let you jump over attacks or access hidden paths. And finally, Kamek’s magic lets you transform your opponents!

New Tricks

Charge Jump is a new mechanic that lets you hold the drift button while driving straight to build up a powerful leap. It’s great for avoiding obstacles, hopping onto rails, or dodging incoming items. If you jump toward a wall, you can even wall ride, for a moment. You also can rewind, letting you retry tricky jumps or explore alternate paths more comfortably. When you’re rewinding, though, other racers will keep moving forward.

Other Modes

• Time trials
• Customisable VS races
• Team races
• Balloon Battles
• Coin Runners

Free Roam

Free roam is the brand-new feature that puts you in control! With free roam, you can explore wherever you want at your own pace. Most notably, you can find hundreds of P Switches that kick off missions, plus hidden coins, secret panels, and more features that reward exploration. There’s also a photo mode to play around with too!

And that’s about it. Aside from Yoshi’s drive-through where you can grab food on the go and unlock meal-themed costumes, that wraps up all the big highlights from the Mario Kart World Showcase. Now all that’s left to do is wait patiently at the starting line for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World when they release on 5 June 2025.