Mario Kart World announced as a Switch 2 launch title

During the Nintendo Switch 2 focused direct in the wee hours of the Aussie morning, Mario Kart World was revealed, and it’s a launch title for the Switch 2, meaning it’s coming out on June 5.

The trailer showed off a bunch of really cool stuff that we can look forward to in the first new Mario Kart since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released for the OG Switch in 2017(!). There will be plenty of returning characters and changing weather that will impact the courses you’re racing on. There are also lots of different outfits for characters that would make even Princess Peach: Showtime! blush, and much more.

What is perhaps the most interesting thing about Mario Kart World is the page it’s taking out of Forza Horizon’s book; you can drive off-road and go anywhere you want in what seems to be a sort of open world. How much detail and secrets you can find in that world I’m not sure, but it looks like a lovely time to explore with friends and chill, rather than the intense competitive racing you’d expect from the series.

That said, a new mode, Knockout Tour, has you driving across the map to different checkpoints, and you get eliminated if you’re below a certain placement when you reach them. It looks like a neat take on making Mario Kart into a sort of Battle Royale, and I’m here for it, having always been a fan of similar knockout modes in racing games of the past.

Overall, it looks to be a lot of fun and jam-packed with crazy new ideas. When we saw that you could play as the cow from Moo Moo Meadows, our Discord voice chat collectively cheered. Who knows what other chaos will be in store? A special Mario Kart World Direct is taking place on April 17, where we’ll surely learn lots more.

Mario Kart World is launching for Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.