Mario Kart World is coming and apparently players can drive wherever the hell they want, all over the map

Nintendo dropped the bomb during their April 2 Switch 2 Direct, officially confirming that Mario Kart World will launch June 5, the same day as the brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 console.

This isn’t just another new track pack or a half-hearted expansion. This is a full-blown overhaul of the Mario Kart universe — and it’s about time.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first, if you don’t like Mario Kart, you simply cannot be trusted. I don’t care if you’re in elementary school learning the ABCs or a 47-year-old dad of three with a stressful mortgage.

Everyone has that dog in them when it’s time to throw banana peels and red shells. It’s one of the few universal truths in life — death, taxes, and getting screwed by a blue shell on the final lap.

Side Note: It’s all about the green shell attack. If you know, you know.

Naturally, the second I heard Nintendo is dropping a brand-new game called Mario Kart World, my brain immediately kicked into overdrive.

Mario Kart World coming to Nintendo Switch 2

Drive virtually everywhere in Mario Kart World, a brand-new Mario Kart game releasing exclusively on #NintendoSwitch2 as a launch title! #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/zvN4C6l3ft

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 2, 2025

According to the release you can control the weather mid-race and drive virtually anywhere — outside the map. What does that even mean? Are we racing the cows in Moo Moo Meadows? Can I barrel through Peach’s Castle or fly straight into Bowser’s dungeon like I’m piloting a kart-shaped F-22? The potential chaos here is unlimited, and I want every single bit of it.

YOU CAN PLAY AS THE FREAKING COW?!?!!!!! MARIO KART WORLD?!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/6uIZ4A0MVF

— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) April 2, 2025

What’s New in Mario Kart World?

🏎 24 Racers on Track at Once

That’s right — TWENTY. FOUR. This isn’t your little brother’s 8-player Wii Cup. This is a demolition derby on rainbow steroids. The racing grid is about to look like a crowded expressway at 5 p.m. on a Friday. Good luck dodging shells in that traffic jam.

🌍 Open World Driving

This is where it gets wild. Mario Kart World will let you drive off the track. Seriously. Explore, take photos, roam with friends — and during competitions, you literally drive to the next course. No more pre-race lobby breaks. You’re in the kart the whole time.

⛈ Dynamic Weather and Time of Day

A clear day at the start line doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. With shifting atmospheres, your sunny circuit could turn into a thunderstorm halfway through the lap. That beach track you love? Yeah, it might flood mid-race. Deal with it.

💀 Knockout Tour Mode

In a Hunger Games-style survival mode, players are eliminated if they fall below the cutoff line each race. It’s a high-stakes gauntlet across multiple regions — and only the best survive. Finally, a mode for Mario Kart psychos who want the adrenaline without waiting for a battle royale.

📸 Free Roam and Photo Mode

Chill mode activated. Whether you’re cruising with friends or snapping some shots under Bowser’s moonlit castle, this game is now a social sandbox as much as a racer.

Join The Chase