Mario Kart World

It has been 33 years of Mario Kart, and while there have been more characters than the initial eight added, there has never been a real overhaul of how the games work. That is, until now. Who knows if it’s the power of the Nintendo Switch 2 bringing Nintendo much closer to on par with the current generation of consoles, or just finally deciding something needed to change from the original formula....

Mario Kart World launches the Switch 2 era with style and ambition. With future updates likely on the horizon, World is already a celebration of everything that makes the series great—and a promising look at where it’s headed next.

Mario Kart World redefines what a kart racer can be, blending freedom with innovative race mechanics and unforgettable charm. While its unstructured approach won’t click with everyone, it’s an impressive, polished, and endlessly fun new direction for the genre.

I am disappointed with Mario Kart World's Free Roam, but the game nails everything else. It's good for near-endless hours of entertainment, and it will definitely stay in my Switch 2 rotation for years to come. Mario Kart World is the best the series has ever looked or played and a definite must-have for Switch 2 early adopters.

If you liked Mario Kart 8, you’re likely to like Mario Kart World, and I can enthusiastically encourage you to try it if you’re on the fence. There are many kart racers on the market toda,y but there is a good reason why only Mario Kart has stood the test of time for over 30 years.

For some family and friend groups, Mario Kart is an institution – a foundational memory of competition, silliness, and fun that has endured for decades of new tracks, racers, and games. That reputation for entertainment is at no risk of being lost by the arrival of Mario Kart World, which offers tons of thrilling and bonkers courses, an intense awareness of adrenaline-fueled speed, and the best fe...

Mario Kart World is easily the standout launch title on Nintendo Switch 2. And while that may not be saying much, I anticipate it’s comfortably going to be the best-selling Switch 2 game for the entire console generation. Nintendo has created a visually stunning kart racer here, chock-full of its trademark charm and personality. But it’s not without its issues - like the daftly organized character...

The big Nintendo Switch 2 launch title delivers in all of the ways that matter.

Mario Kart World may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy.

Nintendo's boldest kart yet trades some track-tight thrills for open-world ambition, and not every detour hits top speed.

Mario Kart World powerslides onto Nintendo Switch 2 as the de facto launch game to play in the absence of much competition. It’s a vibrant and joyful racer, perfect for playing with friends and family (or against the world online), but not all the tweaks to the classic Mario Kart formula are successful, with the new open-world mode being particularly underwhelming.

Mario Kart World takes Nintendo’s racing series to the open road with uneven results as charming character animations and a killer new mode in Knockout Tour collide with a sparse open world and new pacing tensions thanks to tracks melding into one another. A solid enough, if exorbitantly priced, new platform for a new generation, Mario Kart World has a bit more distance to cover before it can cros...