Mario Kart games have long been among the most reliable in gaming. Players know what they’re going to get with each new version or revision, and most have remained happy with the franchise’s standard kart-racing formula. Shells fly, karts drift, and chaos ensues over a few laps of Nintendo-branded racing.
Mario Kart World is perhaps the greatest departure from the game’s core formula that we’ve seen. It introduces, and emphasizes, an open-world concept. Races can still be had in the most traditional sense, but the game is clearly built around this new open-world idea.
The effects are definitely there to be felt, but is this really a bold new direction for the game, or more of a gimmick that’s unlikely to last into future games in the series?
The Good:
- Traditional kart racing feels as good as ever, and more racers is a good thing
- Open world brings fresh ideas and experiences to Mario Kart
The Bad:
- The kart racing remains very much traditional, for better or worse
- The game’s open world can feel barren, and doesn’t actually change much
Review Details:
- Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2
- Platforms available: Nintendo Switch 2
- Official release date: June 5, 2025
A slightly bold new world
It’s unlikely that many people need to have the core concept of Mario Kart explained to them, but just in case, the game centers around a number of Nintendo characters racing a variety of karts to the finish line through wild and wacky tracks. Along the way, various items are picked up that aid drivers and punish their opponents. And so it has been, ever since the release of Super Mario Kart in 1992.
While this is technically a racing game, it may well be better described as a party game. There are plenty of opportunities for skill expression in Mario Kart World, most of them centered around the game’s drift and boosting mechanics that allow racers to create additional speed through turning and hopping techniques.
But it has long been central to Mario Kart that chaos reigns supreme. The game’s infamous blue turtle shell weapon is the best example of this idea, as it’s solely purposed for chasing down the race leader and ruining their run.
That mix of skillful racing and seemingly random chaos is the basic formula for Mario Kart, and it has proven successful for Nintendo across many years and sequels.
The formula remains intact in Mario Kart World. For all of the changes that are present here, from the appreciable increase to 24 drivers per race to the new knockout tour mode that sees the field whittled down over time, it still feels predictably like Mario Kart. Some players will be happy to hear that; others may be let down, having gotten their fill of that formula over the past two decades of kart racing.
Mario Kart World’s open world would seem the greatest opportunity for change that the franchise has yet seen, and while it is a big and bold addition, it doesn’t actually change the experience of playing Mario Kart all that much. Races that seamlessly send players driving from one track to another across the game’s expanse are intriguing at first, but once players adjust, it’s really just sequencing track runs with some less interesting filler between them as the overworld is traversed.
That overworld just doesn’t have much interest to offer to players. There are little driving missions that can be found throughout it, as well as a variety of themed costumes that can be acquired (it’s a real wonder that it took this long for Nintendo to introduce skins to the franchise). But that’s about it, leaving the overworld feeling a bit like a theme park populated by animatronics rather than a living, breathing space begging to be explored.
That’s essentially what players need to know about Mario Kart World. The kart racing is intact and feels much as it always has, and the new open world is an interesting, but ultimately lacking, addition.
The game’s presentation remains predictably strong. Mario Kart has never been prettier than it is on the Switch 2, but the visuals are hardly the draw here. Online play is smooth and functional, and the aforementioned knockout mode seems a standout addition that players should expect to see kept around in the future.
The Bottom Line: Mario Kart World brought with it the potential for big change, but its gameplay is largely untouched and its open-world implementation is uninspired, leaving players with another good kart racing game and not much else.
Score: 7.5/10
