Summary
- Mario Kart World introduces Free Roam mode for exploring and completing activities.
- P-Switch missions offer more than just side content and help teach advanced game mechanics.
- Completing P-Switch missions in Free Roam mode can improve racing skills and enhance gameplay experience.
It doesn't take a keen eye to notice how different Mario Kart World is from every other entry in the series. Sure, its gameplay is still founded on the traditional mechanics of its ancestors, but it offers plenty of features and new systems that are bound to be unfamiliar, even to those who have stayed by the series' side since its beginnings. One of Mario Kart World's biggest additions, Free Roam, has to do with its name, and it's a mode in which players can explore a vast semi-open world where numerous activities and collectibles await them.
The only thing is that Mario Kart World largely refrains from holding players' hands and instead relies on them giving into their curiosity if they not only want to see everything the game has to offer but also learn its many new systems. With this approach, it lacks a traditional tutorial system and instead hearkens back to Nintendo's earliest days, which saw players dropped into the original Super Mario Bros. With absolutely no context for what the game was or how to play it. However, Mario Kart World isn't without its own creative ways to teach players how to play the game, and one of its best methods for doing so is its P-Switch missions, which can be found scattered throughout the world in the game's Free Roam mode.
Mario Kart World: How to Unlock All Characters
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Mario Kart World Hides Its Most Valuable Lessons in Its P-Switch Missions
P-Switch Missions Are More Than Just Side Content
At first glance, Mario Kart World's P-Switch missions might just seem like side content meant to make its expansive world feel more meaningful to explore. They might also initially seem like an opportunity for players to gain more stickers in Mario Kart World, which can be used as a way for players to show themselves and others what they've accomplished in the game. With over 1,000 of these stickers to collect, the game's P-Switch missions are an important aspect of the game's cosmetic progression. However, these special missions are far more than just side content.
Mario Kart World isn't without its own creative ways to teach players how to play the game, and one of its best methods for doing so is its P-Switch missions, which can be found scattered throughout the world in the game's Free Roam mode.
When players find and press a P-Switch in Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode, it activates a unique timed challenge for them to complete. Even more so, these missions force those willing to complete them to engage with Mario Kart World's new abilities, as no two P-Switch missions in the game are created equal. For example, rather than simply having players race from one point to another, they might require them to drift with precision, time their jumps between walls, or ride a complex set of rails and collect every blue coin before time runs out.
Free-Roam Challenges Quietly Teach Advanced Mechanics
In all but forcing players to make use of Mario Kart World's many traversal mechanics, these missions essentially function as built-in, immersive tutorials where players can perfect their driving skills. Those who wish to complete every P-Switch mission in Mario Kart World can't expect to do so by taking a straightforward approach. Many of these missions have been carefully designed to be almost down to the second what players will need in order to complete them, so long as the appropriate Techniques are used. As such, players are required to use every tool at their disposal.
Mario Kart World's new traversal Techniques include Charge Jump, Wall Ride, and Rail Ride.
While it doesn't have a traditional tutorial section for players to perfect their skills, the P-Switch missions in Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode are the best way for players to learn how to be a better racer. Coupled with the game's new Rewind ability, these missions offer a way for players to trial-and-error their way to victory and, in turn, beat their opponents in the next race.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- June 5, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
