Mario Kart World will be the next evolution of the Mario Kart franchise, boasting a smorgasbord of new features. The game's roster will be no slouch either, with Mario Kart World poised to deliver some wild card driver characters.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2 finally gave fans more insight on the next entry in the Mario Kart series. First teased back in January alongside the Switch 2 reveal, the latest Direct showed off more of the title's attributes. Not only will the game contain an animation overhaul, bringing fresh character design to larger-than-ever tracks (each of which can be explored off-road), the game will allow for 24-player races.
Major Switch 1 Games Are Coming to Switch 2 With Improved Performance and Added Content
Nintendo has announced that select Switch 1 games will receive enhanced versions on the Switch 2, but players will need to pay for the upgrades. While the new console is expected to improve performance for older titles, Nintendo is also rolling out official Switch 2 Editions of certain games, available as standalone physical releases or as upgrade packs for existing owners. Pricing for these upgrades has yet to be revealed.
All Characters Currently Confirmed For Mario Kart World On Nintendo Switch 2
With the new details on Mario Kart World revealed at the Switch 2 Direct, the subject of confirmed characters is of particular interest. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe managed to expand its lifetime greatly via its track and driver DLC releases, which added new faces to the existing roster. MK8 Deluxe also brought in guest characters from other Nintendo franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. This time around, it seems as if Mario Kart World will be focusing on fleshing out the roster with some lesser-known characters.
All Racers Confirmed To Be Returning From Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Mario
- Luigi
- Princess Peach
- Princess Daisy
- Wario
- Waluigi
- Bowser
- Toad
- Toadette
- Yoshi
- Rosalina
- Pauline
- Shy Guy
- Koopa Troopa
- Bowser Jr.
- Birdo
- Donkey Kong
- Baby Mario
- Baby Luigi
- Baby Peach
- Baby Daisy
- Baby Rosalina
- King Boo
- Lakitu
- Dry Bones
Almost every character from Mario Kart 8 has been confirmed for Mario Kart World, with some notable exceptions. The Koopalings are notably absent, as are Wiggler, Petey Piranha, and Mario Kart 8's guest characters. Metallic and Power-Up variants of characters are also missing, though this may be explained by the new costumes racers can wear—with more variants than ever before poised to be available.
Mario Kart World will get its own Direct on April 17, which could confirm the return of missing characters or reveal even more new faces.
All New Characters Currently Confirmed For Mario Kart World
- Goomba
- Spike
- Cataquack
- Pokey
- Chargin' Chuck
- Nabbit
- Monty Mole
- Hammer Bro
- Moo-Moo
- Pianta
- Para-Biddybud
- Stingby
- Penguin
- Cheep-Cheep
- Conkdor
- Snowman
- Sidestepper
- Peepa
- Swoop
- Dolphin
- Coin Coffer
- Fish Bone
- Rocky Wrench
- Piranha Plant
Almost all of these characters are completely new to the Mario Kart series, except for Hammer Bro, Monty Mole, Nabbit, and Chargin' Chuck—all of whom were previously featured in the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. This cast of minion-level characters follows the trend of Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa, fleshing out the roster with figures in the franchise that could easily go overlooked.
This slate of characters is a veritable who's-who of background NPCs and minor enemies from all over the Mario franchise. Goomba and Piranha Plant are clear picks, especially with the latter's appearance in Smash Ultimate, but others are far more obscure. The lesser-known picks here range from as old as Super Mario World's Swoop to as new as Super Mario 3D World's Conkdor.
Even older than Super Mario World, however, is the Sidestepper. Sidesteppers are the crabs that were featured all the way back in the original Mario Bros., and have had a very limited presence since. It's great to see this classic foe get some spotlight and be introduced to a whole new generation of fans.
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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
