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Considering that Mario Kart 8 is one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch, it isn’t a surprise that Nintendo opened up their Nintendo Switch 2 Direct with news that there is a new Mario Kart game in the works. Mario Kart World is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and it is opening up a whole new world.

As you’d expect from a new Mario Kart entry, Mario Kart World features bigger and better tracks to explore. Each race will feature a total of 24 racers, the most ever in the series, and it will give players a chance to go off-road for the first time. This makes Mario Kart World the first open-world game in the series, allowing you to fully explore the wacky environments we all know and love from the series. We want to know what is at the bottom of the Rainbow Road and we bet you do too.

The ability to take our racers off-road is something we didn’t know we needed. It unlocks the potential for more creative ways to race and encourages players to find the weirdest, most broken ways to complete a track. If there is one thing that all racing games need, it is the ability to get creative with how we complete tracks. Plus, the ability to explore the world in between races means we can practice all the weird shortcuts we find without feeling rushed.

Mario Kart World is launching with the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025 and is giving the iconic racing series a more open-world feel than it has ever had before.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.