Mario Kart World: the never-before-seen racing game finally released on Nintendo Switch 2, our review

Sharpen your reflexes, and step on the gas: it's time to break some friendships... Again. The new Mario Kart game was released on June 5, 2025, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Unveiled at Nintendo Direct, Mario Kart World promises even more exceptional circuits, and brand-new gameplay elements that are set to revolutionize the game.

The trailer for Mario Kart World:

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi and the rest are back on the racetrack in Mario Kart World. New worlds are yours to explore at top speed, with your karts, boats and motorcycles. Jungle, desert, city, water or snow-covered mountain, there's a wide variety of tracks, each with its own traps and shortcuts.

This new game, eagerly awaited by Mario fans, should appeal to beginners and experienced drivers alike: in this brand-new title, you can use the scenery and environment around you to your advantage. Want to avoid bananas on the track? Climb fences or electric wires! Too many people on earth? Drive over walls. With a little imagination and a lot of talent, the race standings can be overturned in no time...

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But the real novelty of this game lies in its open world! Gone are the days of invisible boundaries and clear-cut paths: you're free to explore each world with your kart in the Ride mode. This mode is also available in multiplayer.

In Grand Prix mode, players compete in four races... But also during the journeys that link these four worlds together! With 24 players at the starting line, the competition promises to be tougher than ever. To accompany you on the track, you'll find iconic characters from the saga, as well as some new ones, such as Goomba, Spike, the Penguin...

Survival mode (also new) lets you embark on a solo adventure. Roll across the map, from world to world, and stay on top of the leaderboard to avoid being knocked out of the adventure.

On the gameplay side, there are also some unusual moves and techniques, such as the charged jump, which offers a speed boost, or the grind on scenery elements. The most astonishing feature is the"rewind" function: rewind time by a few seconds to succeed in a failed action. Be careful, though: other players keep moving forward while you rewind. Make sure the bonus to be caught is worth it.

Our review of Mario Kart World:

We were able to test the new two-player racing game in local multiplayer, on Nintendo Switch 2, for just over 1h30. We played the game on TV - we haven't yet tested it with the console in handheld mode.

Joycon in hand, eyes riveted to the road, we rediscovered the sensations and emotions of this new-generation Mario Kart. The game is very fluid and colorful, and the graphics are of the highest quality on the Switch 2.

The new tracks are very cool, taking in many elements of the extended Mario universe, and taking us on a race around the world. We're equally at home in snow, sand, water, the heart of a city or a haunted cinema... Even in space! And you'll have a lot of fun exploring all these different settings, thanks to the Ride mode.

The classic Grand Prix mode changes little from previous versions. The new objects are original and bring a new dimension to the gameplay, with surprise elements that can turn the game on its head. It's worth noting that we didn't test the game with a large number of players: lost in the crowd of 24 drivers, the experience can perhaps be frustrating.

Survival mode, a new feature in this opus, is a pleasant surprise, and a challenge much appreciated by the team. The circuits follow one another with fluidity (to the point where you're sometimes not sure you've moved on to the next race). Race laps are never the same, forcing players to adapt and not rest on their laurels. The fact that you have to stay at the top of the list to be able to continue the competition and reach the end of the race provides a pleasant challenge, and makes for some intense racing at times!

Of course, we also tried out the Ride mode, which is great for driving around aimlessly and relaxing, or for testing the limits of the game and breaking everything. Challenges are hidden throughout the circuits. This mode also gives us time to explore worlds, finding shortcuts, unusual characters and scenery... The open world means you can move from one circuit to another without any obvious boundaries, as if the map were one big world.

All in all, we had no unpleasant surprises on this first test. No bugs, no frustrating limitations, just a pleasant new world to explore. A very good game for fans of the genre and of Nintendo and Mario, a good introduction to racing games for neophytes. And a fun game for friends, as Nintendo knows how to do.