Mario Kart World's open-world doesn't work as well as intended, but the new battle royale style Knockout Tour delivers a great new way to play.

Knockout Tour in Mario Kart World features a challenging race where the bottom racers are eliminated at each checkpoint. Some Knockout Tour cups are more enjoyable than others, with distinctive starting points and tough finales.

Mario Kart World’s most intense mode ditches tradition for pure survival, turning every race into a gauntlet of pressure, pace, and elimination.

Mario Kart World was tested on Nintendo Switch 2. Pokémon Legends: Z-A will arrive on October 16, 2025, but pre-orders begin on June 5. The Pokémon Company also announced new Mega Evolution merchandise (available now on the Pokémon Center) and confirmed the Pokémon Presents presentation coming July 22.

As with every previous instalment of the Mario Kart series, Grand Prix offers Mario Kart World players a selection of eight Cups, each made up of four tracks each for racers to compete for first place. The Cups and tracks available in Mario Kart World are as follows:

Mario Kart World handles its tracks a bit differently to previous games, grouping its circuits together differently depending on which mode you're playing. Grand Prix mode will collect sets of four tracks into a Cup, while on the other hand, Knockout Tour connects six tracks together into a Rally.

Spotted by IGN, an account on X called Ninjinaut showcased the Mirror Mode Easter egg in Free Roam for Mario Kart World. The video sees Baby Rosalina jumping into the window, which is a direct callback to Super Mario 64's mechanic for accessing new worlds.

To join friends online in Mario Kart World, you need to do the following: Make sure all players have a Nintendo Switch Online Membership. You can't play online games without them. One player goes to the main menu of Mario Kart World and selects "Online Play".

If you've managed to nab yourself a Switch 2 and are busy with Mario Kart World, know that Smart Steering controls are on by default.