Mario Kart World

With 68.2 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the most successful game on Switch, and Nintendo aims to build on this huge success with Mario Kart World for Switch 2.

Mario Kart World is the biggest game in the series to date, with players able to race through a vast open world for the first time in the series' history, where everything is connected.

Races take place in various regions across the continent, featuring dynamic weather conditions and changing times of day. New courses and tracks from previous Mario Kart games also await players on this continent. Players can explore the entire world alone or with friends, either locally or online, and it is all one big racetrack. Despite the new open world, Grand Prix mode remains the same, in which players must complete four consecutive races. The various cups are held across the continent, and, for the first time, drivers must travel between tracks. In the first race of the Mushroom Cup, for example, players compete on the Mario Bros. track for victory. They then move on to the next course, competing in the second race en route to the third race on the Crown Metropolis course.

Next up is the Knockout Tour game mode: a non-stop transcontinental rally. Drivers reach several checkpoints during the race, and if they are below the displayed limit when they pass, they are eliminated. Up to 24 players can take part in Grand Prix and Knockout Tour.

Away from the races, there is also plenty to do in Mario Kart World. In Free Ride mode, drivers can explore the countryside off the track, drive to the sea to take photos, discover secrets such as hidden coins or take on missions. Last but not least, Battle Mode is back. In Balloon Battle, players must pop their opponents' balloons using items. In Coin Racer mode, players must collect as many coins as possible.

New techniques such as the Power Jump are also introduced. This move enables players to grind on rails, dodge attacks, and perform wall jumps. Skilled kart drivers may even be able to combine wall jumps to discover hidden routes. If a jump goes wrong in one of the single-player modes, players can reset while their opponents' time continues to run normally. Those who don't have much experience can make use of various assistance features. Smart steering, for example, keeps drivers on the course and, just like auto-acceleration and motion controls, can be switched on and off as needed at any time.