Mario Kart World
American box art For alternate box art, see therelated gallery.
Developers	Nintendo EPD[1] Monolith Soft 1-UP Studio Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform	Nintendo Switch 2
Release dates	June 5, 2025[2] June 5, 2025[3] June 5, 2025[4] June 5, 2025[5] June 5, 2025[6] June 5, 2025[7] June 5, 2025[8] June 5, 2025[9] June 5, 2025[10] June 5, 2025[11] June 5, 2025[12] June 5, 2025[13] June 5, 2025[14][15] June 5, 2025[16] June 5, 2025[17] June 5, 2025[18] June 5, 2025[19] June 5, 2025[20] June 26, 2025[21] June 26, 2025[22] June 26, 2025[23] July 3, 2025[24] July 10, 2025[25] September 17, 2025[26]
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Polish[A] Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Europe) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Racing
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[27] CERO: - All ages[3] PEGI: - Three years and older[8] USK: - All ages[28] ClassInd: - General audience[29] SMECCV: - All ages[30] Gmedia: - Three years and older[31] GRAC: - All ages[4] GSRR: - Six years and older[25] UAEMC: - Three years and older[32] ACB: - General[33] FPB: - Parental guidance[34]
Modes	Single player Multiplayer (2–4 players) Local Wireless Play (2–16 players) Online Play (2–24 players) LAN Play (2–24 players)
Format	Nintendo Switch 2: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch 2: Joy-Con 2 Joy-Con Joy-Con 2 (horizontal) Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

“A world of racing awaits”

—Game tagline

Mario Kart World is a racing game in theMario Kart series, released worldwide for theNintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. Initially teased during the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal trailer on January 16, 2025, the game was properly revealed during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation on April 2, 2025. It is the sixteenth entry in theMario Kart series, the first newMario Kart title since 2020'sMario Kart Live: Home Circuit, as well as the first original flagship entry in the series for a console since 2014'sMario Kart 8. It is also the firstMario Kart game to be a launch title for its console.

The game's roster marked the playable debut of many enemies from across the series, includingCataquack,Swoop, andConkdor, among many more. Altogether, this game features the most brand new playable character additions to theMario Kart series to date. Two new in-game modes were also added: Knockout Tour and Free Roam. The art style of the game's characters has changed to further resemble 2D illustrations drawn byShigehisa Nakaue, much like the in-game look ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.

The game was covered during the Nintendo Treehouse: Live events on April 3 and 4, 2025.^[35][36] A dedicated Nintendo Direct for the game titled the "Mario Kart World Direct" broadcast on April 17, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. UTC / 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET.^[37]

Mario Kart World is one of the first two Nintendo-published games to be localized in Polish (the other beingDonkey Kong Bananza), with support added in version 1.5.0 on January 21, 2026.^[38][39]

Gameplay

New features

Races now have 24 racers, doubling from the 12 seen inMario Kart Wii,Mario Kart 8, andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, tripling from the eight seen in the other entries, and quadrupling the six from the arcade series. Players receive points in racing as before, with some positions receiving the same number of points, makingMario Kart World the firstMario Kart game where racers who finished in different places received the same number of points sinceMario Kart: Super Circuit, when 5th-8th place were all awarded zero points.

Althoughunderwater driving (introduced inMario Kart 7) andanti-gravity (fromMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe) do not return, gliding does, withgliders being replaced by retractable wings on the vehicles. When going over water, the wheels of all vehicles change into water skis, allowing them to float on the surface of the water. Both of these mechanics create a comparable vehicle system toDiddy Kong Racing andDiddy Kong Racing DS.

Many new mechanics are introduced in this game: when holding down the button after ahop without turning, players can charge up aCharge Jump instead of initiating adrift. After such a jump, the player is granted a small speed boost similar to aMini-Turbo. The jumps can be charged, yielding blue, then yellow, then rainbow sparks, with longer charges granting a longer-lasting boost after landing, similarly to drifting. Vehicles can nowWall Ride byJump Boosting or Charge Jumping onto walls, andRail Ride ongrindrails^{[conjectural]} and other thin platforms to quickly charge upMini-Turbos. A newRewind feature has also been added, which allows the player to rewind their position to where they were before. However, this feature does not rewind the other racers and can only be used in Free Roam or in solo races and Time Trials.

Unlike previous installments, all of the courses in the game take place in a large, open world, connected via the newly introducedroutes, which are long, non-looping tracks filled with various hazards that connect from one course to another during races.

Players are able to enter large vehicles scattered around the world marked with question marks, and temporarily control them from the inside. The vehicles available to control arecargo trucks, boats, helicopters, andUFOs.

Visually, the game is the first entry in the series, and the firstSuper Mario game overall, that can be played in resolutions higher than 1080p.

Controls

Action(s)
	/
Steer
Accelerate /Rocket Start
Brake / Reverse
Item / Horn / Taunt	/
Drift / Hop /Trick /Charge Jump	/
Rear view
Pause menu
Photo Mode
Rewind
Move camera
Retry Mission(Free Roam)
Open map(Free Roam)

Game modes

Grand Prix

Grand Prix returns as the main game mode from previous games, where the player races through four courses of a cup in a chosen engine class (50cc, 100cc, 150cc, or the unlockable Mirror Mode) to attain the most points, with higher placements yielding more points. However, the format of the Grand Prix has been changed significantly from previous games. Now, only the first race of a cup follows the traditional multiple-lap format. The last three races follow a sectioned format instead, with the first two sections (or more in certain cases) of the race taking place acrossroutes that transition from the previous course to the next, while the final section consists of one lap of that next course.

Initially, only seven out of the eight cups are available in Grand Prix. Once a trophy has been obtained in all of them, a cutscene will play showing the seven trophies appearing atAcorn Heights and combining into theSpecial Cup trophy. The trophy will then fly across the sky with a rainbow trail behind it, much to the surprise of some of the racers. The trophy will then fly towards the Crown Bridge and immediately upwards, where it materializes into Rainbow Road offscreen. The Special Cup will then be unlocked for play.

Like in past games, the player is able to get up to three stars in addition to a trophy in a Grand Prix. LikeMario Kart 7,Mario Kart 8, andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, the stars are purely based on points, with the player getting all three stars by getting 60 points, which is done by getting first place in all four races.

As officially confirmed by Nintendo in a "Thank you for playing!" email sent to players,^[40] Mirror Mode is unlocked by:

• Playing the first seven cups in Grand Prix on 150cc (Nintendo's email erroneously states that all eight cups must be played in Grand Prix before replaying the Special Cup)
• Playing all eight rallies in Knockout Tour on 150cc (with clearing checkpoints being optional)
• Completing 10P Switch missions in Free Roam
• Activating 10? Panels in Free Roam
• Collecting 10Peach Medallions in Free Roam
• Only after all of the above have been completed, the player must finish the Special Cup on 150cc to unlock it, including replaying the Special Cup if it has already been completed.

Once all of the criteria have been fulfilled, a cutscene will play where a rainbow-colored light will travel into the stained glass onthe castle inPeach Stadium. After a flash of light, the design on the stained glass will appear mirrored, and Mario will notice that the "L" on Luigi's cap is mirrored as well, and the two will then celebrate. Mirror Mode will then be unlocked.

UnlikeMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, progress made on a cup in Mirror Mode counts for other engine classes as well, a feature that only applied to 100cc and 150cc in the aforementioned two games.

Due to the increased racer count, 7th, 8th and 9th place are not considered losing places. Below is a chart of the point spread inMario Kart World:

Knockout Tour

Knockout Tour is a new all-out battle mode where players race over consecutive courses and routes across the open world and are eliminated at a specific checkpoint if they are in the last four places. Unlike races, there are no breaks in between, as players who qualify for the next race will simply continue in it.

Knockout Tour consists ofrallies rather than cups, with each of the eight rallies having six checkpoints within. Unlike the Grand Prix, Knockout Tour focuses primarily on the routes between the courses. The first five races take place on a continuous path, with each checkpoint eliminating the players that place in the bottom four of the group. For the final race, the last four players standing will race a lap around the final course.

Like in Grand Prix, there are up to three stars that can be obtained in each rally. Similar to Grand Prix requiring a first-place finish in every race to obtain three stars, the player must place first at every checkpoint of a rally to get three stars in it.

Names in other languages

Free Roam

A map of all the roads used for courses,routes, andrallies (black), water areas used for routes (light blue), roads exclusively used in Free Roam (light green), andtrain tracks (red)

Free Roam is an open-world adventure mode where one or multiple players can freely explore any course, both on- and off-road. As displayed in the HUD when viewing the world map in this mode,P Switches,? Panels, andPeach Medallions appear as discoverable objects, all of which award the player with stickers. P Switches activatemissions reminiscent of the Missions mode fromMario Kart DS and bonus challenges fromMario Kart Tour. In total, Free Roam contains 394 P Switches, 150 ? Panels, and 200 Peach Medallions. CPU drivers can also be encountered in Free Roam; the main characters drive around locations indicated by the map, and three random NPC characters can be found driving around the race courses. CPUs also appear as challengers in certain P Switch missions. Once Mirror Mode is unlocked, the player can drive through the stained glass on either the front or back of the castle inPeach Stadium to mirror the entire world map in Free Roam.

Names in other languages

Time Trials

Time Trials return and function the same as they have previously. Players drive through a selected course to complete it as fast as possible. Like in previous games, players can race againstghost times set by other players online. Staff ghosts return under the same name prefixes as inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, those being "Nin★". Like withMario Kart Tour, lap/section splits are no longer available on the results screen, and are only shown on the timer after each lap/section, with the final split never shown.

VS Race

VS Race allows up to four players to play together locally and sixteen players to play wirelessly with custom rules.

The settings available in VS Race are:

• Class: The engine class the races will be played in.
• Teams: Determines whether races are played in teams or individually. Unlike previous games, it is now possible to play in three teams of eight racers each or four teams of six, in addition to only two teams of 12.
• Items: Sets the item balance, with "Normal" containing regular item balance and "Frantic" giving chaotic items more frequently. The version 1.2.0 update also added the "Mushrooms Only" option, which only gives Mushroom-based items. The version 1.4.0 update reintroduced "Custom Items" fromMario Kart 8 Deluxe, allowing players to manually select which items appear, though unlike last time, items cannot be set for specific teams in team races.
• COM Difficulty: Sets the difficulty of computer racers, with the available options being "Easy", "Normal", and "Hard", or "No COM", which removes all computer racers. The latter option was initially only available in multiplayer, but was made available for single player as well, starting in version 1.2.0.
• Course Selection: Determines how courses are selected:
  • "Open" allows the player to select any course, including whether to play with routes or not.
  • In "Connected", the first race is chosen similarly to "Open", but after that, the player can only select from three courses that connect from the previous course, and the race will involve traversing the route to the next course. Occasionally, one to two of those options will be replaced by the option to play a track in the traditional lap-style. The player can also select a random course, which may pick from one of the previously given courses with routes, or select a random course without routes.
  • "Random" has racers playing on a random course, which will also randomly choose whether it is played with laps or routes.
• Race Count: Select the number of races played. The player is able to select three, four, five, six, eight, 12, 16, or 32 races.

Several of the routes in VS Race give the destination course unique layouts compared to Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, and Time Trials, such as reverse layouts, combined layouts, or completely new layouts.

Battle

Battle modes return, though as inMario Kart Wii andMario Kart 7, there are only two battle modes to choose from:Balloon Battle andCoin Runners. The settings for Battle mode are similar to VS Race, but engine class cannot be set (as all battles are played in 50cc), only "Open" and "Random" are available in course selection, and the number of rounds has a maximum of eight, as opposed to the 32 races in VS Race. Additionally, when using "Custom Items", turning off every item causes theMushroom to automatically turn on, while turning off every item except for theBlooper and/orDash Food causes theGreen Shell to automatically turn on. Matches have a set three-minute timer present during battles, which is non-adjustable like inMario Kart Wii.

Balloon Battle

Balloon Battle has been reverted to the elimination/point hybrid system used inMario Kart 8, where players gain points by hitting other opponents, and all of the points they gained will be added to their total score if they survive until the end. UnlikeMario Kart 8, if the player loses all of their balloons, they are not only eliminated from the game, but their score is also nullified, meaning that they get last place and do not get any points for the round.

Like inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, players start with five balloons rather than three like in other games. Defeated players do not continue being able to use items like inMario Kart 8. In local and online multiplayer, players can instead continue watching their opponents play, much like if they get eliminated in Knockout Tour.

Coin Runners

Coin Runners functions similarly to its previous appearances, where the objective is to collect the most coins when the time limit expires while avoiding getting hit, which will cause the player to lose coins. However, similar toMario Kart 7's version of Coin Runners, there is a limit to the number of coins the player can collect, that being 20. Once the time is up, the number of coins the player collected will be added to their total point tally.

Online Play

Online multiplayer returns from previousMario Kart games and allows one or two people to play with others over the Internet. Four modes are available: Race, Knockout Tour, Battle, and Friends. Race, Knockout Tour, and Battle feature random match-ups with players from around the world. The player has a separate score (similar toVersus Rating from previous titles) for each mode, starting with 3000 and gaining points for their performance in each race or battle. If playing with two players, the second player will not have a score kept.

• In Race, course selection is based on the "Connected" option seen in VS Race. After all players in the room have chosen a course, one player's choice is selected at random along with a random engine class.
• In Knockout Tour, a random rally in a random engine class is chosen and played.
• In Battle, the player can select from one of three battle courses, after which a course, along with either Balloon Battle or Coin Runners, is selected at random.

Friends

The Friends mode allows the player(s) to create or join a room, or view their battle history with people in their friends list. When creating a friend room, the host is able to set the rules of the room, including whether the mode played is a VS Race, Knockout Tour, Balloon Battle, or Coin Runners. In the settings, players can determine how long they will wait on the Free Roam map between races/battles through the "intermission" setting, with the options being 10 seconds, one minute, or five minutes. Course selection in VS Race will initially appear as in worldwide matches. However, pressing on the course selection screen will instead toggle the "Open" course selection screen seen in offline VS Race. In Knockout Tour and Battle, the player is able to select any rally or battle course, respectively, they want to play on, which will then be chosen randomly among the players' choices.

In all online modes, players can roam the world before and between matches. Unlike in the offline Free Roam mode, P Switches do not appear in these free roam lobbies, though players can still collect ? Panels and Peach Medallions, which will count towards their own totals.

Characters

The game has a total of 50 racers, with 32 being available from the start and 18 being unlockable. Of the total racers, 30 return from past installments and 20 are new (labeled inbold), most of whom are also playable for the first time in a video game overall, excludingGoomba,Piranha Plant,Pianta,Spike, andDolphin, as well asCheep Cheep andCoin Coffer ifcaptures inSuper Mario Odyssey are counted, andSidestepper ifMystery Mushroomcostumes inSuper Mario Maker are counted. Additionally,Nabbit,Hammer Bro,Chargin' Chuck, andMonty Mole are playable for the first time in a consoleMario Kart game following their debuts inMario Kart Tour. Excluding arcade games andMario Kart Live: Home Circuit, this is the first game in theMario Kart series since the introduction ofMii characters on theWii to not feature them as playable characters. This is also the first game to featureDonkey Kong's 2025 redesign outside of profile icons.

Twenty-six drivers in this game are part of a sub-category of drivers referred to as "NPC drivers"^[56] during development. These consist of all twenty newcomers, as well as six returning characters:Dry Bones,Wiggler, Hammer Bro, Chargin' Chuck, Nabbit, and Monty Mole. All appear in the game as either background characters, obstacles during races, or hazards in Free Roam. During races, theKamek item can transform drivers into various characters from this group, while in some cases, many members of that species will appear on the race track. Unlike the main roster, NPC drivers lack any alternate outfits, with Dash Food only providing them with a speed boost.

Default drivers

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Peach

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Toad

• 

  Koopa Troopa

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Wario

• 

  Waluigi

• 

  Pauline

• 

  Baby Mario

• 

  Baby Luigi

• 

  Baby Peach

• 

  Baby Daisy

• 

  Toadette

• 

  Baby Rosalina

• 

  Shy Guy

• 

  Nabbit

• 

  Piranha Plant

• 

  Hammer Bro

• 

  Monty Mole*

• 

  Goomba

• 

  Sidestepper*

• 

  Cheep Cheep*

• 

  Dry Bones

• 

  Wiggler

• 

  Pokey*

• 

  Cow*

• 

  Stingby*

• 

  Snowman*

• 

  Penguin*

• 

  Para-Biddybud*

* - Originally unlockable, but made default starting in Version 1.1.0

Unlockable drivers

• 

  Daisy

• 

  Rosalina

• 

  Lakitu

• 

  Bowser Jr.

• 

  Birdo

• 

  King Boo

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Spike

• 

  Cataquack

• 

  Pianta

• 

  Rocky Wrench

• 

  Conkdor

• 

  Peepa

• 

  Swoop

• 

  Fish Bone

• 

  Coin Coffer

• 

  Dolphin

• 

  Chargin' Chuck

Character outfits

For a list of outfit names in other languages, seeList of Mario Kart World outfit names in other languages.

Returning fromMario Kart Tour is the ability to equip the main 24 characters with various types of outfits. 103 total outfits are included in the game, with some outfits using designs seen previously in games such asMario Kart Tour andSuper Mario Odyssey. Outfits are obtained after eatingDash Food, with characters having up to nine outfits. Outfits have their own slot on the character selection screen, unlike inMario Kart 8 and itsport (except forTanooki Mario andCat Peach). Consuming Dash Food unlocks outfits for use anytime, and the type of food the player uses determines the outfit the character wears.

Mario

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Mechanic

• 

  Dune Rider

• 

  Cowboy

• 

  Sightseeing

• 

  Aviator

• 

  Happi

• 

  All-Terrain

Luigi

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Mechanic

• 

  Oasis

• 

  Farmer

• 

  Happi

• 

  All-Terrain

• 

  Gondolier

Peach

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Farmer

• 

  Sightseeing

• 

  Aviator

• 

  Yukata

• 

  Aero

• 

  Vacation

Daisy

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Oasis

• 

  Swimwear

• 

  Aero

• 

  Vacation

Yoshi

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Aristocrat

• 

  Soft Server

• 

  Biker

• 

  Swimwear

• 

  Matsuri

• 

  Food Slinger

Donkey Kong

• 

  All-Terrain

Bowser

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Supercharged

• 

  Biker

• 

  All-Terrain

Bowser Jr.

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Biker Jr.

• 

  Explorer

Koopa Troopa

• 

  Runner

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Sailor

• 

  All-Terrain

• 

  Work Crew

Toad

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Engineer

• 

  Burger Bud

• 

  Explorer

Toadette

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Conductor

• 

  Soft Server

• 

  Explorer

Lakitu

• 

  Pit Crew

• 

  Fisherman

King Boo

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Aristocrat

• 

  Pirate

Shy Guy

• 

  Pit Crew

• 

  Slope Styler

Wario

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Oasis

• 

  Wicked Wasp

• 

  Biker

• 

  Pirate

• 

  Road Ruffian

• 

  Work Crew

Waluigi

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Wampire

• 

  Mariachi

• 

  Biker

• 

  Road Ruffian

Birdo

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Vacation

Pauline

• 

  Aero

Rosalina

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Aurora

• 

  Aero

Baby Mario

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Swimwear

• 

  Work Crew

Baby Luigi

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Work Crew

Baby Peach

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Sailor

• 

  Explorer

Baby Daisy

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Sailor

• 

  Explorer

Baby Rosalina

• 

  Touring

• 

  Pro Racer

• 

  Sailor

• 

  Explorer

Unlock criteria

Vehicles

A sticker on Luigi'sBaby Blooper kart

The stickers menu

Karts,bikes, andATVs all return inMario Kart World, the latter two following their absence inMario Kart Tour. In the case of bikes,standard bikes return whilesport bikes do not. Kart customization as seen inMario Kart 7 andMario Kart 8 does not return, with the vehicles in this game instead sporting a unique wheel design, and some lacking wheels entirely in favor oftreads orskis. Like the aforementioned two games, however, vehicles are unlocked by collecting a certain number of coins. Despite ATVs returning, theStandard ATV does not. TheGold Standard fromMario Kart 7,Mario Kart 8,Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, andMario Kart Tour does not return.

Players can also customize vehicles withstickers, decals that can be earned by completing certain objectives and placed on a specific spot on their vehicle, indicated by a pair of checkered flags as depicted in the vehicle's selection icon. There are 1,056 stickers, 39 of which are available from the start.

There are 40 vehicles in the game, including 23 karts, 11 bikes, and six ATVs, allowing for a total of 6,120 character-vehicle combinations. Vehicles returning from previous installments are marked with their corresponding game in parentheses.

11 vehicles (six karts, four bikes, and one ATV) are available from the start, while the rest, labeled inbold, must be unlocked.

Karts

• 

  Standard Kart

• 

  Rally Kart

• 

  Plushbuggy

• 

  Baby Blooper

• 

  Zoom Buggy

• 

  Chargin' Truck

• 

  Hot Rod

• 

  Ribbit Revster

• 

  Roadster Royale

• 

  B Dasher
  (Mario Kart DS)

• 

  Biddybuggy
  Buggybud
  (Mario Kart 8)

• 

  Tiny Titan
  Rally Romper
  (Mario Kart Wii)

• 

  Stellar Sled

• 

  Reel Racer

• 

  Bumble V
  (Mario Kart 7)

• 

  Carpet Flyer

• 

  Cloud 9
  (Mario Kart 7)

• 

  Blastronaut III

• 

  Big Horn

• 

  Li'l Dumpy

• 

  Mecha Trike

• 

  Pipe Frame
  (Super Mario Kart)

• 

  Billdozer

Bikes

• 

  Standard Bike

• 

  Rally Bike

• 

  Cute Scoot

• 

  Mach Rocket

• 

  Hyper Pipe

• 

  Tune Thumper

• 

  W-Twin Chopper

• 

  Fin Twin

• 

  R.O.B. H.O.G.

• 

  Dolphin Dasher
  (Mario Kart Wii)

• 

  Loco Moto

ATVs

• 

  Funky Dorrie

• 

  Junkyard Hog

• 

  Lobster Roller

• 

  Dread Sled

• 

  Rallygator

• 

  Bowser Bruiser

CPU combinations

All characters in the game, including character outfits, can be used by CPUs. Each of these characters has four different vehicles that they can use as CPUs, two of which are always theStandard Kart andStandard Bike. Here are the remaining two vehicles used by each character as a CPU.

Drivers' and vehicles' statistics

UnlikeMario Kart 7,Mario Kart 8, andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, 1 statistic point equals 0.2 statistic bars in-game instead of 0.25 bars, making 5 points instead of 4 points equal 1 bar. The statistics below are listed in points.

*The lightest (Baby Peach,Baby Daisy,Para-Biddybud, andSwoop) and heaviest (Bowser) driver weight classes receive adjustments to their statistics of -1 point (-0.2 bars) of speed and +1 point (+0.2 bars) of handling when using theRally Kart,Zoom Buggy,Hot Rod,Ribbit Revster,Roadster Royale,B Dasher,Bumble V,Carpet Flyer,Cloud 9,Funky Dorrie, orStellar Sled.^[57] It is unknown if the aforementioned adjustments are applied to the driver and/or vehicle, but here are the adjustments applied to the vehicles:

Courses

The game's interconnected world map. Clicking on a course icon will lead to its respective article.

An overhead shot of the full map.

Counting courses with multiple variants together,Mario Kart World has 30 courses, 16 of which arenew, while 14return from previous entries. In addition to the 30 courses, there are 202routes connecting them all. Routes cause a track to function similarly to sectioned courses, driving two to four sections to the track before playing one lap of the destination course. The 14 returning courses consist of one course that debuted in bothMario Kart Tour and theMario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, two courses each fromSuper Mario Kart,Mario Kart 64,Mario Kart: Double Dash!!,Mario Kart Wii, andMario Kart 7, and three courses fromMario Kart DS. One of the courses fromSuper Mario Kart,Mario Circuit, is a combined version of multiple courses from that game, which can be driven through individually from certain routes. No courses from eitherMario Kart: Super Circuit orMario Kart 8 return, marking a series first for the former game, and the second instance for the latter game afterMario Kart Tour. This is the firstMario Kart game sinceMario Kart Wii to not have a classic Rainbow Road, and the first game where Mario Circuit is only present as a classic course.

Two new courses,Crown City andPeach Stadium, are used twice in Grand Prix with different layouts; when played without routes, Crown City combines both of its Grand Prix layouts (with its Shell Cup and third layouts being significantly cut and the former driven in reverse), while Peach Stadium exclusively uses its Special Cup layout. Certain routes may cause Peach Stadium's Shell Cup layout to be mirrored.Shy Guy Bazaar and the aforementioned Crown City have additional layouts exclusive to VS Races when approaching from certain routes; approaching Shy Guy Bazaar fromWario Stadium orAirship Fortress will take players onto a layout featuring a palace withDaisy's emblem adjacent to the bazaar, while Crown City has a third layout in the nearby water if approached from Peach Stadium (except in theIce Rally), as well asMoo Moo Meadows, orChoco Mountain.

Peach Beach returns as a lap-section hybrid course, with lap 1 taking place through the original layout, with a new layout for sections 2 and 3; all routes leading to Peach Beach only utilize the new sections. Certain routes toMario Bros. Circuit,Desert Hills, Wario Stadium,DK Pass,Koopa Troopa Beach, and Moo Moo Meadows lead to the course being driven backwards, similarly to reverse courses fromMario Kart Tour; in these cases, the minimap for the destination course will be flipped upside-down (except for Desert Hills and Moo Moo Meadows in the case of their routes from Mario Bros. Circuit and Peach Stadium respectively). Unlike previous games having a set skybox for each course, each course in the game (exceptRainbow Road) has four different skyboxes for sunrise, daytime, sunset, and nighttime, which may progress when driving through routes and laps.

Classic courses in this game (marked with their origin game's prefix below) have been revamped to an even greater extent than that ofMario Kart 8, with some bearing even less resemblance to the original courses as they appeared in previous games. While most of the classic courses present had already appeared as such in previous games,Wario Stadium,Sky-High Sundae, andToad's Factory appear as classic courses for the first time in the series. Unlike inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart Tour, all classic courses use the modernMario Kart logo for their finish lines, regardless of what game they originated from. This is the firstMario Kart game sinceMario Kart: Super Circuit to not have prefixes appended to the names of any of the classic race courses, and the first for battle courses sinceMario Kart DS.

Main section:Course (Mario Kart series) § Mission courses

While not playable as traditional race courses, nineteenP Switchmissions, found in Free Roam have the player complete one to three laps around a dedicated path before the time runs out, with rings along the way to increase time. Seven of these courses come fromSuper Mario Kart, and are referred to as "tributes" in their descriptions.

Courses with differing names between British English and American English (i.e.Wario Shipyard) once again use their respective name depending on the game's region, unlike inMario Kart Tour.

Grand Prix

The cups are ordered slightly differently compared to previous entries; the Special Cup is the eighth and last cup in the game, rather than the fourth. Unlike previous games sinceMario Kart DS, the cups are also not separated between new and classic courses and instead feature a varying amount of both types of courses, similar toMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC cups, making this the firstMario Kart game to lack the distinction between cups, excludingMario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Apart from the rotating cups inMario Kart Tour, this is the secondMario Kart game afterMario Kart 8 Deluxe to have cups with multiple classic courses from the same game, as theFlower,Banana, andLightning Cups have two tracks fromMario Kart DS,Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, andMario Kart Wii, respectively, and it is the first entry to have this distinction from launch.

In Grand Prix, the first course in each cup is driven for three laps, while the remaining three utilize routes from the previous course. The backgrounds of the cup icons correspond to the region that some of the cup's courses are located in; for example, the Star Cup's icon has an icy background, as its courses are near or within the snow region. Unlike inMario Kart 7 and8, Grand Prix rivals are based on the cup the player is racing on, rather than the character they chose, and they will always use a specific vehicle. If the player is playing as the cup's rival character, however, then a random character will serve as the primary rival instead. The rivals are unlocked as characters after receiving a trophy in their respective cups.

Cup	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4	Rival/unlockable character + Used vehicle
Mushroom Cup	Mario Bros. Circuit	Crown City	Whistlestop Summit	DK Spaceport	Donkey Kong +Big Horn
Flower Cup	Desert Hills(DS)	Shy Guy Bazaar(3DS)	Wario Stadium(N64)	Airship Fortress(DS)	Daisy +Rally Bike
Star Cup	DK Pass(DS)	Starview Peak	Sky-High Sundae(Switch/Tour)	Wario Shipyard(3DS) Wario's Galleon	Rosalina +Stellar Sled
Shell Cup	Koopa Troopa Beach(SNES)	Faraway Oasis	Crown City	Peach Stadium	Lakitu +Cloud 9
Banana Cup	Peach Beach(GCN)	Salty Salty Speedway	Dino Dino Jungle(GCN)	Great ? Block Ruins	Birdo +Plushbuggy
Leaf Cup	Cheep Cheep Falls	Dandelion Depths	Boo Cinema	Dry Bones Burnout	King Boo +Reel Racer
Lightning Cup	Moo Moo Meadows(Wii)	Choco Mountain(N64)	Toad's Factory(Wii)	Bowser's Castle	Bowser Jr. +Mecha Trike
Special Cup	Acorn Heights	Mario Circuit(SNES)	Peach Stadium	Rainbow Road	N/A

Knockout Tour

The icons for each of the rallies correspond to a cup in Grand Prix in order, such as theIce Rally matching the Flower Cup using a flower, theCherry Rally matching the Banana Cup using fruit items, and theCloud Rally matching the Lightning Cup using sky-themed items. Apart from the Ice, Cloud, andHeart Rallies, the icons for the other rallies were previously used as cup icons in theMario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass. Of the courses available, Moo Moo Meadows, Cheep Cheep Falls, and Peach Stadium are visited the most frequently (three times each), while Rainbow Road is not visited at all.

Rally	Landmarks	Starting point	Checkpoint 1	Checkpoint 2	Checkpoint 3	Checkpoint 4	Final course
Golden Rally		Desert Hills(DS)	Mario Bros. Circuit	Choco Mountain(N64)	Moo Moo Meadows(Wii)	Mario Circuit(SNES)	Acorn Heights
Ice Rally		Sky-High Sundae(Switch/Tour)	Starview Peak	Dandelion Depths	Cheep Cheep Falls	Peach Stadium	Crown City
Moon Rally		Bowser's Castle	Toad's Factory(Wii)	Moo Moo Meadows(Wii)	Dandelion Depths	Cheep Cheep Falls	Faraway Oasis
Spiny Rally		Boo Cinema	Starview Peak	DK Pass(DS)	Salty Salty Speedway	Peach Beach(GCN)	Wario Shipyard(3DS)
Cherry Rally		Peach Beach(GCN)	Dino Dino Jungle(GCN)	Koopa Troopa Beach(SNES)	DK Spaceport	Whistlestop Summit	Desert Hills(DS)
Acorn Rally		Toad's Factory(Wii)	Wario Stadium(N64)	Choco Mountain(N64)	Peach Stadium	Cheep Cheep Falls	DK Pass(DS)
Cloud Rally		Airship Fortress(DS)	Shy Guy Bazaar(3DS)	Mario Bros. Circuit	Crown City	Faraway Oasis	Great ? Block Ruins
Heart Rally		Shy Guy Bazaar(3DS)	Airship Fortress(DS)	Dry Bones Burnout	Mario Circuit(SNES)	Moo Moo Meadows(Wii)	Peach Stadium

Battle courses

Mario Kart World features eight battle courses, six of which are named after and derived from race tracks.Moo Moo Meadows features a new layout compared to its appearance inMario Kart 8's Battle mode. Two battle courses are not named after race courses:Big Donut, returning fromMario Kart 64, andChain Chomp Desert, a new course that functionally combinesThwomp Desert andChain Chomp Wheel fromMario Kart Wii. The top row of battle courses function like the B variants of courses fromMario Kart Tour, taking place in the main race courses with additional pathways and areas opened up compared to their regular counterparts in order to be designed akin to older battle courses.DK Pass andDino Dino Jungle instead take place on routes near their racing counterparts, and, alongside Big Donut and Chain Chomp Desert, also appear on the world map and are driven across during Grand Prix, marking the first time battle courses appear in a Grand Prix, though they are only driven across briefly.

Rather than sharing their music with their racing counterparts, all of the battle courses use arrangements of battle themes from past games:Mario Bros. Circuit usesSuper Mario Kart's battle theme; Big Donut, Dino Dino Jungle, and DK Pass use their respective games' (64,Double Dash!!, andDS respectively) battle themes; Moo Moo Meadows,Salty Salty Speedway, and Chain Chomp Desert respectively use Chain Chomp Wheel,Delfino Pier, and Thwomp Desert's themes fromMario Kart Wii; and Peach Stadium usesBattle Stadium's theme fromMario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Unlike the battle courses inMario Kart 8, the battle courses in this game have unique icons, rather than sharing them with their racing counterparts.

Mario Bros. Circuit	Moo Moo Meadows	Peach Stadium	Salty Salty Speedway
Chain Chomp Desert	Dino Dino Jungle	Big Donut(N64)	DK Pass

Staff ghosts

Course elements

Mario Kart World has significantly more unique course elements compared to previousMario Kart titles due to its interconnected, expanded world and new game mechanics. Several new course elements appear alongside a plethora of returning course elements taken from across theSuper Mario franchise. Some species, such asStingbies, appear both as enemies and as background characters.

Enemies, animals, and other species

Species	Location	Description
Armadillo[58]	Savanna and desert regions; mostly found on routes to Faraway Oasis	Armadillos that wander about in groups. They ball up and charge at racers as they approach.
Batadon	Desert region; mostly found on Desert Hills	Large, wingedmoai heads that slowly bounce around an area.
Bob-omb Car	On roads	Mega Bob-ombs that are strapped to two-wheeled platforms resembling the ones seen inMario Kart: Double Dash!! and theBooster Course Pass forMario Kart 8 Deluxe. They drive along the track and explode when something collides with them.
Bomber Bill	On roads	Large missiles that fly along straight paths and explode when something collides with them. They are shot fromBanzai Bill Cannons.
Boom Boom	Near Bowser's Castle	A largeKoopa that stands in place. It will spin wildly in an attempt to fist oncoming racers, as inSuper Mario 3D Land andSuper Mario 3D World. Unlike in most previous appearances, sometimes multiple Boom Booms can be found in an area.
Brachiosaurus	Dino Dino Jungle	A largebrachiosaurid replacingNoshi. Racers driving under it risk getting stomped, but its back acts like a grind rail, aiding racers in reaching high platforms by driving on its back.
Buffalo[59]	Savanna region, near Faraway Oasis	Buffalo that run along the track in herds.
Bulber	Near Wario Shipyard	Large anglerfish enemies that slowly move in circles at the surface of the water.
Bully	Certain roads and castle walls	Large, metallic enemies that walk in circles. They charge at oncoming racers.
Butterfly		Large butterflies that carryrings.
Camel [conjectural]	Desert region	Dromedaries that walk across the track in groups.
Cataquack	Peach Beach	Duck-like enemies that walk in circles. They charge at oncoming racers in an attempt to grab and toss them into the air.
Chain Chomp (chained)		Hopping, metallic enemies bound by stakes that lunge at racers to attack. A free-roaming Chain Chomp can be found hopping in a circle outsidePeach Stadium, in reference toPeach Gardens.
Chain Chomp (unchained)		Unbound Chain Chomps that roll along set paths or aimlessly on the track.
Chargin' Chuck	Found mostly in Choco Mountain	Koopafootball players that charge back and forth between the sides of the track or at racers as they approach.
Clappin' Chuck	Choco Mountain	Variants of Chargin' Chucks that jump horizontally between the sides of the track or jump in place, clapping in midair.
Passin' Chuck	Choco Mountain	Variants of Chargin' Chucks that stand past the edge of the track and periodically toss footballs at oncoming racers.
Splittin' Chuck	Choco Mountain	Variants of Chargin' Chucks that stand in lines and jump out to charge at racers.
Charvaargh	In lava; in Big Donut	Large, magmatic dragons that leap fromlava in arcs.
Charvaargh (sand)	Found on the route between Desert Hills and Shy Guy Bazaar	Enormous, worm-like dragons made of sand, taking design elements from Charvaarghs andSandmaarghs, that repeatedly dive in and out of the desert along sine-wave-like paths.
Cheep Cheep	Cheep Cheep Falls and Koopa Troopa Beach	Small fish that are typically found swimming in groups, either slowly in circles or along straight paths at the surface ofwater. If they are in water too shallow to swim in, they will flop as they do inSuper Mario Kart andMario Kart DS.
Cheep Chomp	Near Koopa Troopa Beach	Large variants of Cheep Cheeps that swim at the surface of water and periodically leap into the air to attack racers, akin toBoss Bass fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. They create waves upon landing that racers cantrick off of.
Chill Bully	On routes near Starview Peak	Frozen variants of Bullies with identical behavior: walking in circles and charging at oncoming racers.
Coin Coffer		Coin purse enemies that wander about. They evade oncoming racers.
Conkdor	Desert region; near Desert Hills	Bird enemies with long necks that stand at the edge of the track and periodically slam their heads into the ground to attack racers.
Cow	Meadow region; mostly in Moo Moo Meadows	Cows that stay in groups and walk across the track or stay in place and hop occasionally.
Crocodile	Between Faraway Oasis and Great ? Block Ruins	Large reptilians that bask in the sun. Racers can jump from them to receive a speed boost.
Dolphin	Oceans; mostly near Koopa Troopa Beach and Wario Shipyard	Dolphins that appear in groups and occasionally breach the water's surface.
Dragoneel	Between Peach Beach and Wario Shipyard	Long, slender eels that repeatedly leap from the water along a sine-wave-like path. Their dorsal fins can be used similarly to a rail.
Dry Bones	Near Dry Bones Burnout	Undead variants ofKoopa Troopas that rise from the ground as racers approach and walk onto the track.
Eagle [conjectural]		Eagles that soar through the air.
Elephant [conjectural]	Near Faraway Oasis (wild) Near Shy Guy Bazaar and Desert Hills (tamed)	Elephants that walk across the track in groups. Some are ridden byShy Guys.
Fire Snake	DK Spaceport and near Desert Hills	Living chains of fireballs that hop around in an area. Their placement next toDonkey Kong-styledoil drums recallsFireballs.
Fish Bone	Hot springs near Dry Bones Burnout	Undead variants of Cheep Cheeps that behave identically to Cheep Chomps, swimming at the surface of water and periodically leaping into the air to attack racers. Unlike Cheep Chomps, they do not create waves upon landing.
Freezie	Snow region	Frozen, stationary enemies.
Fuzzy		Pulsating, inky enemies that ride alonggrindrails.
Giraffe[60]	Savanna region; near Faraway Oasis	Giraffes that walk across the track.
Goomba		Mushroom enemies that stand in place, shuffling their feet as if sidestepping like in earlySuper Mario titles and previousMario Kart titles. They charge at oncoming racers. They are significantly larger than usual, like inMario Kart 7.
Goomba Tower		Linear and triangular stacks of mushroom enemies that stand in place, shuffling their feet.
Innertube Goomba	Certain rivers	Variants of Goombas that float motionlessly on the surface of water. They charge at oncoming racers.
Shoe Goomba		Goomba's Shoe-wearing variants of Goombas that hop in circles. Their shoes take the yellow coloration of Ice Skates, like inMario Kart Tour and theBooster Course Pass forMario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Skating Goomba	Snow region	Ice Skate-wearing variants of Goombas that travel along the track.
Hammer Bro	Near Shy Guy Bazaar and Airship Fortress	Stationary, lanky Koopas that periodically throwhammers that travel in arcs. These hammers break instantly upon touching the ground, unlike those racers can throw using theHammer item.
Boomerang Bro		Stationary variants of Hammer Bros. that periodically throwboomerangs, which travel a short distance before returning to their thrower.
Fire Bro		Stationary variants of Hammer Bros. that periodically hurlfireballs, which bounce along the track until they hit an obstacle.
Ice Bro		Stationary variants of Hammer Bros. that periodically hurlIce Balls, which bounce along the track until they hit an obstacle.
Hermity Cone		Small creatures that hide intraffic cones, which they occasionally peek out from.
Jellybeam	Near Peach Stadium	Glowing jellyfish that float motionlessly on the surface of water. They bounce racers who drive into them into the air and can be tricked off of, likeMushroom Trampolines.
Lava Bubble		Fireballs that periodically jump out of lava. Unlike in previousMario Kart titles, they now possess eyes as they do in most other appearances.
Manta Ramp	Near Koopa Troopa Beach	YellowManta-like creatures that periodically breach from the surface of water and can be used as ramps.
Monty Mole	Moo Moo Meadows	Fossorial enemies that burrow through the ground before leaping into the air to attack racers. The temporary dirt trails they leave behind by burrowing can be tricked off.
Moose[61]	Near Acorn Heights and Boo Cinema	Bullmoose that walk across the track.
Nabbit	Free Roam in various regions	A rabbit-like entity that walks in circles. Nabbit evades approaching racers, running over land or water to keep his distance. He explodes intocoins when caught.
Ostrich [conjectural]	Savanna region; near Faraway Oasis	Ostriches that run across the track.
Para-Biddybud	Dandelion Depths and certain routes	Multicolored, low-flying, ladybug-like enemies that slowly cross the track in processions of three or more.
Peepa	Near Boo Cinema	Incorporeal enemies that appear in groups and float in circles close to the ground. Rather than slowing racers down when hit, they instead drop a coin.
Penguin	Snow region near Sky-High Sundae	Penguins that can be found tobogganing downicy slopes or waddling together in groups.
Piranha Plant		Carnivorous plants of which two varieties exist: a variant that lunges at racers to attack, which can appear inWarp Pipes and in holes in the ground, and a grounded, passive variant.
Bone Piranha Plant	Near Dry Bones Burnout	Warp Pipe-dwelling, undead variants of Piranha Plants with identical behavior: lunging at racers to attack.
Fire Piranha Plant	Desert region	Warp Pipe-dwelling variants of Piranha Plants that periodically spit fireballs, which bounce along the track until they hit an obstacle.
Frost Piranha	Snow region	Warp Pipe-dwelling variants of Fire Piranha Plants that, in place of fireballs, periodically spitIce Balls, which bounce along the track until they hit an obstacle.
Ptooie	Meadow region	Legged variants of Piranha Plants that shuffle in place and suspend items and hazards above themselves with jets of air.
Plesiosaur [conjectural]	Dino Dino Jungle	A large plesiosaur-like reptile that replaces one of the bridges in Dino Dino Jungle. Like the brachiosaurus, its back acts like a grindrail.
Pokey	Desert region	Tall, segmented cactus enemies that slide between the sides of the track while oscillating.
Snow Pokey	Snow region	Tall, segmented, snowman variants of Pokeys that stand in place and oscillate.
Porcupuffer	Near Koopa Troopa Beach	Spherical porcupinefish that float motionlessly on the surface of water in groups.
Pterosaurs	Dino Dino Jungle	Large, winged reptiles that soar through the air.
Robo DK	DK Spaceport	A large, mechanized version ofDonkey Kong who gestures angrily at racers and travels ahead of them to toss rollingbarrels onto the track.
Rocky Wrench	Airship Fortress and certain roads	Mole-like Koopas that periodically pop out ofmanhole covers to ambush racers.
Shy Guys piloting jet skis	Peach Beach and certain rivers	Shy Guys riding Jet Skis across waterways.
Snowboarding Shy Guy	DK Pass	Shy Guys wearing winter clothing similar to the Slope Styler outfit that ride down snowy slopes on snowboards.
Flying Shy Guy	Shy Guy Bazaar	Shy Guys ridingmagic carpets in the air.[3]
Sidestepper	Near Salty Salty Speedway and Peach Beach	Enemycrabs that scuttle sideways between the sides of the track, bouncing several times before switching directions.
Signal Bug		Metallic variants ofBramballs that flip across the road in aSlinky-like fashion. They act like rings when they are motionless, and their traffic light-esque faces are illuminated, providing racers that pass between their legs with a speed boost.
Skeeter	On water near Acorn Heights and Toad's Factory	Water skeeters that skim on the surface of water, momentarily staying in one spot before propelling themselves to a nearby location. Their design is based on how they appear inSuper Mario Galaxy 2.
Snake jar	Shy Guy Bazaar	Jars controlled by snakes that camouflage themselves among other jars and sometimes move around. They now take design elements fromCobrats andHisstocrat's minions.
Snowman	Snow region	Large, stationary snowmen.
Spike		Stout, stationary Koopas that periodically regurgitateSpike Balls which they hurl at racers.
Spiny		Koopas that bear spikes on their shells and slowly walk across the track.
Star Thwomp	Rainbow Road	Rainbow variants of Thwomps with identical behavior: periodically shaking before crashing into the ground to squash racers underneath them.
Stingby	Forest region; near Acorn Heights	Low-flying bee enemies that hover motionlessly. They charge at oncoming racers.
Sumo Bro	Castle wall between Airship Fortress and Dry Bones Burnout	Large, stationary Koopas that stand atop floatingblocks. They occasionally pound their feet to send balls of electricity onto the track below them.
Super Koopa		Capedunshelled Koopas that fly above the track while periodically droppingFeathers.
Swoop	Near Boo Cinema	Low-flying bat enemies that follow set paths in groups.
Thwomp		Grimacing stone enemies that are suspended in the air. They periodically begin shaking, crash into the ground to squash racers underneath them, and rise back to their original position.
Tokotoko	Desert region; mostly found on Desert Hills	Large, sunglasses-wearing moai heads that stand motionlessly. They run along the track as racers approach.
Treaded Grrrol		Tire-wearing, metallicGrrrols that roll between the sides of the track.
T. rex	Dino Dino Jungle	LargeTyrannosaurus rexes that run along the track to squash oncoming racers.
Triceratops	Dino Dino Jungle	A largeceratopsian that slowly walks along the track. Racers can drive up its face and neck frill like aramp.
Ty-foo	Near Starview Peak and Wario Shipyard	Large, floating cloud enemies that periodically blow powerful gusts of wind.
Whale	Between Koopa Troopa Beach and Peach Stadium	Large baleen whales that either float at the surface of water, periodically creating trickable spouts from their blowholes, or breach from the water, creating trickable waves upon landing. Their dorsal fins can be tricked off.
Whamp	Near Dry Bones Burnout and Bowser's Castle	Wedge-shapedWhomps that stand in place, shuffling their feet. They fall over in an attempt to squash oncoming racers; while toppled over, racers can drive over them like ramps.
Wiggler	Acorn Heights and routes leading to/from it	Large caterpillar enemies that walk along the track. They may become angered, causing them to turn red and begin charging.
Zebra	Savanna region; near Faraway Oasis	Zebras that run along the track in herds. They are visually similar to thehorses inMario Sports Superstars.

Obstacles

Obstacle	Location	Description
Acorn[62]	Acorn Heights	Large acorns that fall out of the treetops and roll down the track.
Anchor	Wario Shipyard	A large anchor suspended above the track that rocks from side to side like apendulum.
Banzai Bill Cannon	On roads	EnlargedBill Blasters that periodically shootBomber Bills. They often appear on the backs of trucks driving along roads. The Banzai Bill Cannon onAirship Fortress has the added ability to move side to side.
Barrel		Barrels of which two varieties exist: a smaller, stationary variant found on land or floating in water, which breaks and may release various items when hit, and a larger, rolling variant thrown byRobo DK and dispensed by barrel cannons.
Barrel-dispensing cannons [conjectural]	DK Spaceport	Rocket engine-esqueCannons that dispense rolling barrels periodically inDK Spaceport.
Boulder	Choco Mountain	Large, spherical rocks that roll down the track and break when they hit an obstacle.
Bouncy Cloud	Great ? Block Ruins	Flat, floating clouds that bounce racers who drive onto them into the air and can betricked off of, like Mushroom Trampolines.
Giant Bowser cloud [conjectural]	Bowser's Castle	A cloud of volcanic ash resemblingLava Bowser that shoots Bowser's Flames from its mouth.
Bowser's Flame	Bowser's Castle	Slow-movingFireballs shot by the giant Bowser cloud that rain from the sky, akin tovolcanic debris. Red cursors, like those seen during theflying battleship Wonder Effect, indicate where they will crash into and break apart on the track.
Brick Block		Blocks that break instantly upon contact without slowing racers down, unlike crates.
Bubble		Floating bubbles that carry various items within them and drop them by popping randomly.
Burner	Airship Fortress	Flamethrowers hanging offBolt Lifts that move between the sides of the track and constantly blast racers below with jets offire.
Capsule [conjectural]	Toad's Factory	Giantgashapon capsules that break and release various items when hit.
Cloud Lift		Elongated, floating clouds that typically carry background characters and enemies but can also be summoned as platforms duringmissions.
Conveyor Belt	Toad's Factory	Platforms that either move parallel or horizontally to the direction of the track, periodically flashing before switching directions. Depending on the direction of the Conveyor Belt, racers driving on top of it may receive a speed boost or speed reduction or be pushed off-course.
Crate		Wooden boxes found on land or floating in water. They break and release various items when hit.
Crusher	Toad's Factory	Hydraulic presses used to transformBrick Blocks intoItem Boxes. They can squash racers that get caught below them as they periodically lower.
Current	Faraway Oasis; route between Salty Salty Speedway and Dino Dino Jungle	Flowingwater that can push racers off-course if it moves perpendicular to the track or push racers forward if it moves with the track.
Dinosaur egg [conjectural]	Dino Dino Jungle	Large coloreddinosaur eggs that can be knocked around by racers
Empty Block		Blocks that typically carry enemies but can also be summoned as platforms or as obstacles during missions.
Football [conjectural]		Gridiron footballs kicked byPassin' Chucks that bounce several times before coming to a stop and vanishing.
Geyser[63]		Jets of water that periodically rise from fractures in the ground, which can be tricked off, or frommanholes.
Hat Trampoline-esque flower		Large flowers that bounce racers who drive onto them into the air and can be tricked off of, like Mushroom Trampolines.
Ivy Piranha Plant		Bulbs that extend into vines when touched, acting asgrindrails. They flower when fully grown. They resemble the design Vines have commonly used sinceNew Super Mario Bros. Wii, though with twisted stems.
Jar	Shy Guy Bazaar	Jars with various designs, which are found in clusters. Green jars occasionally havesnake jars concealed among them.
Lava	Near Dry Bones Burnout and Bowser's Castle	A glowing, molten liquid hazard that forms puddles and lakes. In a similar fashion to deep water inSuper Mario Kart andMario Kart: Super Circuit, racers that drive through lava are slowed and begin struggling; they are saved byLakitu if they do not escape fast enough.
Lava Geyser	Bowser's Castle	Geysers that periodically rise from lava.
Mud	Choco Mountain	A liquid hazard of which two varieties exist: a light variant that merely slows racers that drive through it and a dark variant that, in a similar fashion to deep water inSuper Mario Kart andMario Kart: Super Circuit, also causes racers to begin struggling and to be saved byLakitu if they do not escape fast enough.
Mushroom Trampoline	Acorn Heights	Flat mushrooms that bounce racers who drive onto them into the air and can be tricked off of.
Note Block		Blocks floating close to the ground that bounce racers who drive onto them into the air.
Poison swamp	Near Boo Cinema	A purple liquid hazard. In a similar fashion to deep water inSuper Mario Kart andMario Kart: Super Circuit, racers that drive through poison are slowed and begin struggling; they are saved byLakitu if they do not escape fast enough.
Quicksand [conjectural]	Chain Chomp Desert	Enormous, sandy depressions resemblingantlion pits that drag racers and other objects toward their central holes.
Snowball		Variants of boulders with identical behavior: rolling down the track and breaking when they hit an obstacle.
Spike Ball		Metallic, spike-covered balls. They are regurgitated bySpikes and tumble down the track or exist separately and roll aimlessly, disappearing or getting knocked away when they hit an obstacle.
Storm		Weather phenomena that shower racers with different items depending on the storm. They can occur randomly or during specificmissions.
Straw bale [conjectural]	Meadow region; mostly in Moo Moo Meadows	Large bales of straw that appear alone or in heaps, which can be knocked around by racers.
Tire stack		Tires found in stacks, which can be toppled over. They knock back racers who drive into them.
Tornado		Enormous vortices that sweep up objects off the ground. Racers that drive into a tornado will be immobilized for a few seconds while they are moved around in the tornado before being released. When released, racers will start or retain their flying state. Flying just outside their wind will give gliding racers a boost upwards from the tailwinds.
Trampoline		Trampolines of multiple shapes and sizes that bounce racers and objects that touch them into the air and can be tricked off of, like Mushroom Trampolines.
Tumbleweed [conjectural]		Tumbling desert plants that can jump over obstacles.
Turnip	Central region	Plants that can be uprooted by driving into them. Occasionally, uprooting a turnip releases a Mushroom.
Water		A widespread liquid that interacts with its environment. Storms and disturbances cause waves to form in the water, which can be tricked off of. Unlike in previousMario Kart titles, water can now be ridden on top of; doing so transforms the racer's wheels into water skis.
Whirlpool		Large vortices that appear on the surface of water and suck racers towards their centers.

Vehicles

Obstacle	Location	Description
Bus		Large vehicles that drive along the track.
Car		Common vehicles that drive along the track.
Dash panel ramp truck [conjectural]		Trucks that drive along the track, which bear ramps that end inDash Panels orGlide Ramps. Some, resembling the hat-wearingYoshi employees ofYoshi's, carry Dash Food bags.
Gondola [conjectural]		Gondolas manned and ridden byToads on waterways.
Item-dispensing car		Swerving cars that rapidly dispense items and obstacles behind them.
Mushroom truck [conjectural]		Mushroom-shapedbox trucks that periodically dropDash Mushrooms behind them onto the track.
Pickup truck [conjectural]		Smaller trucks that drive along the track. They typically carry an assortment of enemies and obstacles on their beds, a feature brought over fromMario Kart Tour. Some carry surfboards,small pipes, orLifts based on theirSuper Mario 3D Land design, which act asramps.
Raft [conjectural]		Smallrafts manned by Toads that float down waterways.
Truck [conjectural]		Trucks with one or two containers that drive along the track. They are different from trucks that can be controlled.
Floatplane [conjectural]		Amphibious aircraft whose wings can be driven on, including when they fly.
Train		Steam locomotives that travel along railroads. Their rear cars are sometimes sloped, allowing racers to drive on top of them.

Utility objects

Object	Location	Description
? Block		Blocks floating close to the ground. If a racer hits one from below, severalcoins are added to their own coin counter, while four additional coins will pop out of the top of the block.
? Panel		Hidden panels, resembling those fromSuper Mario Kart, scattered across the map.
Arrow field		Barriers that typically direct the player in the right direction, though they sometimes displayadvertisements instead. They are intangible to obstacles likecars.
Binoculars		Binoculars that, when touched, provide racers with a bird's eye view of their surroundings and allow them to zoom in on areas of interest.
Boat [conjectural]		Boats that can be temporarily hijacked for a speed boost onwater and to plow through obstacles. They are used on routes betweenPeach Beach andWario Shipyard, as well as the route fromDK Spaceport toPeach Stadium andWhistlestop Summit toKoopa Troopa Beach.
Cannon		Cannons of which two varieties exist: a more typical, larger variant that launches racers who enter it into the air over large distances and a smaller variant that launches racers over shorter distances, which can be strapped topickup trucks or float in the air likeBarrel Cannons.
Cargo truck		Large vehicles that can be temporarily hijacked for a speed boost on land and to plow through obstacles. They are used on three pairs of routes: betweenCrown City andFaraway Oasis, Toad's Factory and Mario Bros. Circuit, and Peach Stadium and Toad's Factory. Smaller cargo trucks also appear as obstacles.
Checkpoint ring [conjectural]		Rings that give the player more time to complete atimedmission, like the+ Clock.
Dash Panel		Panels that provide racers who drive over them with a temporary speed boost.
Flying guide [conjectural]		Yellow flying guides that direct racers as they glide. They resembleFlopters andTopmen.
Glide Ramp		Panels that deploy the wings of racers that drive over them, allowing them to glide.
Goal Pole		A flagpole that marks the end goal of a timed mission, which is completed by touching the flagpole.
Goal ring [conjectural]		Rings that mark the end goals of timed missions, which are completed by passing through the rings.
Guide [conjectural]		Traffic pylon-like guides that direct the player during missions.
Helicopter [conjectural]		Helicopters that can be temporarily hijacked to fly and to plow through obstacles. They are used on routes betweenMario Bros. Circuit andToad's Factory, as well as the routes fromDK Spaceport toPeach Stadium andDesert Hills to Koopa Troopa Beach. Racers leave helicopters in their gliding state. Text that is only visible on their rotating blades reads "MARIOKART".
Item Ring [conjectural]	At the start of a lap section on routes leading to/fromStarview Peak.	Large rainbow-colored rings, similar to the checkpoints in Knockout Tour, that summon large walls ofItem Boxes when approached.
Lakitu's Cloud		Small, floating clouds. Circling groups of Lakitu's Clouds can form rings, providing racers that pass through them with a speed boost. They can also be summoned during missions, holdingArrow Signs to guide racers.
Pipe Cannon		L-shaped Warp Pipe junctions like those seen inSuper Mario Bros. Racers enter through the lower opening and are launched into the air at an angle through the upper opening.
P Switch		Switches scattered across the map that each provide a unique mission when pressed. After the mission is complete, it turns gray.
Ring		Circular, floating or grounded hoops with a wide variety of designs. They provide racers that pass through them with a speed boost.
Road flare [conjectural]		Road flares that release red smoke to alert racers at a distance. They mark areas of interest during missions.
UFO		UFOs that can be temporarily hijacked to fly and abduct objects. Racers leave UFOs in their gliding state. They are exclusive to Free Roam.
Vending machine [conjectural]		Vending machines that periodically cough upDash Food bags.
Warp Pipe		Giant and regularly-sized pipes. They are mainly used as obstacles, but some of them can warp the player to nearby locations or spit the player out in the opposite direction they entered.
Koopa Clown Car		Flying machines that produce updrafts, like how they function inMario Kart 7.

Background characters

• 

  Bats, in the background ofBoo Cinema

• 

  Boo Crews, in the background ofBoo Cinema

• 

  Boohemoth, in the background ofBoo Cinema

• 

  Drones resemblingKoopa Shells

• 

  Fireflies^{[conjectural]}

• 

  Flies^{[conjectural]}

• 

  Heavy Fire Bros.

• 

  Koopa Paratroopas

• 

  Lakitu

• 

  A red Lakitu that leads Knockout Tour

• 

  Lumas

• 

  Para-Beetles wearing blue shells with propellers instead of wings

• 

  Piantas

• 

  Seagulls, which fly in the air of beachfront courses

• 

  Shy Guys

• 

  Sledge Bros.

• 

  Small birds

• 

  Toads

• 

  Yoshis

Items

A total of 27 items appear inMario Kart World, 28 if includingDash Food. As withMario Kart Tour, items are automatically held behind racers in this game.

Of the returning items, the Ice Flower and Hammer make their first appearance in a home consoleMario Kart game following their initial debut inMario Kart Tour. The Mega Mushroom also makes its first home console appearance since its debut inMario Kart Wii. Additionally, the Feather is now usable during races like inSuper Mario Kart, rather than being exclusive to theBattle mode like inMario Kart 8 Deluxe andMario Kart Tour. Despite being returning items, the Ice Flower, Hammer, Feather, and Mega Mushroom are all classified as new items on the game's website and/or in theMario Kart World Direct.^[64][37]

During Free Roam, the only available items outside of certain missions are the Mushroom, Triple Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, Star, Feather, and Dash Food.

Items found on the track
Item Box	Gives the player a random item. Some are released from flying vehicles attached toparachutes.
Double Item Box	Gives the player two random items as opposed to one.
Coin	Gives the player a small boost and increases top speed when more are collected, up to a maximum of 20.
Coin pile	Piles of coins that can be found exclusively in Free Roam that provide a large amount of coins at once.
Blue coin	Appears in certain areas upon pressing aP Switch.
Dash Food	A smiling, golden fast food bag that provides a random food item that changes the player's outfit when eaten, with a visual transformation effect similar to that of aWonder Flower.
Peach Medallion	New coin collectables imprinted with a portrait of Peach, resemblingPrincess Coins.
New items
Coin Shell	Travels along the track and leaves a trail of coins behind before exploding, leaving eight coins in a ring shape on the track. Gold-colored shells previously appeared inMario Kart Arcade GP DX, though they functioned differently.
? Block	Temporarily places a ? Block above the player's head, which they can repeatedly hit, giving them coins while also scattering more coins behind them. A similar item, theCoin Box, previously appeared inMario Kart Tour.
Kamek	A crystal ball withKamek's magic symbols on it that summons him, who then proceeds to summon many of a certain type of enemy ahead of all the racers in front of the player who used it, as well as turning them into that enemy temporarily.
Dash Food	Various food items obtained from the smiling bags that give the player a speed boost and may change the character's outfit.
Returning items
Coin	Grants the player two extra coins and a small boost.
Green Shell	Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
Triple Green Shells	Three Green Shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Red Shell	Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
Triple Red Shells	Three Red Shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Spiny Shell	Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
Banana Peel	Protects the player from incoming items and spins out other racers that hit it.
Triple Bananas	Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
Triple Mushrooms	Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts.
Golden Mushroom	Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time.
Mega Mushroom	Increases the player's size, allowing them to flatten any player they hit.
Feather	Causes the player to spin and leap in the air, allowing them to reach high areas, avoid attacks, and even drive on walls.
Fire Flower	Allows the player to throw up to eight fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact.
Ice Flower	Allows the player to throw up to eight ice balls for a short time that cause other karts to temporarily lose control on impact.
Boomerang Flower	Grants the player aBoomerang that can be thrown up to four times, hitting racers forward/backward and returning to its user before the final use.
Star	Provides the player with invincibility from all terrain and items, and also gives a speed boost.
Super Horn	Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles, including the Spiny Shell.
Lightning	Causes all opponents in front of the player to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time, in addition to summoning a temporary storm.
Hammer	For a limited time, allows the player to throw multiple bursts of five hammers each, which travel in an arc and stick to the track, spinning out any player that comes into contact with them.
Blooper	Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
Bob-omb	Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
Bullet Bill	Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
Boo	Steals an item from a randomly selected racer in front of the player, while granting temporary invisibility, making the player invulnerable and able to pass through hazards.

Missions

Main article:List of Mario Kart World missions

In Free Roam, the player can activate short missions in the open world by driving overP Switches. Once activated, the player has a time limit to complete a certain task. If they complete the task, they will briefly celebrate, accompanied by an abridged arrangement of the "Finish! (1st − 4th Place)" jingle fromSuper Mario Kart. If not, they fail and have to redo it. After a mission is completed, its P Switch turns gray.

Music

It has been requested thatmore audio and/or video files related to this section beuploaded.Specifics: Samples for all arrangements Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See thehelp page for help getting started.

Mario Kart World has 227 newly arranged music tracks that can play on the main menu, in Free Roam, or duringroutes in Grand Prix or VS Race; they consist of 108 arrangements from theMario Kart series, 103 from theSuper Mario series, 10 from theYoshi series, 2 fromMario Paint, and 1 each fromWario Land: Super Mario Land 3,Donkey Kong Country,Luigi's Mansion,WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, andFlipnote Studio. This selection of music was referred to as the "jukebox" in development.^[65]

Routes in Grand Prix have three to five dedicated arrangements that usually fit the theme of the source and/or the destination. Routes in VS Race have a completely random list of arrangements that do not necessarily fit the theme of the route, even if one used in Grand Prix is selected; all Grand Prix arrangements play in this mode, plus a few more exclusive ones. Most VS Race arrangements can play in Free Roam, along with a few calmer and slower-paced arrangements exclusive to that mode. Some tracks also play in a certain order, usually matching one of a game's soundtracks, and feature longer intros than in VS Race.

Additionally, certain arrangements incorporate the melodies of other themes at certain points, such as the "Underground BGM" arrangement fromSuper Mario Bros. 2 also including part of "Ground BGM", or "Mario Drawing Song" having a nod to "Jump Up, Super Star!" While the arrangements for the returning courses usually stay true to the lengths of the original tracks, the battle course themes follow these arrangements and include improvised additional sections, except that they loop.

The following list does not include arrangements of themes for classic race courses and battle courses present in the game. "Koopa Beach" fromSuper Mario Kart is the only theme that was arranged for both one of the game's courses and Free Roam.

Mario Kart arrangements