Mario Kart World: How an Open-World Kart Racer Sold 16 Million
Nintendo started it in 2017, moved it to new hardware in 2020 and launched it with the Switch 2. Mario Kart World is now the console's runaway best-seller. Here is what makes it tick, from Knockout Tour to a cow behind the wheel.
Nintendo almost called it Mario Kart 9. Instead it chose Mario Kart World, a name meant to signal that this was not just another sequel. Seventeen months after it launched alongside the Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, it is the best-selling game on the console by a huge margin: 16.48 million copies as of September 30, 2026.
That number is even more striking given the price. Bought alone, Mario Kart World cost $79.99 in the US, $20 more than the standard price of original Switch games, though many players got it in a console bundle.
A whole world as a racetrack
The biggest change is the map. World's courses are joined into one open world with a day-night cycle, amphibious karts and parkour moves such as grinding on rails and riding along walls. In Free Roam, you can drive almost anywhere except Rainbow Road.
Races changed too. Up to 24 racers can take part, double Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. In Grand Prix mode, only the first race of a cup is a traditional three-lap circuit; after that, you drive from one course to the next through the world. There are 50 playable characters, and 24 of them have alternate costumes unlocked by eating food items during races.
Knockout Tour: battle royale on wheels
The mode that won over most players is Knockout Tour. All 24 racers set off on one long journey across the world, passing through six checkpoints. At each one, the last four drivers are eliminated, until only the leaders remain.
It turns Mario Kart into something closer to a battle royale, and it is the reason many players still log in every night. Nintendo has kept adding new Knockout routes in updates.
Built for years, launched in a day
World has a long history:
- March 2017: prototyping starts on the original Switch
- End of 2017: full development begins
- 2020: performance problems push the team to move it to Switch 2 hardware
- June 5, 2025: launch, bundled with the new console
The wait explains one of the more unusual decisions in Nintendo's recent history. The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, which added 48 classic tracks between 2022 and 2023, was conceived partly as a stopgap to give World more development time.
Reviews, awards and patches
Mario Kart World scored 86 on Metacritic, with 97% of critics on OpenCritic recommending it, and all four Famitsu reviewers gave it 9/10. It won Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2025 and Racing Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
Updates have not all been smooth. Version 1.1.2 added 202 open-world "Route" courses to the random track option, which angered players who wanted classic circuits. Version 1.3.0 in September 2025 partly reversed the change and made characters easier to unlock. Since then, Nintendo has added a Bob-omb Blast battle mode, new Knockout Tour routes and the ability to race classic Super Mario Kart courses in VS mode. The soundtrack arrived on the Nintendo Music app on June 1, 2026.
Why it matters
Launch games rarely become a console's biggest seller. Mario Kart World did, and it gave the Switch 2 an identity from day one: a game that only works on the new hardware, because 24 karts in an open world was exactly what the old Switch could not handle.
WGC's take: the open world is lovely to explore, but Knockout Tour is the real legacy. It is the best new Mario Kart mode in years. For the rest of the Switch 2 line-up, read our Switch 2 first-party guide and our Donkey Kong Bananza story.