On Wednesday, Nintendo held a big Direct dedicated to the upcoming Switch 2. The new console is set to launch on June 5 and will cost $450. And one of the launch games for the console is Mario Kart World, a big, sprawling kart racer that looks like a lot of fun. But uh, what the heck is Mario drinking in that can?

Mario Kart World might have the most extensive character roster of any Mario Kart game, but some of these deep cuts, like Fish Bone, are truly unexpected.

Nintendo wants Mario Kart World to be the reason players buy a Switch 2. But can it really convince us to pay $80 for a game and $450 for a new console?

Mario Kart World for the Nintendo Switch 2 is loaded with new tracks and characters, including an open-world mode. And it only costs $80! (Sarcasm)

Mario Kart World will be adding a huge slate of new characters to the Mario Kart roster, albeit with a few interesting omissions.

Yes, the new Mario Kart World will exclusively be available on the Nintendo Switch 2. Both the game and the console will release on June 5, 2025. Mario Kart World will cost $79.99, or you can buy the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle for $499.99. The Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $449.99 for the console alone.

During today's Nintendo Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct, Nintendo officially revealed its new Mario Kart game coming to the console, which we now know to be titled Mario Kart World. It's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive,

We recently got hands-on time with the Switch 2 launch game, and you can check out our impressions of Mario Kart World here. As part of playing it, we got a good look at the character select screens and noted down all of the starting drivers and the alternate looks for each. Here they are:

The new Mario Kart World video also suggests the game will have at least 28 tracks spread across seven Cups, along with 24 vehicles. Interestingly, it looks like Mario Kart World has fully formed vehicles; players seemingly no longer select individual parts to assemble a car.