Mario Kart Worldwill be the next evolution of theMario Kartfranchise, boasting a smorgasbord of new features. The game’s roster will be no slouch either, withMario Kart Worldpoised to deliver some wild card driver characters.
TheNintendo Switch 2 Directon April 2 finally gave fans more insight on the next entry in theMario Kartseries. First teased back in January alongside the Switch 2 reveal, the latest Direct showed off more of the title’s attributes. Not only will the game contain an animation overhaul, bringing fresh character design to larger-than-ever tracks (each of which can be explored off-road), the game will allow for 24-player races.
All Characters Currently Confirmed For Mario Kart World On Nintendo Switch 2
With the new details onMario Kart Worldrevealed at the Switch 2 Direct, the subject of confirmed characters is of particular interest.Mario Kart 8 Deluxemanaged to expand its lifetime greatly via its track and driver DLC releases, which added new faces to the existing roster.MK8Deluxealso brought in guest characters from other Nintendo franchises, such asThe Legend of ZeldaandAnimal Crossing. This time around, it seems as ifMario Kart Worldwill be focusing on fleshing out the roster with some lesser-known characters.
All Racers Confirmed To Be Returning From Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Almost every character fromMario Kart 8has beenconfirmed forMario Kart World, with some notable exceptions. The Koopalings are notably absent, as are Wiggler, Petey Piranha, andMario Kart 8’s guest characters. Metallic and Power-Up variants of characters are also missing, though this may be explained by the new costumes racers can wear—with more variants than ever before poised to be available.
Mario Kart Worldwill get its own Direct on April 17, which could confirm the return of missing characters or reveal even more new faces.
All New Characters Currently Confirmed For Mario Kart World
Almost all of these characters are completelynew to theMario Kartseries, except for Hammer Bro, Monty Mole, Nabbit, and Chargin' Chuck—all of whom were previously featured in the mobile gameMario Kart Tour. This cast of minion-level characters follows the trend of Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa, fleshing out the roster with figures in the franchise that could easily go overlooked.
This slate of characters is a veritable who’s-who of background NPCs and minorenemies from all over theMariofranchise. Goomba and Piranha Plant are clear picks, especially with the latter’s appearance inSmash Ultimate, but others are far more obscure. The lesser-known picks here range from as old asSuper Mario World’s Swoop to as new asSuper Mario 3D World’s Conkdor.
Even older thanSuper Mario World, however, is the Sidestepper. Sidesteppers are the crabs that were featured all the way back inthe originalMario Bros., and have had a very limited presence since. It’s great to see this classic foe get some spotlight and be introduced to a whole new generation of fans.
