A New Mario Kart Is Coming to the Switch 2: Here’s What We Know So Far

Thursday’s reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 only showed the hardware playing one game: a new Mario Kart. The footage of the game wasn’t long, but there are some interesting details that sharp-eyed fans have noticed. 

The new Mario Kart doesn’t have an official name yet, and though Mario Kart 9 is a possibility, the franchise’s lengthy list of interesting subtitles (Super Circuit, Double Dash and more) mean that isn’t a certainty. The game’s official name likely won’t be revealed until the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct event on April 2. However, there do appear to be some changes to the Mario Kart formula that could make this new game quite different from its predecessor, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. 

Watch this: Nintendo Switch 2 Announced: Everything We Know

03:01

One thing noticeable at the beginning of the new Mario Kart footage is the possible kart placements at the start of the race. There are 24 markings at the start of the track, which might mean the game could support up to 24 players at once. This would be triple the number of racers at one time as are playable on Mario Kart 8 or its Deluxe version, which both expanded to a franchise high of eight simultaneous players. 

Though 24 racers seem to be a lot for a Mario Kart game, the limited footage in the trailer suggests the tracks could be so big as to easily support two dozen racers. 

Another interesting point to notice at the start of the race is that there appears to be a pit lane. Previous Mario Kart games do have some spaces on the sides of the track that can be drivable for the sake of shortcuts, but this pit lane looks more like a traditional lane for a pit stop, which are used in traditional racing to repair damaged cars. 

It would make sense if there are pit stops, since it appears there are fuel tanks on the karts. There are also buildings on the side of the track, like this Yoshi restaurant, that seem to have power-ups available. 

It does appear that Nintendo is expanding on the different kinds of vehicles. Most notably, Rosalina seems to be riding a snowmobile. 

Though it’s not gameplay-related, it looks like Mario and Donkey Kong have had their appearances updated to be similar to how they looked in the Super Mario Bros. movie. 

Read more: Super Mario Creators Reveal What They Really Think of the Movie

Expect to get more info about the new Mario Kart game and the console it’ll arrive on during the April 2 Switch 2 Nintendo Direct event. Fans of the game might be able to play it at the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience when that rolls into NYC, LA and Dallas in April, with other cities worldwide to follow. Nintendo has yet to provide details on when the Switch 2 will land on store shelves or when Switch 2 preorders open for fans to lock down what’ll surely be the hottest console this year. 

Watch this: Nintendo Switch 2 Announced: Everything We Know

03:01