Mario Kart World Announced for Nintendo Switch 2

A brand new Mario Kart game known as Mario Kart World has been announced for Nintendo Switch 2. It has been a long, long time since we got a brand new Mario Kart game. While Nintendo Switch technically had a Mario Kart game, it was a port of Mario Kart 8 which was released on Wii U back in 2014. Of course, the 2017 Nintendo Switch version, Mario Kar 8 Deluxe, featured new content and was supported after its release, but it’s been over a decade since a brand new Mario Kart game was released from scratch. Thankfully, that will change very soon as Nintendo teased a new Mario Kart game when it announced the Nintendo Switch 2.

Nintendo opened the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct with the first trailer for Mario Kart World which looks like the most ambitious one yet. The game will have an open world that allows you to drive between races, allowing you to find new routes, explore the world with friends, and take photos. Mario Kart World will also feature a weather system that changes track conditions, meaning rain will make it slippery and harder to drive. Mario Kart World will release day and date with the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5th, so not too long of a wait!

More info on Mario Kart World will be revealed at a game-specific Direct on April 17th, so more gameplay and detail on how things work isn’t far away. It looks like it could be the best Mario Kart game yet and offer a lot of replayability. Mario Kart is a great game to play with friends, but it can get repetitive after a while. However, the ability to roam around in an open world with friends will definitely offer a lot more value for players. However, it won’t be cheap to get in on the fun. Mario Kart World will cost a whopping $79.99 in the United States

The larger gaming industry has moved toward charging $70 for video games, but Nintendo has kept things at $50 or $60. There was one notable exception with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which was $70, but it was a much larger game. However, a new console seems to have provided Nintendo the opportunity to charge more for its games. This is a pretty big leap for Nintendo and the industry at large, especially since the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $450.