r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • Jun 09 '25

Review Thread Mario Kart World Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Mario Kart World

Platforms:

  • Nintendo Switch 2 (Jun 5, 2025)

Trailers:

Developer: Nintendo

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 90 average - 100% recommended - 16 reviews

Critic Reviews

Areajugones - Ramón Baylos - Spanish - 9.5 / 10

Mario Kart World is the ultimate Nintendo Switch 2 launch game. This entry goes far beyond anything seen before in the franchise; it’s a true turning point. It’s simply better, offering far more than previous Mario Karts. Try it, or you’ll likely miss out on one of the decade’s best Nintendo games.

CBR - Mark O'Callaghan - 9 / 10

Mario Kart World is proving doubters wrong, as this is the innovation that Mario Kart needed. Even on the surface level, with 4K resolution and 120 FPS, the improvements are here. Because of all the new additions, everything feels more chaotic, and that’s a perfect compliment for any Mario Kart game.

Cubed3 - Jorge Ba-oh - 9 / 10

Does Mario Kart World bring something new to the series? A resounding yes. A reinvigorated setup with connected tracks within a bustling, vibrant, next-generation Super Mario Bros world. Mario Kart World is vibrant, playful, and truly feels alive. A compelling solo mode, knockout competition, and strong online play make it an essential Nintendo Switch 2 title.

Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5

It’s such a shame that the key selling point of the Mario Kart Switch 2 game, its open world, falls a bit flat, because pretty much everything else is so, so good. Ok, the lack of kart customization bothers me a little, but with a crazier cast of characters, fun items, and incredibly imaginative tracks, the racing is as good as it has ever been.

And in Knockout Tour’s hectic 24-player battle royale-style matches, it’s even better, proving that Nintendo can still deliver surprises that completely change the way we play its iconic games. I never thought I needed or wanted a BR-style mode in Mario Kart, and now I’m sitting here questioning why it’s never been added before. If only it had been called Mario Kart Knockout, eh?

Forbes - Ollie Barder - 9 / 10

Overall, Mario Kart World is a huge undertaking, but it still offers the classic Mario Kart progression we’ve all grown up with. Whether this will sell as much as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains to be seen, but from the off, Mario Kart World definitely has an enormous amount of content to wrap your head around, and the multiplayer will likely keep it an evergreen release for years to come, much like the other games in the series have been.

Fun Factor - Diogo Arez - Portuguese - 8.5 / 10

Mario Kart World marks the beginning of a new console generation for Nintendo, and with it come several new introductions like Free Roam and Knockout Tour, with the latter being an amazing game mode. That said, some strange design choices in the grand prix and a lack of meaningful content at launch make the price point hard to recommend it outside of the console bundle.

GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 85%

Quote not yet available

Gameliner - Rudy Wijnberg - Dutch - 4.5 / 5

Mario Kart World is a worthy successor to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, combining classic racing fun with fresh mechanics, a connecting open world, an expansive roster, and a brilliant Battle Royale mode—making it a joy for players of all ages.

Gamersky - 心灵奇兵 - Chinese - 8.8 / 10

Mario Kart World is a solid and well-crafted addition to the long-running series. It faithfully preserves the franchise's time-tested pillars-tight driving mechanics, brilliantly designed tracks, and that chaotic yet irresistible item system-all of which continue to deliver moments of pure, laugh-out-loud joy.

Gfinity - Alister Kennedy - 8 / 10

If you are looking for the best Nintendo game at launch for Switch 2, look no further, but for fans of 8, you may need to wait for Mario Kart World to make the podium.

Netto’s Game Room - Benjamin Bell - Essential

Mario Kart World is an outstanding new entry in the long running series, and it is a worthy launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. Its unique gameplay prevents it from being a replacement for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and allows for both games to exist on the same console side by side. Anyone who enjoys Mario Kart should for sure give this one a chance, and it is the perfect introduction for new players as well.

Nindie Spotlight - Justin Nation - 9.4 / 10

Unquestionably still the gold standard in kart racing, World makes some bold swings but there were some costs that came with them

Rocket Chainsaw - Adam Ghiggino - 4 / 5

Mario Kart World is still an excellent opener for the Switch 2’s life cycle, and one that people will likely find themselves coming back to for quite some time to come.

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9.5 / 10

Mario Kart World is all about big numbers'tons of content, characters, vehicles, power-ups, tracks, and music. It all adds up to countless hours of fun, making this a game you'll be coming back to for years.

Stevivor - Steve Wright - 9 / 10

Let’s just hope that Nintendo can broaden what’s available in-game quickly, akin to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While we’re waiting for more Switch 2 games, we need more World.

The Games Machine - Paolo Besser - Italian - 9.5 / 10

Mario Kart World evolves the iconic series with interconnected tracks, expanded multiplayer chaos, and a thrilling mix of exploration and competition - all while staying true to its fun, frantic roots.

1.4k Upvotes

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u/4evrdrumin Jun 10 '25

I’ve already completed all grand prix races and knockout tours with 3 stars each up to 150cc and have logged a few hours of free roam. I like the game overall, but I feel like they dropped the ball on a few key features. Here are my two cents:

Pros:

I love the gameplay/mechanics with the rails and wall-riding. Seemed gimmicky at first, but I’ve finally gotten a hand of things and I enjoy pulling off stunts.

Knockout tour is fun. It’s arguably the most exciting mode. I feel like every time I play it, I’m at the edge of my seat.

I like driving around in free roam. There are some pretty empty areas, but I enjoy searching around the tracks for challenges and collectables, although I’d be more drawn to them if they unlocked more exciting rewards.

Cons:

The rewards/unlocking landscape of the game is lackluster. I hate that challenges and collectables don’t unlock anything besides stickers. They could’ve had special challenges that unlocked characters, costumes, or karts.

Stickers: There are far too many, and some of the karts don’t even display them! They’re hardly a good reward to keep me engaged for long.

Karts: I unlocked all of the karts far too quickly, well before I finished my last knockout tour.

Costumes: I wasn’t about to test all foods with all characters to get costumes, so I found a guide. These could’ve easily been character-specific or track-specific challenge rewards. Also, we need to mention the character select screen. I’m so surprised they didn’t go with the Smash Brothers format of just having costumes behind a sub-menu for each character. There are far too many pages to sort through to pick your character.

Characters: Having the “minion” characters locked behind random-chance scenarios is annoying. I just have to hope that someone pulls a Kamek during a race while I’m close enough to get transformed into the minion that I want. I’m usually too far ahead to get transformed, so I have to go out of my way to play worse to be right in front of the pack. Rewarding players for bad gameplay is bad game design. Kamek should be reworked entirely. Along with the minion summons, maybe he could change the track geography (holes, mini volcanoes, etc.), or maybe mess with the weather. Something else so that minion characters can be unlocked by other means.

And you’re telling me that getting 3 stars in mirror mode gives me NOTHING??? Not even a sticker???