If you picked up Mario Kart World alongside a Nintendo Switch 2, then you may be wondering where to even start. The game is massive and more chaotic than ever with more racers in each round and the super-fun Knockout Mode, which treats the game like a battle royale.
Below, you’ll find a list of tips and tricks that will help you get started in Mario Kart World. Whether this is your first Mario Kart game or if you’re just a veteran who hasn’t played in a while, you’re bound to find something helpful.
1. Check your kart stats before choosing a main. Karts with low acceleration take longer to reach their max speed, and low handling means you’ll have to slow down more when you turn. You don’t want to learn which stats your kart struggles with in the middle of a race.
2. Tricks matter more than ever in Mario Kart World. Courses are built with the expectation that you’ll take as many opportunities for drifts, rail grinds, jumps, and other special moves as much as possible, so make sure you’re getting those boosts!
3. Mario Kart World has dozens of character costumes to unlock, but don’t stress yourself out too much with unlocking them all at once. Most will unlock from naturally playing the game, anyway.
4. Speaking of costumes, don’t go too out of your way to grab food during a race unless the drive-thru is empty. It’s easier to unlock costumes in Free Roam mode, so don’t throw a race just to get an outfit.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
5. Be aware of your surroundings! Mario Kart World has so many shortcuts, spots for jump boosts and rail grinding, or ways to mess up your opponents (like detonating bomb cars). It’s easy to miss them if you aren’t looking around.
6. Some cars even drop coins and food, so definitely keep your eyes peeled.
7. Practice makes perfect. Take your time learning the tracks. Each track has its own secrets and it’s going to take a while to learn them all, so don’t be surprised if after a dozen runs you’re still finding new ways to get around.
8. Don’t hold on to items for too long. Spend the ones you have so you can keep getting more. More shells and coins are better than just quietly holding on to one!
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
9. Drafting is back in Mario Kart World, so if you’re lagging behind an opponent, stay directly behind them for a few seconds to get a little speed boost.
10. Drift boosting has several levels. The final, strongest one happens after you hold the second-stage blue drift for a few seconds, so hold out as long as you can before boosting.
11. Those mushrooms are valuable, as you will need a speed boosting item (mushrooms or takeout food) to get through some of those secret paths around the courses.
12. Turn that smart steering off! It’s on by default, but you won’t want to keep it on for long, as it’ll prevent you from exploring the courses.
13. Yes, take the time to explore Free Roam for unlockables. Some of the stickers can only be unlocked via Free Roam, so if you want to catch them all, you’ll need to explore the whole map.
14. Speaking of, you can open the map in Free Roam to both fast travel and have the game tell you how many costumes you’re missing.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
15. You can also hover over locations to see how many question mark tiles you’re missing in that area!
16. Those P-Switch missions aren’t just easy-peasy “drive through rings.” Some of them are tough and working on them will help improve your skills when it comes from jumping from obstacle to obstacle and aiming.
17. Don’t forget that you can rewind! Rewind your position by pressing Down on the d-pad if you made a mistake, though know that if you do this in a race, the people will continue passing you by. This is super useful for grabbing those collectables you just miss in Free Roam.
18. Remember there are other game modes! While Knockout Mode and Free Roam are heavily featured, you can play traditional lap-based races if you choose the VS Mode.
Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.
We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.
