Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s beloved LAN Mode feature is available in Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing 16-24 player mayhem to one household. Polygon can confirm that players must hold L+R (NOT ZL+ ZR) and then click the left joystick, to transform the wireless play option into LAN Mode.
In this mode, players connect the consoles to the same access point via ethernet connection to get a complete 24-player LAN Party. This option differs from the wireless play’s room max of 8 players. So, if you want to, MKW can easily be used in an awesome LAN tournament.
LAN tournaments/parties were popularized in the late 1990s and went strong into the 2000s. These events saw players bring over their computers or consoles to their homie’s houses (or established venues) to game together. The tournaments and parties required players to wire their consoles together on a shared network, reducing latency in whatever competitive game they were playing, like Halo, for example.
So, who knows, with the LAN Mode returning as a feature, we may see some wacky Mario Kart World local parties with chaotic 24-player Knockout Tour competitions. Ah, the possibilities.
Mario Kart World was released on June 5 alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Be sure to read more on how to unlock characters and their dope outfits across the site — to get you ready for those hypothetical LAN parties, of course.