Verdict № 07 · Family and party
Mario Kart World review
A connected world of tracks and a 24-racer knockout mode make this the most ambitious Mario Kart yet. Online racing needs a Switch Online membership on top.
Mario and Luigi racing side by side on a sunlit desert track. Official image: Nintendo.
Mario Kart World does something the series has never tried: it joins its tracks into one continuous map. A Grand Prix now drives you along the roads between circuits, and a new mode, Knockout Tour, runs 24 racers across whole regions and eliminates the back of the pack at each checkpoint. It launched with the Switch 2 in June 2025, is the best-selling game on the console, and holds 86 on Metacritic, with 97% of critics on OpenCritic recommending it.
Its bill has two parts that people miss. The first is format: £66.99 digital against £74.99 for a boxed copy at My Nintendo Store, although high-street retailers often discount the box. The second is online play, which needs Nintendo Switch Online at £17.99 a year. Everything added since launch, from new rallies to a battle mode, has been free.
A generous, fast-evolving racer whose true price includes the online membership.The verdict in one line
The review, milestone by milestone
- mark 9.0
Hours 1 to 5
Grand Prix and Knockout Tour
The first hours are the familiar Grand Prix cups with a twist: the roads between tracks are part of the race. Knockout Tour is the headline, a 24-racer rally in which the slowest drivers drop out at each checkpoint, and it gives even a first evening a sense of occasion.
Rail-grinding, wall-riding and a charged jump sit on top of classic drifting, so there is a skill ceiling to chase. HowLongToBeat puts the cups at about four hours, which says more about how racing games are measured than about how long this one lasts.
- mark 8.5
The middle stretch
Free Roam and the online rooms
Free Roam opens the whole map, with small challenges, hidden medallions and panels, weather and a day-night cycle. Some critics found it thin between its landmarks; it works best as a place to learn the roads. Characters and costumes unlock as you play and eat Dash Food, never through a shop.
By this point the online rooms, for up to 24 players, are the main draw, and they require Switch Online.
- mark 8.5
The long tail
Free updates every few months
Nintendo has kept adding to it at no charge: custom item rules in December 2025, team races in Knockout Tour in January 2026, the Bob-omb Blast battle mode in March, new rallies in July and classic SNES courses in September 2026.
Completionists report around 55 hours to clear everything in Free Roam; online racers simply keep going.
- mark 9.0
Craft and access
Built for a room full of people
Smart Steering and auto-accelerate make it playable for young children and newcomers, motion steering is still there, and up to four people can share one screen. Local wireless play and GameShare let friends join from their own consoles.
It runs smoothly and looks bright and busy in the best way. It is exclusive to Switch 2.
The bill: what it really costs in the UK
There is no shop inside the game. What you pay depends on the format you choose and whether you race online.
The bill · Mario Kart World
Every course, rally and mode added since launch has been free. The Switch 2 console itself rose to £419.99 on 1 September 2026.
Where to buy it and how you can pay
Mario Kart World is a Switch 2 exclusive, so the digital version is sold only on the Nintendo eShop, which accepts Visa and Mastercard, PayPal for adults and eShop cards.
The boxed game is widely stocked in UK shops, where prices move daily and are often below Nintendo's own.
Nintendo eShop
- Visa or Mastercard
- PayPal (18+)
- eShop cards
My Nintendo Store
Nintendo's web shop also takes Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Card
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Before you pay: the eShop will not refund a digital copy if you change your mind. For a family, the Switch Online family plan (£31.49 a year for up to eight accounts) costs less than two individual memberships.
How the scores add up
| How it plays | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| First hours | 15% | 9.0 |
| The middle stretch | 30% | 8.5 |
| The long tail | 20% | 8.5 |
| Craft | 20% | 9.0 |
| Access | 15% | 9.0 |
| What it costs | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Price against play | 35% | 7.0 |
| Honest pricing | 25% | 7.5 |
| Ways to pay | 20% | 5.5 |
| Protection | 20% | 5.0 |
What we rate
- Knockout Tour is the freshest idea the series has had in years
- Four-player split screen and strong assists for younger players
- More than a year of free updates and no in-game shop
- The digital copy is £8 cheaper than Nintendo's boxed price
What costs it
- Online racing needs Switch Online at £17.99 a year
- Free Roam can feel empty between landmarks
- Switch 2 only
- No change-of-mind refunds on the eShop
Buy it if
you have a Switch 2 and people to play with; it is the best shared-screen game in our twelve.
Think twice if
you mostly play alone and offline, where its content thins out faster than a big adventure's would.
Final verdict
Mario Kart World is a superb party game that keeps growing at no extra cost. Our Value score sits below its quality because its honest price is the game plus a membership for anyone who races online, it is sold on Nintendo's least flexible store, and the boxed version costs more than any other standard edition here.
Buy it digitally if you know you will keep it; buy the box from a retailer if you want the option to lend it or sell it on.
Weigh it against
Sources
This review is an editorial analysis of published evidence; see how we judge. Prices checked 25 September 2026.