You Can Play 2-Player Free Roam in Mario Kart World, But…

The Nintendo Switch 2 has arrived, and with it, the latest Mario Kart is also in players’ hands. Mario Kart World picks up where the highly successful Mario Kart 8 Deluxe left off, and, so far, impressions of this new entry in the kart-racing franchise have been positive. With this game, Mario Kart has become the latest Nintendo franchise to go open world, and Mario Kart World’s three main modes have all found their own ways to benefit from this exciting new format.

Grand Prix serves as the primary format as usual, but Mario Kart World’s take on this mainstay mode alters its contents to fit an open world framework. Both the Grand Prix and the new battle royale-esque Knockout Tour modes make use of the space between courses as well as the courses themselves, and they even offer different ways to race on the same courses. Mario Kart World’s most detailed showing of its open world belongs to the third main mode, Free Roam, which plays out exactly like it sounds. All of these modes can be enjoyed with others online, but they also support local multiplayer, even if Free Roam’s split-screen isn't very convenient.

Mario Kart World Fully Embraces the Idea of 'Games as a Place'

Mario Kart World invites players to live in its world with seamless transitions, immersive design, and fast-paced racing that never breaks the flow.

Posts 2

By Josh Cotts

How Mario Kart World’s Free Roam Supports Two Local Players

It took a couple of days for the Mario Kart World community to spread the word that the Free Roam mode has a split-screen option, as Nintendo didn't advertise the feature before launch. The reason why the feature was not shown can only be speculated on, but at least it's not something that Mario Kart World is missing. Right now, the ways to initiate split-screen in Free Roam are as follows:

Start an online lobby with two players selected.
Begin a Wireless Play session with two players selected.
Activate the hidden LAN Play mode with two players selected.

That Mario Kart World does not currently have a specific mode for split-screen Free Roam when the functionality exists in the game is odd, but it may just be a case of development priorities. Ensuring that local multiplayer functions in the primary racing modes likely took precedence, and doing so certainly added to the time it took to build and stress-test Mario Kart World's giant map filled with functional racetracks. If Mario Kart World receives generous post-launch support like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe did, a native split-screen option for offline Free Roam should come quickly, but the options now work in spite of their quirks.

Split-Screen Free Roam Is One Of Mario Kart World’s Weak Points

With that being said, it's advisable to know which quirks are in play, as it will help players make the best choice in an already rough situation. Starting an online lobby requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and any online friends can easily join this split-screen lobby. Wireless Play avoids that, but for unknown reasons, only one player is allowed to play with Mario Kart World's dual Joy-Con controller style. Holding L, R, and the left stick in over Wireless Play will unlock LAN Play, which lacks all the unique restrictions of other modes, but is a hidden mode that requires that code to access.

There's Currently No Way To Escape Mario Kart World’s Local Free Roam Issues

After sorting through all of that, there are still several issues with the current Free Roam split-screen experience. Because of the modes involved, “Waiting for players to join…” or “Start game” will always be visible at the bottom of the screen. Mario Kart World’s varied P-Switch challenges and the photo mode aren't available, and both players will be brought together if they get too far away. These particular restrictions make it apparent that Mario Kart World has not been optimized for two players exploring its open world on one console, so hopefully a proper split-screen Free Roam update can offer a better local experience soon.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image