Nintendo releases a new update for Mario Kart World, addressing a variety of bugs and other odd issues that are impacting the player experience. It's been a massively strong start for Nintendo and its Switch 2 console, breaking sales records and putting launch games like Mario Kart World in the spotlight.
Despite the popularity and success so far, many fans would agree that Mario Kart World is missing some popular features from previous games. One of the more obvious ones is the lack of a 200cc mode, which Mario Kart 8 eventually added post-launch in a free update. Fans have also discovered that Mario Kart World is also missing a local co-op multiplayer mode for free roam, which many suspect is due to a technical reason, not just an oversight. Either way, some of these issues are expected to be patched in the future, and for now, Nintendo has begun that process by focusing on fixing bugs.
Mario Kart World's Outfits Could Be Hiding a Massive Secret About Nintendo's Future
While the introduction of outfits might not have been the biggest of Mario Kart World's new features, it could be the key to future Super Mario games.
Nintendo has released a brand-new update, the first since the launch-day patch for Mario Kart World. However, players won't find anything in the way of new content to dig into as Nintendo is simply focusing on addressing outstanding issues and bugs for the time being. The updates range in severity, with one note indicating fixes have been applied to prevent possible game crashes when watching a replay after a race or finishing an online match.
Outside of that, the update also addressed level-specific issues like being able to slip through a wall right before the finish line on the DK Spaceport track in Mario Kart World, or the game glitching out after falling off the track while gliding in Airship Fortress and Bowser's Castle tracks. Nintendo also made tweaks to online specific issues, such as communication errors that could arise when trying to join friends.
While Nintendo likely works on smoothing out some of the rough edges, fans have taken it upon themselves to offer some homemade solutions. A recently released Mario Kart World app makes searching for collectibles and challenges in Free Roam much easier to track, a solution to a common complaint from current players. Unfortunately, the MK World Travel Guide app is currently only available for iOS devices, though Android users are hopeful that will change sooner rather than later.
Mario Kart World Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes
- Fixed an issue where items were no longer able to be used.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when selecting a character and trying to start Free Roam from the “Free Roam” map.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes the game shut down when watching replay after a race.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes the game shut down after a race in “Online Play.”
- Fixed an issue where rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in “Knockout Tour” and “Online Play.”
- Fixed an issue where it was easy for a communication error to occur when trying to join Friends playing “VS Race” or “Battle” in “Online Play.”
- Fixed an issue where you sometimes slipped through the wall before the finish line of “DK Spaceport.”
- Fixed an issue where you sometimes couldn’t return to correct position after falling of the course between “Airship Fortress” and “Bowser’s Castle” while gliding.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- June 5, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
Hit the open road with Mario and friends! Zip around courses in a vast world where everything is connected. Race along grassy plains, bustling cities, wide-open waters, big ol' volcanos, and more—plus everything in between.
A sprawling world of courses. Speed across plains, cities, water, volcanos, and much more. Everything is connected!
Go beyond the course. There's more to racing than just the course. Hop off the course and race the distance to the next one!
Free Roam - Drive wherever your heart takes you. Where to? That's up to you! Take off in any direction in this new mode. Explore areas that pique your interest, and maybe even snap some in-game pics at scenic spots.
Play Together - Have a blast with friends, whether near or far. Up to 4 players can race on the same system. Play using your choice of button controls or motion controls. Attach a Joy-Con 2 controller to the optional Joy-Con 2 wheel accessory to wheely feel like you're driving. You can also play using Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers connected wirelessly.
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Prequel(s)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Franchise
- Mario Kart
- Number of Players
- 1-24
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- June 5, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
