Along with many other revelations during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, the company announced a free update for Mario Kart World.
Nintendo is giving Mario Kart World players 10 additional courses and two new Knockout Tour routes. The new courses are all drawn from the original Super Mario Kart, bringing a selection of tracks from the 1992 SNES game into Mario Kart World as playable courses in VS Race.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that players didn’t have to wait long to try them. The free update arrived the same day.
A free update for Mario Kart World launches later today!
Play 10 classic courses from Super Mario Kart in VS Race mode and two new Knockout tour routes. #NintendoDirect
Get the update: https://t.co/K9I0I75Mhh pic.twitter.com/1FIL2jzzQY
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 9, 2026
“A free update for Mario Kart World launches later today!” Nintendo announced. “Play 10 classic courses from Super Mario Kart in VS Race mode and two new Knockout tour routes.”
Mario Kart Returns to Its SNES Roots
The update adds Mario Circuit 1, Mario Circuit 2, Mario Circuit 3, Ghost Valley 1, Ghost Valley 2, Ghost Valley 3, Choco Island 1, Choco Island 2, Vanilla Lake 1, and Koopa Beach 1.
Although based on courses from the original Super Mario Kart, the tracks have been incorporated into the much larger world created for the Nintendo Switch 2 game.
A screenshot from the trailer to Mario Kart World – YouTube, Nintendo of America
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In fact, players may already be familiar with some of the locations. As Insider Gaming notes, versions of the classic tracks have been present within Mario Kart World’s interconnected map since launch. However, they were not previously available as traditional courses in VS Race.
Nintendo is also retaining one of the original game’s distinctive mechanics. Rather than driving through the floating item boxes familiar to players of modern Mario Kart games, racers will drive over Question Mark panels embedded in the track to collect items.
The courses will also be playable in Time Trials, Online Play, and Wireless Play.
Two New Knockout Tour Routes
Nintendo is also expanding Knockout Tour with two additional routes: Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally.
Knockout Tour is Mario Kart World’s elimination-style mode, sending 24 racers across interconnected sections of the game’s world while eliminating the lowest-placing drivers at checkpoints along the route.
The additions follow June’s Version 1.7.0 update, which similarly expanded the mode with Drill Rally and Boomerang Rally. Nintendo previously confirmed that additional Knockout Tour routes would continue to arrive through updates.
Version 1.8.0 Brings More Changes
Version 1.8.0 also makes a number of smaller changes across Mario Kart World.
Time Trials will now display individual lap times, while Nintendo has changed the colors used to indicate whether a player is running ahead of or behind a ghost.
Spectating has received a more substantial overhaul. Players watching races, Knockout Tour, or Battle can now press the Y button to switch to a driver’s point of view. Spectators can also view the current positions of racers in real time.
A screenshot from the trailer to Mario Kart World – YouTube, Nintendo of America
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Nintendo has also added a dedicated Spectator Mode to groups in Online Play and LAN Play. These groups can now contain as many as 26 people, although only 24 can participate in a race. The remaining two can watch without occupying racing slots.
The update makes several adjustments to items as well. Nintendo has changed the probability of receiving certain items from item boxes in both races and Knockout Tour. Players will also receive a longer period of protection from Boo after having an item stolen.
A larger selection of items held by rival racers will now be visible, including Coins, Question Blocks, Kamek, Blooper, Feathers, Fire Flowers, Ice Flowers, Boomerangs, and Hammers.
Mario in a screenshot from the trailer to Mario Kart World – YouTube, Nintendo of America
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Nintendo also addressed a lengthy list of bugs. Among the fixes is an exploit that allowed players to jump higher than intended by shaking the controller at the end of a rail. Time Trial ghosts that took advantage of the bug may consequently be removed from the rankings.
Other fixes address a Spiny Shell occasionally traveling backward along rails, players becoming stuck against traffic after crashing, and several course-specific problems involving shortcuts and boundaries.
Nintendo Continues Adding Free Content
While some fans may have been expecting Nintendo to announce a larger paid expansion for Mario Kart World, the company is instead continuing to build upon the Switch 2 launch title through free updates.
Adding 10 courses at once makes Version 1.8.0 one of the game’s more substantial updates yet. Better still for longtime Mario Kart fans, Nintendo is looking back to where the franchise began, giving some of its oldest tracks another lap more than three decades after their debut.
What do you think of the free update for Mario Kart World? Sound off and let us know!
