During today’s Nintendo Direct, it was announced that a free update is coming to Mario Kart World later today. Set to include new race tracks and Knockout Tour routes, it’s sure to be a welcome addition for owners of the game.
If you want to know more about what’s included in the free Mario Kart World update as well as how to download it yourself, here’s what you need to know.
Everything included in the free Mario Kart World update today
Nintendo is adding ten new circuits to Mario Kart World that will be playable from the VS Race menu on the main screen. These are all inspired by the tracks from the original Mario Kart game, released in 1992 for the SNES.
The full list of new tracks weren’t listed, but these three were mentioned by name:
- Choco Island
- Vanilla Lake
- Ghost Valley
Just like in the original game, you’ll be able to drive over Question Mark panels on the floor to collect items rather than driving through the usual floating boxes.
In addition to the ten new tracks in VS Race mode, there’s also two new Knockout Tour routes to try out. These will be called Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally.
Propellor Rally starts at the north of the map and does a clockwise loop around to Bowser’s Airship in the west of the map.
Meanwhile, Turnip Rally starts in the snowy region to the east of the map and works its way west through Peach’s Castle until it reaches the desert temple.
When will Mario Kart World update v1.8.0 become available?
Nintendo says that the latest Mario Kart World update will arrive for all players free of charge at some point later today. It doesn’t mention a specific time, so you’ll simply have to keep checking for updates throughout the afternoon.
At the time of writing, the update isn’t available to download on my Nintendo Switch 2.
To check for Mario Kart World updates, navigate over to Mario Kart World on your Switch 2’s dashboard and press either the + or – button. You’ll then be prompted to check for a Software Update if there’s one available.
