Mario Kart 9 confirmed as exclusive launch title for Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo has confirmed the big first-party title to launch alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 will be Mario Kart World, or Mario Kart 9 for those who are counting.

Nintendo has just wrapped up its Nintendo Switch 2-dedicated Direct and kicked off the hour-long show by jumping straight into the action with the unveiling of Mario Kart World. The presentation with a lengthy reveal of the new Mario Kart game will launch exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 when the new console becomes available on June 5.

According to the showcased footage seen above, players will be able to race seamlessly across connected roads and racetracks and participate in a new Knockout Tour mode that will put players on back-to-back courses with no pit stops. Nintendo confirms that Mario Kart World will introduce atmospheric weather conditions, meaning that, depending on the "time of day," the conditions on the road will change. The Grand Prix mode will enable players to drive to each new course, and Mario Kart World will enable up to 24 players in each race, the most of any Mario Kart game.

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As for the new Knockout Tour mode, players will race from one corner of the world to the other with multiple checkpoints along the way. Players who are below the placement shown on screen at the time will be knocked out of the race. Lastly, the new Free Roam mode lets players drive around the entire world by themselves or with friends.

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Mario Kart World will launch alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, and is bundled with the new console. Nintendo says there will be more details about Mario Kart World unveiled at an upcoming Mario Kart World-featured Direct.