Mario Kart 9: Everything we know so far

By Jesse Lennox Published January 16, 2025

Mario Kart running on a Switch 2. — Nintendo

Mario Kart 8 has easily earned its spot as one of the best Switch games ever made despite being a WiiU port. Even though it wasn’t brand new, it was the perfect game to reveal the Switch with, but we’ve had plenty of time to master all the tracks over the years. Nintendo decided to recreate that moment when revealing the Switch 2 by showing off a new entry in the kart racing franchise. While the game wasn’t technically named Mario Kart 9, there’s a good chance Nintendo will stick to its naming formula for this entry. Fasten your seatbelts because we’re going activate Star Power and blast through all the information we know so far about Mario Kart 9.

Release window

Mario kart running on a Switch 2. — Nintendo

There is no release date for Mario Kart 9, but considering it was shown off with the Switch 2 reveal, it is almost guaranteed that it will be a lunch game. Sadly, we don’t know the Switch 2 release date yet, either, except that it will be in 2025. We should know more after the next Nintendo Direct in April.

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Platforms

Technically Mario Kart 9 could be a cross-platform game, but the only system we know for sure it will run on is the Switch 2. We would guess it would be a Switch 2 exclusive, but will update you once we get confirmation either way.

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Trailers

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

This is technically a trailer for the Switch 2, but it is also the only look we have at Mario Kart 9 at the moment. We see a cast of Mario characters racing down a dusty, western-looking highway in the Mario Bros. Circuit in various carts and motorcycles. Sadly, the footage is quite brief so not a lot can be gleened.

Gameplay

The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart. — Nintendo

The small bit of gameplay we have to work with shows us just the basics we would expect from a Mario Kart 9. There are multiple racers, drifting, and the choice of karts and bikes. We don’t see any other tracks besides Mario Bros. Circuit or even a power-up. No doubt there will be an entire roster of courses, cups, modes, and new power-ups in the final game but those are still under wraps.

We also don’t know what the new gimmick for Mario Kart 9 will be, if anything. Each entry has added a new mechanic to the core gameplay so many are expecting something special for Mario Kart 9.

Confirmed characters

Based on the footage from the Switch 2 trailer, these are all the characters we can confirm will be in Mario Kart 9.

Mario
Luigi
Peach
Daisey
Yoshi
Bowser
Toad
Toadette
Pauline
Baby Mario
Baby Luigi
Rosalina
Wario
Waluigi
Donkey Kong

Preorder

There are no preorders for Mario Kart 9 as of now, and likely won’t until Switch 2 preorders go live. As soon as they pop up, we will let you know how to reserve your copy.

Topics

Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…

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