All Mario Kart World characters - confirmed

The latest Nintendo Direct started with a bang by revealing Mario Kart World as a launch title on June 5, 2025. The gaming community has been ecstatic ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 was revealed in January 2025, and the company knew that this would catch fans' attention.

The latest installment will include a handful of racing tracks, and that is where you will commonly see characters drive their carts. However, this installment allows you to ride the rails and walls. It is an interesting change of pace that spices up the traditional gaming experience. The improvement in gameplay variety is a key factor to separate this installment from previous iterations.

Another notable change is that this iteration is open-world, meaning racers will have to race track to track, and their numbers will slowly dwindle if players are left in the dust. The stakes are much higher thanks to this new change, and racers will try their hardest not to come in last. Speed is the name of the game, and numbers will continue to drop until you run out of road and come out on top.

The Mario Kart World trailer shown during Nintendo Direct offered a look at the title and featured an impressive lineup of fresh characters. This article will list every single playable character revealed for the game.

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All Mario Kart World characters

Expect a handful of regulars to come back in the latest Mario Kart iteration (Image via Nintendo)

This isn't a Mario Kart game if Mario isn't at the front and center, alongside a few of the usual supporting characters, such as Luigi, Princess Peach, and more. Here is a list of confirmed characters in the upcoming game:

• Mario
• Luigi
• Bowser
• Princess Peach
• Yoshi
• Donkey Kong
• Toad
• Birdo
• Toadette
• Rosalina
• Waluigi
• Daisy
• Bowser Jr
• Pauline
• Shy Guy
• Baby Peach
• Baby Daisy
• Wario
• Baby Rosalina
• Baby Mario
• Lakitu
• King Boo
• Moo Moo
• Nabbit
• Goomba
• Hammer Bro
• Chargin’ Chuck
• Sidestepper
• Stingby
• Biddybug
• Penguin
• Pianta
• Pokey
• Spike
• Koopa Troopa
• Baby Luigi

Mario Kart World could be the most expansive Mario Kart game ever made (Image via Nintendo)

We got to see Bowser return in the title's trailer, and he will likely cause mayhem for his archnemesis, Mario. It is great to witness a recurring villain get his share of the spotlight, and this highlights his importance to the franchise.

Early testers revealed that Mario Kart World will be much bigger and grander than the previous installment. The player capacity has been doubled, which means each race will be much more entertaining and competitive than in the previous installment.

Nintendo proudly started the live stream with a flashy new trailer of Mario Kart World and confirmed it will be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title and exclusive. While it is a shame that the game won’t be playable on the original console, this can be viewed as a step forward. If Nintendo were to try to port this new Mario Kart title to the older system, it could cause problems and tarnish the game's quality.

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Apart from the revealed characters, there's no telling who else Nintendo is keeping under lock and key. Previous installments offered new characters as downloadable content. Perhaps Mario Kart World will follow in the footsteps of older games in its series, and the community will have more characters to play with than the ones shown in the trailer.

The title will be released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025.

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