The new "Mario Kart" game for the Switch 2 will be bigger and more realistic

Nintendo didn't reveal any big surprises with their Switch 2 announcement. My colleague Domagoj thinks that's just as well. However, the announcement trailer offers a few seconds of insight into a new game that Nintendo has not yet officially announced: "Mario Kart". It can be assumed that this new "Mario Kart" - "Mario Kart 9" by the count - will be released together with the Switch 2 or shortly thereafter. In this video you can get a good look at the game scenes shown:

This is reason enough to speculate what players can expect in the new "Mario Kart"

More expansive, more realistic tracks?

The game scenes are from a race that takes place on a track called "Mario Bros. Circuit". It is located in a desert area that could be in the US Midwest. The race starts on a two-lane tarmac track. Although it is clearly visible in the camera flight that the regular track describes a left-hand bend after the start, large arrows point to a dusty track to the right.

The group of racers leaves the track accordingly, bumps along the sandy path and then drives onto a normal, two-lane highway. This leads far into the distance and the moving obstacles on the road are large lorries with typical American long bonnets. This could mean that the tracks will be bigger and longer. Perhaps the new "Mario Kart" game will also (partially) say goodbye to the usual laps and instead offer tracks so long that only one lap is necessary.

In contrast to previous games, the setting looks more realistic and the surroundings of the race track are depicted in greater detail. However, typical Super Mario elements such as green pipes can be seen and the rocky mesas have the shape of mushroom heads.

24 drivers in the races?

In the gameplay excerpt, it is also immediately noticeable that there are 24 starting positions in front of the track's starting line. This indicates that the races can no longer be contested by just twelve drivers, but by 24. Larger multiplayer sessions and of course more turmoil and chaos during the races are presumably the result.

In the video, you often see small collisions between the karts. They can be recognised by striking explosion-like animations. Bumps are part and parcel of Mario Kart, but their frequency and conspicuousness in this short gameplay clip is interesting. In a five-minute trailer for the predecessor "Mario Kart 8", the bumps are not as prominent.

Removers in "Mario Kart 8" mean a loss of speed, especially for smaller karts. In the Switch 2 video, Donkey Kong and Yoshi, among others, frequently collide. Donkey Kong traditionally drives a higher weight class than Yoshi. But Yoshi does not slow down when he is bumped into.

With 24 drivers, wider lanes and more space on the tracks are also likely. This is already evident on the Mario Bros. Circuit. It is quite possible that new characters from the Nintendo universe will find their way into "Mario Kart" as drivers in order to increase the possible driver pool. This would bring a lot of potential for new kart designs.

Driver characters and karts

The track features the familiar driver characters, including Bowser, Toad, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Wario, Koopa and, of course, Mario and Luigi. The baby characters are also back.

Donkey Kong, especially his head and face, seems to have been given a small redesign. This makes him look a little friendlier. His arms are now much wider. This can be seen in the following screenshot of an article on X:

Obviously, the characters also have even more animations. They contort their faces and react to bumps in the road.

The go-karts don't offer any big surprises at first: There is a driver on each kart and, as usual, there is a wide range of different vehicles. There are also new kart designs such as Rosalina's snowmobile. Older karts, such as Mario's, have been given a makeover - it features new details.

Further observations

Neither collectible coins nor colourful item boxes can be seen in the video. However, it is likely that there will be items, because what would "Mario Kart" be without bananas and red tanks? There is an exit at a small service area at the edge of the carriageway. A shimmering golden item box hovers there. The extract does not show which item you can collect here and what it does. Based on the colour and the fact that there is only one box, it can be assumed that it is an advantageous buff that is worth leaving the main route for a short time.

Except for the many bumps of the karts, the race is noticeably less chaotic than usual in "Mario Kart" due to the lack of question mark boxes, coins and items as well as the setting. Of course, there is also the possibility that Nintendo is not showing the usual racing mode here, but a different mode.

What remains the same

Before entering the sand track, the characters jump with their vehicles to enter slide mode. This causes blue sparks to spray onto the ground and, more recently, clouds of smoke to develop. In previous games, skilful sliding is rewarded with a small speed boost. The sparks indicate that this will also be the case here. There are occasional acceleration fields on the track, which also provide a boost

Toads can be seen in the video recording the action for "Mario Kart TV". This suggests that you can watch, edit and share the highlights from your races

Some further observations on the new game are explained in this English-language video.