Mario Kart World is set to receive a significant free update.

Mario Kart World is gearing up for an exciting new update, and the best part? It’s completely free! The 1.8.0 update will introduce 10 fresh race courses, all inspired by tracks from the classic Super Mario Kart. These maps have been hidden throughout the game’s expansive world but will now be fully playable in VS Race mode. Expect to see fan favorites like Choco Island 1 and 2, Vanilla Lake, Ghost Valley, and more.

Super Mario Kart kicked off the beloved series when it launched in Japan on August 27, 1992, for the SNES. It quickly became a hit, selling 8.76 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth-best-selling game on the system. It was later made available on the Wii’s Virtual Console and included in the Super NES Classic Edition.

In addition to the nostalgic tracks from the original game, Mario Kart World will also introduce two new routes for KO Tour: Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally. For those who might not know, KO Tour is a new mode that plays out like a Battle Royale, where a large group of players races while those lagging behind are eliminated.

Launched on June 5, 2025, alongside the Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World has sold an impressive 15.3 million copies. However, fan reactions have been mixed. While the core racing experience remains tight and responsive, the game’s open-world design has faced some backlash. Players were particularly frustrated with the default online mode, which required them to navigate through dull stretches of open road before reaching the more engaging traditional tracks. Although players found a workaround by voting for random stages from a pool of classic tracks, the developers eventually patched that out. In response to the feedback, Nintendo redesigned several of the less exciting straightaways, which was generally well-received, though it didn’t completely resolve the issue. Despite these challenges, it’s clear that Mario Kart World has solidified its status as another success for Nintendo.