During the Nintendo Direct earlier today, the first major content update to Mario Kart World (2025) was announced. Released in June of 2025 along with the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 console, Mario Kart World is an open world take on the Super Mario Bros. themed racing game, Super Mario Kart, first released on the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1992. Mario Kart soon became a hallmark of almost every Nintendo console released since, with each iteration introducing new maps, characters, and gameplay mechanics.

Update 1.8.0 features five new courses, or maps, each inspired by the original SNES Mario Kart. These maps include Mario Circuit, Ghost Valley, Choco Mountain, Vanilla Lake, and Koopa Beach. Both Mario Circuit and Ghost Valley include all three race circuits found in Super Mario Kart, even if they were originally played in different cups. The new Choco Mountain map, however, was not a course in Super Mario Kart, but rather one from the N64’s Mario Kart edition, Mario Kart 64, released in 1996. The Mario Kart World edition of Choco Mountain does feature two circuits from Super Mario Kart: Choco Island 1 and Choco Island 2. The revamped Vanilla Lake course includes a remake of Vanilla Lake 1, but not Vanilla Lake 2. Similarly, the new Koopa Beach map does include Koopa Beach 1, but not the Koopa Troopa Beach 2 track. These new courses were dropped today in both Versus Races and Time Trials, in addition to Online Play and Wireless Play for free.

Along with these new maps, Update 1.8.0 includes two new rallies for players racing in knockout mode. Knockout Tour is a gameplay option exclusive to Mario Kart World that continuously eliminates players who end up in the last place slots of various races. These new maps, or rallies, are Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally, both inspired by traditional Mario Kart power-ups. The update’s patch notes, also released today, note various small fixes and updates designed for a smoother gameplay experience.