All game modes in Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World was released on June 5, 2025, and primarily features seven playable modes. Modes like Grand Prix and Knockout Tour may be the most sought-after since they are extremely competitive and allow players to test their skills against many others around the world. However, not all of these modes are competitive, with some being more focused on promoting the general exploration of the game.

This article will go over all seven playable modes in Mario Kart World, which is exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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Mario Kart World: All game modes explored

Grand Prix

The Grand Prix mode on water (Image via Nintendo)

The Grand Prix is perhaps the most popular game mode, where 24 players compete against one another to win. You get to test your skills against other racers in four different races, and your placement at the finish line decides how many points you earn. Naturally, the faster you are, the higher you place, and the more points you earn.

The Grand Prix mode in Mario Kart World features seven different cups, including the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup, among others. Each cup has four different tracks/maps to win.

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Knockout Tour

Checkpoints in Knockout Tour (Image via Nintendo)

The Knockout Tour is an interesting elimination-type mode where checkpoints matter the most. Here, the race begins with 24 players who must pass through five different checkpoints. However, the slots are limited, and not everyone can go through them. Simply put, if your placement is too low according to a checkpoint's requirement, you will be eliminated.

Here is a breakdown of the number of players that can pass through each checkpoint:

Checkpoint	Racers
Start	24
Checkpoint 1	20
Checkpoint 2	16
Checkpoint 3	12
Checkpoint 4	8
Checkpoint 5	4

As you can see, only 20 out of the 24 players can make it past the first checkpoint. Therefore, the last four will be eliminated. The table shows the progression of the race as more and more players get knocked out, hence the name, Knockout Tour.

This Mario Kart World mode also throws obstacles in the players' way, such as cars shooting bullet bills, hammer brothers, and more. There are eight different rallies in the Knockout Tour.

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Battle Mode

The Balloon Battle mode (Image via Nintendo)

The Battle Mode in Mario Kart World features two mini-games you can play online or offline. These are:

• Balloon Battle
• Coin Runners

In Balloon Battle, each player receives five balloons tied to the back of their vehicles. The goal is to throw items at these balloons and pop them. Once all five are gone, that specific player gets eliminated. Fast and unpredictable movement is the key to winning Balloon Battle in Mario Kart World.

Meanwhile, Coin Runners is a time-based mode where players must collect as many coins as possible from the map before the clock runs out. You can also hit opponents with objects to knock their coins out to increase your chances of winning. However, drive carefully as falling off-map will also make you lose all of yours.

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VS Race

The VS Race game mode in Mario Kart World is specifically designed to customize your settings and map to play with your friends. You can customize the Com Difficulty, Race Count, Items, Class, Teams, as well as laps and routes.

Essentially, you have all the control to design your own race to compete against your friends. There can be a maximum of 24 players and four teams in this mode.

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Time Trials

As the name suggests, the race is against the clock in Time Trials. You try to set the best time record for finishing three laps per course. You can also compete against your own "Ghost," i.e., your previous record, in real time and against other players.

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Free Roam

Free Roam mode (Image via Nintendo)

Finally, the Free Roam mode allows you to simply explore the maps and the tracks without any competitive dynamics in the play. You get to be by yourself and freely roam in the game's world for as long as you please with no restriction.