Mario Kart World: How to ride on rails and walls

Teased during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal trailer, Mario Kart World brings a bunch of fresh tricks to the table, and one of the biggest changes is how you can now ride on rails and walls. They’re essential for getting ahead in races, reaching hidden paths, and mastering the open-world areas the game has to offer.

Here's a guide on how to ride on rails and walls in Mario Kart World.

---

Methods to grind on rails in Mario Kart World

Gameplay glimpse from the Mario Kart World Direct (Image via Nintendo)

Grinding rails is one of the flashier and more useful tricks in the game. You’ve got two ways to do it:

First, you can Charge Jump onto a rail. To do that, just let go of your directional controls and hold the drift button (R). Your kart will lower a bit, showing it's charging. Once it’s ready, let go of R to leap into the air. If you’re lined up right, you’ll land on a rail and start grinding.

Second, some rails start directly on the ground or are part of the track itself. In that case, you can just drive onto the rail and you’ll automatically start grinding — no jump needed.

While grinding, press R again to perform tricks. That gives you a small speed boost. You don’t have to balance the kart during the grind; it stays locked in. You’ll keep going until you either reach the end or jump off using a trick plus a directional input. This move helps avoid items, take alternate paths, or just get a bit of extra boost speed during a race.

---

Methods to ride on walls in Mario Kart World

You can also rewind if you've missed any shortcut (Image via Nintendo)

Riding walls is a bit trickier but just as important. There are a few different ways to get onto a wall:

1. Use a Charge Jump like before. Hold R, don’t steer, and release when it’s charged. If you’re aimed toward a wall and have good timing, your kart will launch and stick to it.
2. Hit a ramp that leads into a wall. Some tracks are designed with ramps that launch you directly onto a wall section. Boost off those to get started.
3. Use the Feather item by pressing the L button, which gives you extra height. If you use a Feather and land against a wall, you’ll automatically start riding it, though you can’t always count on getting one when you need it.

Once on the wall, you can ride for a while. You’ll build up boost during that time, and you can press R again to do a trick or jump off. Some tracks also let you chain wall rides with well-timed bounces using directional inputs.

This mechanic is especially useful in open-world areas where secrets and shortcuts are tucked away behind wall paths that most players will miss.

---

That concludes our guide on riding on rails and walls in Mario Kart World.

Check out: What is Knockout Tour in Mario Kart World?