I recently wrote an article stating why I wasn’t purchasing the Nintendo Switch 2. Well, things have changed. I got the new console for Christmas, and now I can’t put down Mario Kart World. I love the feel of the cars on the road, the high-speed carnage, the open-world design, and the thrill of pulling off a boost-bringing drift. Though I’ve only spent a few weeks with Mario Kart World, the racing game has been out for more than six months. That means it’s time to think about DLC (downloadable content). After all, Nintendo supported Mario Kart 8 for a decade. So, here are five things I want to see in any future DLC the company releases, from cosmetic changes to gameplay improvements.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
1. More Characters and Costumes
Video games should be fun, so sometimes that means getting silly. Seeing Mario drive around in a cowboy hat brings my kids and me great joy. That’s why I’d like to see more than two costumes for Donkey Kong and Pauline. It’s for that reason I don’t play as them in Free Roam; I’d rather control Luigi, or some other character, who has far more costumes to collect. And on that front, I really want additional costume variants for the enemy characters because it’s genuinely disappointing that I can’t use the costume-unlocking Dash Food to give my red Shy Guy another color.
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Additionally, a few key faces are missing. Besides Paragoomba and Paratroopa, where are all the Koopalings? There’s a Para-Biddybud in the game, but no Biddybud? Characters like Professor E. Gadd, King Bob-omb, and Cappy would fit right in. And Luma would be a nice addition to coincide with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that drops this April. I also wouldn’t say no to a few guest characters from other Nintendo franchises—Kirby has his own racing game, after all. Having more characters to discover would extend my overall playtime before unlocking everything and moving on.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
2. Revamped Versus and Grand Prix Modes
Knockout Tour is a wonderful addition to the series, but Nintendo’s desire to put the open world front and center has created an imbalance in the game modes. Since Knockout Tour leverages the connected courses, it would make more sense for Grand Prix to include only individual courses. Two open-world modes make everything feel too similar. Yes, the open world adds unpredictability, but it also means I can’t learn the tracks’ twists and turns, perfect my drift the next time around, or try to reach an area I missed before.
This is no doubt what Nintendo made the Versus mode for, but not being able to race just a single track is a mistake. I have a solution, Nintendo: Let me select one traditional course instead of the current minimum of three. Likewise, I’d appreciate a wider pool of existing tracks to choose from. These options would be great additions to Grand Prix mode, too.
Bonus suggestions: A battle royale multiplayer mode for Free Roam, and the return of double-occupancy karts from Mario Kart: Double Dash.
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(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
3. Even More Tracks
Mario Kart World’s 30 included courses are great; I just want more. The racer’s open-world design likely makes it challenging to integrate new courses into the game’s flow. That said, the way Nintendo introduced Rainbow Road as a new location on the map, outside of the existing overworld, opens up a lot of leeway for new tracks because the devs wouldn’t need to redesign whole sections of the game. Plus, a new course based on Super Mario Galaxy 2 would be a great movie tie-in.
Another option to expand the tracks? Add more variations of existing courses. Right now, Mario Kart World has two versions of Crown City and Peach Stadium, based on which cup you choose. I’d welcome this approach for other levels, or even track combinations of cup and rally races—creating a Bell Cup or Red Shell Rally sounds easy enough with all the levels already available.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
4. Added Excitement in the Overworld
Mario Kart World’s open-world design is incredible. I’ve spent hours roaming through various biomes, pulling off tricks, finding secrets, and beating challenges. That said, there’s not a whole lot to do in the overworld. Nothing’s interactive, the achievements serve no purpose, and a lot of the challenges feel repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, I dig this smooth jazz spin on Mario World—the vibes are off the chart. That said, none of it feels particularly sustainable in the long term. Eventually, people will get bored. So what can be done?
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A future update should add more varied challenges and rewards of consequence. What if the stickers you collect as rewards for completing challenges impacted your vehicle’s performance? Let me add more than one to my car, place them where I want, and spec out my ride with special abilities (if only just for free roam mode). A single-player career mode may be too big an ask, but a Crazy Taxi-like mode, where you drive hitchhikers to a specific destination before time runs out, would be awesome.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
5. Free DLC
Simply put, I shouldn’t be expected to pay more money for the DLC when I’ve already given Nintendo $80 to play this game. That’s $20 more than I paid for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and just $5 under the total cost if you included that game’s Booster Course Pass. Nintendo already front-loaded the cost of Mario Kart World by charging more than the going rate for an AAA game, so there should be some equity built into that price. Whatever costumes, characters, tracks, or modes Nintendo brings to this game over its lifetime, I want them included.
If, years from now, after the developers have finished their planned development path and want to offer an additional pack of courses for more cash, as they did with 8, that’s fine. But right now, they already have my money.
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As PCMag’s editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.
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My job as how-to guru means I use just about every gadget under the sun, so I can figure out how everything works. I work from a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11, but also have a very large Dell Inspiron 17 3000 and Apple silicon MacBook. I also have a Google Pixel 6a for personal use and use a Galaxy Z Flip 4 for additional Samsung-related testing. For iOS coverage, an iPhone 13 mini works like a charm, though it’s already becoming a little long in the tooth.
My desktop situation includes a dual monitor setup with a modest Acer monitor. I also use a Logitech mouse (who can use these ThinkPad trackpads) and a Havit keyboard (my first mechanical keyboard; I love it but my wife hates it!). I’m a recent convert from wired headphones; I have Anker Soundcore Liberty Air wireless earbuds for personal use and have taken to the Sennheiser HD 450BT headphones for work.
Whenever I have a second to myself, I’m probably gaming on my Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Xbox Series S. I also still have a bunch of classic consoles lying around as well.
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