Mario Kart World Update: Latest Version and Patch Notes

The latest Mario Kart World update is version 1.8.0, released on 9 September 2026 (10 September in Europe). It added ten Super Mario Kart courses to VS Race, two new Knockout Tour rallies, Spectator Mode, 26 player rooms and a long list of balance changes and fixes.

Below is every update since the game came out on 5 June 2025, newest first, with the main changes in plain words. Then what Nintendo has said about the next one, and how to update on Switch 2.

Checked on 15 October 2026 against Nintendo's official "How to Update Mario Kart World" support pages (US and UK) and Nintendo's 9 September 2026 Direct. Dates are the US release dates. The UK page lists most of them one day later, because of the time zone.

Every Mario Kart World update at a glance

Each update includes every one before it. So if you install 1.8.0 on a console that never went online, you get the lot in one download.

Version 1.8.0 (9 September 2026)

Nintendo showed this one in the Direct on 9 September and it went live the same day. It is the biggest content drop since launch.

• 10 Super Mario Kart courses in VS Race, Time Trials and online races: Mario Circuit 1, 2 and 3, Ghost Valley 1, 2 and 3, Choco Island 1 and 2, Vanilla Lake 1 and Koopa Beach 1. They use item panels on the road, like the 1992 original, instead of item boxes.
• Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally in Knockout Tour.
• Lap times now show in Time Trials, and the gap to the ghost changed colour: red when you are ahead, blue when you are behind.
• Spectator Mode in Online Play and LAN Play rooms, and rooms of up to 26 players, with 24 racing.
• Rating changes now depend on course length, and Battle has a new rule for tied scores.
• Item changes: fewer wall bounces for Green Shells, Coin Shells, fireballs, ice balls and Boomerangs. Faster recovery from a Thwomp. More protection after a Boo steals from you. New item odds. You can now see more of the items your rivals hold, from Coins to the Hammer.
• Fixes include a rail jump exploit (Nintendo warns affected Time Trials ghosts may be removed), wall riding the edge of Ghost Valley, and wrong final rankings after a Feather shortcut on Mario Circuit.

The lap time display is the change I like most on that list. In any racing game, a total time tells you that you were slow. A lap time tells you where. Real car data works the same way: split it until you find the corner.

Version 1.7.0 (30 June 2026)

• Drill Rally and Boomerang Rally added to Knockout Tour.
• Stickers in Photo Mode, with touch or mouse controls.
• Balance: more acceleration for characters and vehicles that had low acceleration, and faster gliding for the high speed characters and some others.
• You can hop straight away after Kamek's magic or a Bullet Bill, the dash after landing on a rival lasts longer, and braking before a slipstream starts now cancels it.
• New item box odds, and the Super Horn is now visible on rivals.
• Thai language support.
• A long list of off track and wall clipping fixes, plus a Time Trials timing bug. Ghosts affected by it may be removed from the rankings.

The acceleration and glide changes are a stat rebalance, so if you are picking a setup, read my best Mario Kart World combos with this version in mind.

Version 1.6.1 (9 April 2026)

Two fixes. A missing speed boost when landing from a rail ride after a Jump Boost, and a crash when switching between TV and handheld or tabletop mode with three or more players.

Version 1.6.0 (30 March 2026)

• Bob-omb Blast added as a Battle mode. Up to 10 Bob-ombs in hand, and the throw distance depends on how long you hold L.
• Bullet Bill got more sideways movement, an easier route into shortcuts after use, and more speed on parts of Bowser's Castle, Starview Peak and Rainbow Road.
• Boomerang nerfed: shorter range and fewer throws in a row.
• Invincibility after a spin or crash now depends on weight. Heavier characters and vehicles get longer.
• You can no longer be crushed by a Thwomp while spinning, and you get up to two warnings for shells coming from behind in single player and 1p online.
• A big batch of course and Knockout Tour ranking fixes.

The weight rule matters for character choice. My Mario Kart World characters page covers who sits where.

Version 1.5.0 (21 January 2026)

Team races in Knockout Tour when you play in a room in Online Play or Wireless Play. Polish language support. Fixes for a crash with Kamek on Choco Mountain and a wrong rating display when joining Everyone from a room.

Version 1.4.1 (15 December 2025)

One fix: the game could stop progressing after a controller was disconnected and reconnected. Nintendo notes that some Time Trials ghosts were deleted from the rankings because of it.

Version 1.4.0 (2 December 2025)

• Custom Items: choose which items appear in VS Race, Balloon Battle, Coin Runners and online or wireless rooms.
• Music track names on the pause menu, and a Music Volume slider.
• Rooms in Online Play can now run Race, Knockout Tour and Battle, up to 4 players each.
• Every race that heads to Koopa Troopa Beach now finishes after two laps there, with layout changes on eight routes.
• A long list of fixes, mostly Bullet Bill getting stuck and players slipping through walls.

Version 1.3.0 (23 September 2025)

• Join friends in Knockout Tour from Online Play 1p.
• Free Roam map shows the P Switches you have hit and the Peach Medallions you have found, and you can jump to a P Switch from the map.
• Longer invincibility after a spin or crash, faster item box respawn, and weaker jumps when landing on a rival.
• Fixes for Spiny Shells passing the leader and launching players backwards, and wrong rankings at the finish line.

Version 1.2.1 (18 August 2025)

Fixed the wrong ghost playing when you chose Race against Ghost or View Replay straight after downloading ghost data.

Version 1.2.0 (29 July 2025)

• No COM in single player VS Race, and Mushrooms only as an item rule.
• View Replay after downloading a ghost, and choose who to watch when spectating Knockout Tour and Balloon Battle.
• COM made weaker outside Battle.
• Boomerang homing reduced, fewer Triple Dash Mushrooms in low positions, and ? Blocks more likely, outside Frantic items.
• A wheelspin animation if you press A too early at the start, with no loss of speed.

Version 1.1.2 (25 June 2025)

Changed how Random picks the next course in wireless VS Race, adjusted the rating display fix again, and fixed recovery on Dino Dino Jungle and Bullet Bill hitting the wall near the Boo Cinema finish.

Version 1.1.1 (17 June 2025)

Bug fixes only. Items that could no longer be used, controls freezing when starting Free Roam from the map, crashes after replays and online races, wrong rating changes, and communication errors when joining friends.

Version 1.1.0 (4 June 2025, the day one patch)

The game launched with the Switch 2 on 5 June 2025, and this patch was out the day before in the Americas. It switched on Online Play, LAN Play, ghost uploads and downloads, and CameraPlay (with a compatible USB camera). It also gave you more characters from the start and put the version number on the title screen.

What comes next

Nintendo has not announced the next Mario Kart World update. No version number, no date, no content list.

What the history does show is the gap between content updates: 1.6.0 to 1.7.0 took three months, and 1.7.0 to 1.8.0 a little over two. That is a pattern, not a promise. Any claim online about new characters, new tracks or split screen for more players is a rumour until Nintendo says it.

The safe way to follow it: the update history page and Nintendo Directs. 1.8.0 was shown in a Direct and released the same day, so the next one may not come with much warning.

How to update Mario Kart World on Switch 2

If Software Auto-Updates is on and the console is online, the update downloads by itself. To do it by hand:

1. Connect the Switch 2 to the internet (System Settings, then Internet, then Internet Settings).
2. On the HOME Menu, highlight Mario Kart World. Do not start it.
3. Press + or -. The current version shows under the title.
4. Select Software Update, then Over the Internet.

Your save data stays. You need the latest version to use the online features, a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play online, and everyone in a room must run the same version. If a friend cannot join you, check the version number first. Since 1.1.0 it also shows on the title screen.

If you still play the previous game, my best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe combinations and the Booster Course Pass track list cover that one.

FAQ

What is the latest Mario Kart World update?

Version 1.8.0, released on 9 September 2026 in the Americas and 10 September in Europe.

What did Mario Kart World 1.8.0 add?

Ten Super Mario Kart courses, Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally in Knockout Tour, lap times in Time Trials, Spectator Mode, rooms for up to 26 players, item changes and bug fixes.

When is the next Mario Kart World update?

Nintendo has not announced it. Watch the official update history page and Nintendo Directs.

How do I check my Mario Kart World version?

Highlight the game on the HOME Menu and press + or -. The version shows under the title. It is also on the title screen.

Do I need to update Mario Kart World to play online?

Yes. Online features need the latest update, and every player in a room must have the same version.

Is the Mario Kart World update free?

Yes. Software updates download at no cost through the console. Online play still needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership.