Mario Kart World free roam
Sometimes the stress of racing online and being blue-shelled into oblivion can be a bit much. Therefore, we recommend the Mario Kart World free roam mode. Taking a moment away from the high-octane 150cc races lets you explore the map, test out tricks, and just have a nice little drive through Moo Moo Meadows.
We’ve got plenty of guides to help you get to first place in every race. Here are our picks of the best Mario Kart World karts, and a full list of all the Mario Kart World unlockables and Mario Kart World items you can throw at each other. You can also check out our full Mario Kart World review to hear about our experience hitting the track.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mario Kart World free roam mode:
How to play the Mario Kart World free roam mode
To play the Mario Kart World free roam mode, simply press the + button while on the main menu screen. This will drop you into the open world with the last character and kart you used, so you can zoom off into the distance.
Alternatively, you can head to the map icon at the bottom of the start screen, then select one of the character icons on the map. This allows you to take over that character and begin free roam as them in their current location.
What can I do in the Mario Kart World free roam mode?
Mario Kart World’s free roam is like a very low-stakes GTA. You can practice driving and popping sick tricks to your heart’s content, or just go for a nice drift around the entire map. The mode lets you fully explore the map and courses, along with getting to grips with different Mario Kart World characters and kart combinations. It’s a great place to practice drifting, wall riding, and rail grinding.
If you want to 100% free roam mode – because yes, that’s a thing – you need to get exploring. You need to complete all of the following to ‘finish’ the mode, but you get a handy counter in the map screen to see how many of each you’ve found.
Here are all of the Mario Kart World free-roam features:
- P-switches
- See that blue P-switch? Hit it, and you start up a challenge to complete. You can get stickers as a reward for completing these
- ? panels
- There are 150 ? panels hidden around the map, which reward you with stickers when you find them
- Peach medallions
- Another fun way to get stickers is by finding Peach medallions. They’re a little bigger and a slightly different color from regular coins, making them easier to spot
You can also grab some Dash Food to go from Yoshi’s Diners to test out new Mario Kart World costumes and see what suits your racer the best, and participate in random challenges such as chases while you’re exploring.
Can I play in Mario Kart World free roam mode with friends?
Yes, you can play Mario Kart free roam in multiplayer! Similar to entering a race with your chosen buddies, choose the online tab in the main menu, then hit the friends option. Once you’ve got a room set up, you’ll be in free roam mode. While this also acts as the lobby before entering an online race, if you’re in control of the room, you can stay there as long as you want.
If you’ve had your fill of the best Mario games and are looking for something else, be sure to check out our guide to the best Switch games. We also have a list of all the best upcoming Switch games so you know what’s on the horizon.
