Learn how to race against friends and family in local, wireless, and online multiplayer in Mario Kart World.

Want to race against your friends and family? Let’s talk multiplayer!

Multiplayer in the Mario Kart™ World game for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system is divided up into three different main buckets: local multiplayer that takes place on a single system, wireless multiplayer that involves multiple systems and games (but no online connection), and online multiplayer. Here are the details:

First, go to the Multiplayer option and then select 2P, 3P, or 4P depending on how many players* want to play on a single system. Note that Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a pair of Joy-Con™ 2 controllers, which takes care of two people. If you add more players to the mix, you will need extra controllers (FYI, the original Joy-Con controllers work just fine if you have those).

Once everyone joins, you can then choose to play Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, VS Race, or Battle—the game will add additional CPU drivers for a total of 24 drivers in each mode. Some modes such as VS Race have ways to customize your experience, such as turning teams on, changing the COM difficulty, etc. Make your choices and have fun!

So, what if more than four people in the same house want to play at the same time? That’s where local wireless and multiple Nintendo Switch 2 systems/games come in. Head over to Wireless Play and you’ll see an option for 1P or 2P—this refers to the number of players who will be playing on that specific system.

For example, let’s pick 2P. If a wireless room doesn’t exist yet, player one will be asked to create the room. The screen will then split into two, and both players on that system can mess around in Free Roam while they wait for more players to join.

Now if a friend wants to join your wireless room to play together, they just need to select Wireless Play, pick 1P or 2P, and then join the room.

What if you have more than eight Nintendo Switch 2 systems in the same room?

There is an option for that…but there’s a trick to it. In the main menu where you select a mode, hold down the L and R Buttons and then click in the Left Stick—the “Wireless Play” option will then change to “LAN Play”. LAN Play involves a router, wired connections, and more…but we won’t get too much into that here. Please keep an eye on support.nintendo.com for detailed info once it’s available**.

Finally, let’s take your race online***. Select Online Play from the main menu, and then choose 1P if you want to jump online solo, or 2P if a friend is sitting next to you. With Online Play, you’ll be able to choose Race, Knockout Tour, or Battle with other online players. You’ll also see a little number next to a mode or your name—as you keep playing, this number may go higher. You may find that things become more challenging the more you play…

Finally, we have the last option in Online Play: Friends. This is where you’ll see a list of your friends, including ones who are currently playing. Just select their card to try and join up with them. Please note, that this feature depends on what mode they’re playing. (Oh, and if you’re looking just to hang out together, try racing or driving around in Free Roam while chatting with GameChat****.)

If you’re not seeing anyone you can join, you can also take the initiative and create a room yourself. This works similarly to a wireless room—select “Create Room” and you’ll jump into Free Roam while you wait for more players to join (and if you selected 2P online, your friend sitting next to you will also jump into Free Roam with you).

Last but not least: What if someone who’s not your Nintendo Switch friend wants to join your room? That’s where Room ID comes in. After you make a room, go to the menu and select “View Room Info”. This will display a code that’s valid as long as the room is open. Anyone with that code can join the room.

We hope this helps you on your way to being a multiplayer master. Have fun!