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Mario Kart 9: All we know about latest Nintendo racer ahead of Switch 2 event

Mario Kart 9 (or whatever it ends up being called) is the first game revealed for the Nintendo Switch 2 here's all we know about the upcoming racer which could be a system-seller

[Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart]

Mario Kart is back for the first time in years

Nintendo has taken the surprising decision to show the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware in January, before treating us to a full reveal on April 2 with preorders expected to follow immediately after.

That means we'll know a lot more about the new console in just a few days, but it did give us a glimpse at a new Mario Kart title seemingly arriving with the console.

It doesn't give us a great deal to go on so far, but we've been combing over the few seconds of footage we have so far to put together all we know about a potential release date, character lineup, and more. Start your engines here we go!

What do we know so far?

As you can see in the trailer above, there's a smidge of Mario Kart 9 in there, seemingly confirming that this is a new instalment and not some kind of additional DLC for Mario Kart 8: Deluxe.

Given the fact that game remains the best-selling Switch 1 game of all time as of last year (even ahead of Zelda and Animal Crossing), it makes sense why Nintendo would lead with it here but what else does the trailer show?

[Nintendo Switch 2]

The game is shown in the Switch 2 reveal, but not for long

We see a desert location, and some have speculated there could be some kind of open-world format given the racers tend to leave the track.

The track is the Mario Bros. Circuit, and features the following characters so you can probably take them as confirmed:

• Mario
• Luigi
• Toad
• Donkey Kong
• Peach
• Daisy
• Rosalina
• Yoshi

There's some variety in the vehicles, too, suggesting the customisable karts and bikes from Mario Kart 8 will return.

Will it be called Mario Kart 9?

[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been a big seller on Switch(Image: Nintendo)

In all honesty, it's hard to say. Nintendo likes to mix up its naming conventions, but Mario Kart has stuck relatively closely to numbered entries since 2011's Mario Kart 7.

Whatever Mario Kart 9 does end up being called, it'll be the first mainline game in the series since 2014. Mario Kart 8 debuted on Wii U, before the port (Deluxe) was outrageously successful on Switch.

In the years since, Mario Kart Tour was a mobile spinoff, while Home Circuit was a sort of "toys to life" experiment.

When will Mario Kart 9 launch?

It seems highly likely that the new Mario Kart will end up as a Switch 2 launch title, and as a result we'll know for sure on April 2.

As things stand, all signs are pointing to June so we could be in for a kart-filled summer if that's true.

For more on Mario Kart, be sure to check out this slick new LEGO set.

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