Mario Kart World Update Makes Playing With Friends Easier, Fixes One Pathetic Intermission Track, and Finally Adds a “Loud” Soundtrack Option

Another neat addition: pausing the game now displays the name of the track that’s playing and identifies which Mario title it originally came from, making it easy to track down favorites.

The update also improves local-to-online play. Players assembled in a room lobby can more easily take part in online sessions: up to four people in the same lobby can now join Race, Knockout Tour, and Battle modes together without having to navigate the friend menu and hunt for an open match. That should make playing with friends significantly smoother.

Koopa Troopa Beach intermission tracks were adjusted as well. Since the original intermission segments felt too brief — offering only a single lap on an already short course — Nintendo has changed those intermissions to run two laps. Beyond that change you’ll find a range of smaller bug fixes and polish improvements; it’s clear Nintendo intends to continue supporting Mario Kart World.

Nintendo hopes Mario Kart World will become a long-lived Switch 2 favorite, much like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and that opens the door to future content such as DLC.