Reminder: Mario Kart World Direct Is on April 17 at 6:00 AM Pacific

During the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, Nintendo confirmed it would share more details about Mario Kart World in a separate Direct event on April 17. We now know the Mario Kart World Direct will take place at 6:00 AM Pacific (9:00 AM Eastern) and will be approximately 15 minutes long. Although it seems a bit short, Nintendo has already showcased quite a bit of Mario Kart World during the Treehouse events following the full debut of the Switch 2. Chances are, Nintendo still has a few surprises to unveil for the game—hopefully they help justify its $79.99 price tag, which has been at the center of controversy since its reveal.

As for our wishes, we’re hoping Mario Kart World includes a robust single-player campaign that’s related to the new Free Roam feature. Gameplay features similar to Forza Horizon could really help evolve the Mario Kart formula after all these years. We also don’t know the full roster of characters and tracks yet, nor do we know whether there’s any content to unlock.

Hopefully, Nintendo will also announce when Switch 2 preorders will go live in the U.S. at the Mario Kart World Direct. They were initially supposed to go live on April 9, but the Trump Administration’s RNG tariffs caused Nintendo to delay Switch 2 preorders. The release date for the console is still June 5.

Mario Kart World Direct April 17, 2025