Nintendo wants Mario Kart World to be the reason players buy a Switch 2. But can it really convince us to pay $80 for a game and $450 for a new console?

Mario Kart World is the first Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title and it will launch on the same day as the console.

During today's Nintendo Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct, Nintendo officially revealed its new Mario Kart game coming to the console, which we now know to be titled Mario Kart World. It's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive,

Mario Kart 8 is probably my most-played Switch game, which means that Mario Kart World was easily my highlight of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. But even as Nintendo pins its launch campaign around its karting phenomenon, the Switch 2's real system-seller is lurking in the background.

We recently got hands-on time with the Switch 2 launch game, and you can check out our impressions of Mario Kart World here. As part of playing it, we got a good look at the character select screens and noted down all of the starting drivers and the alternate looks for each. Here they are:

Unfortunately, Mario Kart World is not a title that’s coming to both the original Switch and the Switch 2. Mario Kart World is the premier launch title for the Switch 2, and it’s not being developed for the original Switch in any capacity. While some new Switch 2 games will be made for the first Switch, that’s not the case here.

Mario Kart World is the first confirmed Nintendo Switch 2 title at today's hardware-focused Nintendo Direct. The game takes a new approach to the standard racing fare by letting players drive off-road for the first time.

The closest we got to a new Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch 2 was the announcement of Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment. The game's story directly precedes Tears of the Kingdom and it seems that Princess Zelda herself is the main character here.

We knew a Mario Kart game was coming to the Switch 2, and now Nintendo has finally shared some real details in its latest Nintendo Direct. It’s called Mario Kart World, and it will be a day-one Switch 2 exclusive when the console launches on June 5th.