Skip to main content

Mario Kart 9 quietely revealed alongside the Nintendo Switch 2

Mario kart running on a Switch 2.
Nintendo

The next Mario Kart game has been revealed via the first official Nintendo Switch 2 trailer. The clip shows us a very short glimpse at what is most likely Mario Kart 9 running on the console.

Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 today in a short video. The clip focused solely on the system’s design, which matches recent leaks out of CES. While there was almost no software featured during the reveal, Mario Kart shows up at the very end of the clip, teasing the series’ next game.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

The snippet we saw today is vague. We see Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, and more characters riding around a track. On overhead shot shows a brief glimpse at more racers, like Pauline, Baby Mario, and Wario.

Recommended Videos

The track itself is a highway-themed course that takes racers through a desert with some American west influence. We see a roadside pitstop in the form of a Yoshi-themed diner and some big rig trucks on the road. It’s a straightforward track with long stretched, some sandy turns, and cactuses on the side.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

We only get to see a bit of the Switch 2’s updated graphical power here, though the leap doesn’t seem too noticeable at a glance. It looks the way you’d expect a Mario game to look, though it’s certainly a crisp, smooth image that we see in the trailer.

That’s about all we’re getting for now. Nintendo did not release an official store page for it, nor reveal its official title. If you want to know more, you’ll likely have to tune in for the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
What the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal didn’t tell us: specs, price, and more
A black and pink Switch 2 joy-con.

The speculation can finally end. The Nintendo Switch 2 was officially revealed this morning, confirming weeks of rumors. Those leaks wound up being accurate, as the system's design and features seem to match what we saw at CES 2025. Case closed ... right?

Not so fast. While we did get our first glimpse at the handheld today, actual details on it are sparse. Sure, we saw its new Joy-cons, redesigned kickstand, mouse-like features, and more. We even got a brief glimpse at Mario Kart 9. But Nintendo didn't share much in the way of hard details, saving that information for a bigger showcase on April 2. Here's just a few of the unanswered questions that still linger.
Specs

Read more
Mario Kart 9: Everything we know so far
Mario Kart running on a Switch 2.

Mario Kart 8 has easily earned its spot as one of the best Switch games ever made despite being a WiiU port. Even though it wasn't brand new, it was the perfect game to reveal the Switch with, but we've had plenty of time to master all the tracks over the years. Nintendo decided to recreate that moment when revealing the Switch 2 by showing off a new entry in the kart racing franchise. While the game wasn't technically named Mario Kart 9, there's a good chance Nintendo will stick to its naming formula for this entry. Fasten your seatbelts because we're going activate Star Power and blast through all the information we know so far about Mario Kart 9.
Release window

There is no release date for Mario Kart 9, but considering it was shown off with the Switch 2 reveal, it is almost guaranteed that it will be a lunch game. Sadly, we don't know the Switch 2 release date yet, either, except that it will be in 2025. We should know more after the next Nintendo Direct in April.
Platforms
Technically Mario Kart 9 could be a cross-platform game, but the only system we know for sure it will run on is the Switch 2. We would guess it would be a Switch 2 exclusive, but will update you once we get confirmation either way.
Trailers
Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

Read more
Where and when you can play the Switch 2 before release
Mario Kart running on a Switch 2.

Nothing is more exciting than a new console, and the Switch 2 might be the most highly anticipated system yet. Nintendo finally made an official announcement on January 16 with a glimpse at the new hardware and promised to deliver more information in April. While it didn't give us that all-important release date as we hoped, it did fill us in on some important details like if it is backwards compatible. But what is most exciting is that Nintendo is letting consumers go hands-on with the new system long before release. You have to be in the right place at the right time to be one of the first to play a Switch 2. These are all the locations and dates for the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience.
Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates and locations

Nintendo will be visiting multiple major cities around the world to give players a chance to play the Switch 2 before launch. While we don't know what games will be playable just yet, we are confident they will be worth the trip for anyone able to make it. Here is a full list of the announced cities and dates for the Nintendo Switch Experience. The only details we don't know are specific hours, but we will update this article as soon as we learn more.

Read more