It’s hard to believe Mario Kart 8 launched over a decade ago and that we finally have a new entry in the series. Though this is certainly an exciting time, Mario Kart World is very different from its predecessor, and you may find it difficult to consistently gain points online.
I’ve managed to exceed 8,000 points in both VS Race and Knockout Tour, and while I’d never claim to be among the best, I do have some helpful tips to keep in mind while racing.
8
Cycle Through Items When You’re Frontrunning
One of the biggest mistakes I see from people frontrunning in Mario Kart World is not using their items before hitting a set of Item Boxes. While it may be tempting to keep a Banana or Green Shell for protection, your main objective in first place is to fish for a Super Horn. Ideally, you’ll get a Coin or other item first, then the Super Horn. This is preferred so that if a Boo shows up, it steals the other item, leaving your horn intact.
Super Horns are the best item you can get while frontrunning to protect yourself from Spiny Shells (blue shells). Super Horns can also completely destroy most items that come in sets of three, such as Red Shells, Bananas, and Green Shells, which is helpful in case an opponent tries to run into you while holding them.
You can also defeat Spiny Shells with a well-timed mushroom boost, but this is harder to do than simply destroying the shell with a horn.
You can never have Coins in both your item slots. If you have a Coin as your first item and you hit an Item Box, you are guaranteed a defensive item like a Feather, Green Shell, Banana, or Super Horn.
There are exceptions to getting rid of your items, though. If you manage to take first place with especially strong ones, it’s best to hold onto them, either for protection or to widen your lead by taking a shortcut. For example, three Red Shells serve as a sort of deterrence for racers behind you.
Anyone close to you knows that if they pass you, you’ll immediately hit them with a Red Shell, so most people will wait until your shells go away.
Mario Kart World
- Released
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June 5, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
7
Be Mindful of Grinding Rails and Riding Walls
Mario Kart World ditched the anti-gravity segments Mario Kart 8 introduced, and in its place we have rail-grinding and wall-riding. I want to preface this tip by saying these mechanics are incredibly useful, and I have no doubt the world records for many tracks will do some amazing things with them. However, there are drawbacks to grinding rails and driving along the walls you should keep in mind.
One is that doing them just for the sake of doing them will not increase your speed. The optimal way of grinding rails and wall-riding involves constantly hopping from one surface to the other because of the boost it provides at the end, and using the environment to your advantage. Jumping onto a rail or wall and driving forward will only lead to other karts leaving you behind.
A second problem is that if you grind on a rail simply because you can, not only are you not going any faster, you become laughably easy to hit. If someone jumps on the same rail, especially on a straightaway, all they have to do is lob a Green Shell at you, and it’s all but guaranteed to connect.
I’ve noticed that jumping onto rails or walls can be a bit finicky at times, so I recommend going into Free Roam and trying them both as you drive around.
6
Draft Almost Every Chance You Get
Drafting, sometimes called slipstreaming, is a technique that dramatically increases your speed when you trail behind another driver very closely. This is especially useful, and given there are now 23 other racers as opposed to 12, you can use it much more frequently.
You’ll find many of the routes from one track to another consist of straightaways. When you don’t have any items, it can be difficult to pass other racers unless they drive poorly or get hit by oncoming traffic. Drafting helps alleviate that issue, and I can say from experience I’ve survived Knockout Tour rounds purely because of it.
A maneuver I commonly employ is to draft behind someone, then, while my speed is boosted, position myself behind another driver so that I can do it again shortly after. Another tip for drafting is to avoid using it until after hitting a set of Item Boxes. The items the game gives you are better the further back you are, so try to get a good item, draft, and then you can use whatever you have got to help you gain even more positions.
5
Use Speed-Boosting Items Off-Road Whenever Possible
Using items to cut through grass and other environmental obstacles is a strategy utilized in every Mario Kart game. This is extremely powerful in Mario Kart World, due to modes like Knockout Tour and the majority of VS Races taking place on the routes between tracks. These open areas are teeming with shortcuts you can take through the grass, snow, and sand, and they greatly help with making your way to first place. You’d be surprised how far the game will let you veer off the road before you’re technically out-of-bounds, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.
Dash Mushrooms and Golden Dash Mushrooms are the most common methods of nailing these shortcuts, but Mega Mushrooms and Super Stars will maintain your speed, too. Interestingly, unlike previous games, you don’t lose any speed when using the Boo item off-road, making it a viable option as well.
It may not qualify as a speed-boosting item, but Feathers can be used for shortcuts as well. Rather than taking a turn, some tracks allow you to jump over them altogether. Once you’ve used the Feather enough, you’ll be able to gauge whether it’s enough to get through a turn completely or not.
4
Don’t Neglect Coins
Coins are probably the most boring item in the game, yet one of the most impactful for two very important reasons. The first is directly related to racing in that it increases your kart’s overall speed. Every time you get hit by something or go out-of-bounds, you lose coins, making coin management crucial since you want to try and maintain the 20-coin maximum at all times.
Coins are also used to unlock more karts to race with. Mario Kart World looks at your cumulative coin total, and every 100 coins you get will unlock a new kart. Though you can only hold 20 coins per race, every coin you collect counts. Kart unlocks stop once you reach 3,000 total coins, but you’ll continue to unlock stickers at certain intervals.
My overall recommendation is to go for coins when you can, but not if doing so is out of your way or significantly slower. For instance, many turns reward you with coins if you take them wider, but doing so often results in you getting passed by people taking the turn tighter than you did. In cases like that, the three or so extra coins you snagged may not be worth it in the long run if you fall behind because of it. This is especially true toward the end of a race, particularly on the final turn or turns.
3
Prioritize Acceleration When Choosing Characters and Karts
On the subject of unlocking karts, you’ll want to use ones with a hefty acceleration stat. It doesn’t matter how good a driver you are, with up to 23 other people racing with you, you’re going to get hit, and you’re going to get hit a lot. A big speed stat is undoubtedly enticing, but you won’t be able to take advantage of it if you’re getting bombarded by items.
Mario Kart World doesn’t tell you this, but the acceleration stat is also tied to mini-turbos. High acceleration results in better mini-turbos, which are a core component of Mario Kart‘s gameplay loop. Strangely, the game similarly doesn’t inform you that characters fall into specific weight classes, with bigger ones having less acceleration and handling, but more weight and speed.
My advice is to pair a medium or big character with a kart that boasts good acceleration and handling. My go-to combo is Donkey Kong (I can’t wait for his new game to release on the Switch 2) or Daisy with the Pipe Frame or R.O.B. H.O.G. karts.
2
Sandbagging Is a Valid Strategy
Sandbagging, colloquially called bagging, is intentionally hanging behind other racers to get better items and using them to shoot ahead, typically toward the latter half of a race. I’m not a huge fan of this tactic, but I will admit it is quite effective in Mario Kart World, arguably more so than in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
You’ll find that even when in 10th or 11th position, you’ll get incredible items consistently, especially the Golden Dash Mushroom. It is easily the strongest item in the game, and being able to repeatedly acquire it allows you to frequently speed ahead of everyone else. I mentioned how crucial shortcuts are earlier, and the Golden Dash Mushroom is a key factor in why bagging works as well as it does.
I don’t advocate bagging, but if you’re going to, it’s best to stay around the middle of the pack. Though Lightning and Bullet Bill are powerful items, they’re not necessarily good enough to warrant being so close to last place. Meanwhile, hanging around 12th place will often reward you with Super Stars, Golden Dash Mushrooms, and Mega Mushrooms, all of which are great equalizers.
1
Adopt a Hakuna Matata Mindset
Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase. Mario Kart is chaos incarnate. Sometimes bad things happen and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop them. You can lead for an entire race, but in the final stretch get hit by a Red Shell, squished by someone with a Mega Mushroom, and then zapped by Lightning, ending in a last-place finish. If that example seems oddly specific, I’m sure you can guess why.
Because of this, I encourage you to roll with the punches when racing online. In the heat of the moment, I completely understand becoming angry as you get obliterated by the competition, but it’s an unavoidable part of the game. No amount of skill can account for 23 other people and the items they get. Once you learn to appreciate each race for its absurdity, your experience will be much more enjoyable.
Never forget how fickle Mario Kart can be, and that for every miserable race you have, you’re just as likely to have one where you win at the last second.
The newest Mario Kart is still in its infancy, and I have no doubt advanced techniques and shortcuts will continue to be discovered. Even so, if you decide Mario Kart World is worth $80 and the price of a Switch 2, keep these tips in mind and I guarantee they’ll always help you climb the ranks online.