Now that we've gotten our first look at Mario Kart World, we've seen a good number of the tracks that are coming to the game. It looks like the game has a lot of brand-new courses, which is a huge plus. Not that it's a bad thing to get some old favorites thrown into the mix, but it would have been a let-down if we didn't see a lot of new ideas too. Luckily, Mario Kart World looks like it's full of fresh ideas, both in of courses, and how it's played.

Aside from new tracks, Mario Kart World also has a new type of race, and allows you to explore its courses in free-roam mode. It looks like Mario Kart World will be a big leap forward for the series, and it is certainly an enticing launch title for the Switch 2. While we haven't seen every course the game has to offer yet, we did get a good look at which ones are coming in the latest preview from Nintendo.

Mario Kart World Courses Confirmed (So Far)

There Are 16 Courses That Are Currently Confirmed

Today's Nintendo Direct showed off quite a bit of Mario Kart World content that can be seen on Nintendo's YouTube page. This includes at least 16 new courses that were confirmed by a look at the game's menu, as well as some gameplay footage. The full list of confirmed courses can be seen below:

• Mario Bros Circuit
• DK
• Moo Moo Meadows
• Peach Stadium
• Crown City
• Salty Salty Speedway
• Starview Peak
• Boo Cinema
• Whistletop Summit
• DK Spaceport
• Desert Hills
• Shy Guy Bazaar
• Wario Stadium
• Airship Fortress
• Sky-High Sundae
• Starview Peak
• Wario Shipyard
• Koopa Troopa Beach
• Faraway Oasis
• Toad's Factory
• Peach Beach
• Dino Dino Jungle*

While most of these courses had their names shown directly in the trailer, Dino Dino Jungle from GameCube's Mario Kart Double Dash wasn't listed among them. However, there is clear gameplay footage showing an identifiable part of the level where players drive under the stomping hooves of a Brontosaurus. This isn't a complete list of courses from the game just yet, as there were several Cups whose list of tracks wasn't shown in the preview.

The game's new courses showed off features like karts converting into boats to travel over water in certain sections of the maps, grinding on rails, and performing wall-runs. I didn't notice any of the anti-gravity-style courses like in Mario Kart 8, so I'll be interested to see if those are still around. Overall, I'm excited to try out the new courses and the new style of races the game has in store.

Mario Kart World Cups Confirmed (So Far)

There Are Seven Cups And Four Rallies That Are Currently Confirmed

Mario Kart World includes most of the classic styles of Cups from previous entries, which can be played in the game's Grand Prix mode. We also got a look at a new style of race, the Knockout Tour. This is a tour that takes players across several courses in Mario Kart World's map, with low-placing players being eliminated at certain checkpoints. We've only gotten names for four of the eight Knockout Tours, the Golden Rally, Ice Rally, Moon Rally, and Spiny Rally. The full list of confirmed Cups and Rallies can be seen below:

• Mushroom Cup
• Flower Cup
• Star Cup
• Shell Cup
• Banana Cup
• Leaf Cup
• Lightning Cup
• Golden Rally
• Ice Rally
• Moon Rally
• Spiny Rally

Although we didn't get a full look at all the Cups' course lineups, it's probably safe to assume that they will follow a similar pattern as in previous games. The Mushroom, Flower, and Star Cups are typically made up of new maps, whereas the Shell, Banana, Leaf, and Lightning Cup have retro courses. That said, our brief glance at Moo Moo Meadows tells us that Mario Kart World's retro courses will be a full reimagining of the original versions, not simply a rehash. The game looks so exciting, it may even help you ignore the price of the Switch 2.

Source: Nintendo/YouTube