The latest Mario Kart World update is Ver. 1.8.0, which Nintendo released on September 9, 2026. It added ten classic Super Mario Kart circuits, two new Knockout Tour rallies, Spectator Mode and rooms of up to 26 players. Nintendo’s own update-history page lists nothing newer. Checked November 12, 2026 15:27 UTC.
Table of Contents
Mario Kart World update: quick answer
- Current version: Ver. 1.8.0, released September 9, 2026 (64 days before this check). The one before it, Ver. 1.7.0, came out June 30, 2026.
- Headline changes in 1.8.0: 10 SNES courses in VS Race, Time Trials and online or wireless races; Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally in Knockout Tour; lap times in Time Trials; Spectator Mode.
- How to check your version: highlight the game on the HOME Menu without starting it and press + or −; the version number shows under the title.
- Everyone needs the same version: Nintendo says all players must be on the same version to play together.
- Source of every date and change below: Nintendo’s Mario Kart World update history page, with Nintendo Life’s patch-note write-ups as a cross-check.
Bowser charging through a lava course in Mario Kart World. Image: Nintendo
What changed in Mario Kart World update 1.8.0
Nintendo’s notes for 1.8.0 mix new content with a long list of tuning changes. The ones that affect how you play:
- Two new Knockout Tour rallies: Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally. They unlock once you have played one of the Knockout Tour rallies.
- Ten Super Mario Kart courses in VS Race, Time Trials and races in Online Play and Wireless Play. Item panels appear on them instead of item boxes, and item boxes appear on the race that leads into Mario Circuit.
- Time Trials: each lap time is now displayed, and the colour of the gap to ghost data changed (red when you are faster than the ghost, blue when you are slower).
- Spectating and rooms: press the Y Button to switch the camera to the player’s perspective, and the R Button to view live rankings while spectating. You can switch to Spectator Mode in a room in Online Play or LAN Play, and up to 26 players can join a room. Up to 24 of them can take part in the game, and once there are 24 participants nobody else can join until a participant switches to Spectator Mode.
- Photo Mode: a filter was added to the frame that appears in Photo Mode on the pause menu.
The 10 new SNES courses
| Course you pick | Classic courses added | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Circuit | SNES Mario Circuit 1, 2, 3 | 3 |
| Boo Cinema | SNES Ghost Valley 1, 2, 3 | 3 |
| Choco Mountain | SNES Choco Island 1, 2 | 2 |
| Sky-High Sundae | SNES Vanilla Lake 1 | 1 |
| Koopa Beach | SNES Koopa Beach 1 | 1 |
The table follows Nintendo’s grouping, which lists each batch under the modern course you choose it from. Nintendo Life’s write-up labels the Boo Cinema group as Ghost Valley, so use Nintendo’s name when you search the course list.
Balance and fixes in 1.8.0
Beyond the headline content, Nintendo’s notes list a long run of tuning changes:
- Rating changes per race now vary with the length of the course, and the method for calculating rates when the score is the same in Battle changed.
- Green Shells, Coin Shells, fireballs, ice balls and Boomerangs bounce off walls fewer times.
- Recovery time after a Thwomp crush is shorter, and you take no damage from Boo for longer after it takes an item from you.
- Item box probabilities were adjusted in races and Knockout Tour, and Auto-Use Item now works when item rules are set to Custom Items.
- You can now see nine more items your rivals may be holding: Coin, ? Block, Kamek, Blooper, Feather, Fire Flower, Ice Flower, Boomerang and Hammer.
- Wall riding around the road edge in Ghost Valley is no longer possible, and buoys were added to the race leading from Acorn Heights and Dry Bones Burnout to Boo Cinema.
The fixed-issues list covers a rail-jump bug (swinging the controller at the end of a rail could launch you higher than normal), a Spiny Shell riding a rail in reverse, a Bullet Bill getting stuck on the lava waterfall in Bowser’s Castle, players passing through walls with the Feather in Dandelion Depths, and a wrong final ranking when using a Feather shortcut on Mario Circuit. Nintendo also says Time Trials ghosts affected by the rail-jump bug may be removed from View Rankings without notice.
Racers on the water in Mario Kart World. Image: Nintendo
Mario Kart World update history: every version
Nintendo lists 13 versions so far. This is the complete list from its support page, with the main change of each one.
| Version | Released | Main changes (per Nintendo) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8.0 | Sep 9, 2026 | 10 SNES courses, Propeller and Turnip Rally, Spectator Mode, 26-player rooms |
| 1.7.0 | Jun 30, 2026 | Drill Rally and Boomerang Rally, Photo Mode stickers, Thai language, acceleration and gliding changes |
| 1.6.1 | Apr 9, 2026 | Two fixes: rail-ride speed boost after a Jump Boost, and a game ending when switching TV and handheld mode in 3+ player Multiplayer |
| 1.6.0 | Mar 30, 2026 | Bob-omb Blast Battle mode, Bullet Bill and boomerang tuning, item probability changes |
| 1.5.0 | Jan 21, 2026 | Team races in Knockout Tour rooms, Polish language |
| 1.4.1 | Dec 15, 2025 | Fix for controller disconnect and reconnect stalling the game |
| 1.4.0 | Dec 2, 2025 | Custom Items rules, music track display and Music Volume, room play for Race, Knockout Tour and Battle, Koopa Troopa Beach course layouts |
| 1.3.0 | Sep 23, 2025 | Join friends in Knockout Tour, Free Roam map markers for P Switches and Peach Medallions, more lap-type courses in the selection |
| 1.2.1 | Aug 18, 2025 | Fix for the wrong ghost playing after a ghost download in Time Trials |
| 1.2.0 | Jul 29, 2025 | “No COM” and “Mushrooms only” rules, choose whom to spectate, weaker COM, Free Roam colour changes |
| 1.1.2 | Jun 25, 2025 | Random course selection tweak in wireless VS Race, rate display and course fixes |
| 1.1.1 | Jun 17, 2025 | Fixes for items not usable, game shutdowns and join errors in Online Play |
| 1.1.0 | Jun 4, 2025 | Turned on Online Play, LAN Play, CameraPlay and ghost upload and download |
Mario boosting past a start arch in a Mario Kart World race. Image: Nintendo
How often does Mario Kart World get updates?
Counting only the larger updates (the ones that add content or rules), the gaps between releases have run from 50 to 92 days:
| Update | Days since the previous big update |
|---|---|
| 1.2.0 (Jul 29, 2025) | 55 (after 1.1.0) |
| 1.3.0 (Sep 23, 2025) | 56 |
| 1.4.0 (Dec 2, 2025) | 70 |
| 1.5.0 (Jan 21, 2026) | 50 |
| 1.6.0 (Mar 30, 2026) | 68 |
| 1.7.0 (Jun 30, 2026) | 92 |
| 1.8.0 (Sep 9, 2026) | 71 |
As of this check it has been 64 days since 1.8.0. The gaps are not a schedule: Nintendo’s page gives no schedule for future updates, so treat the table as a record of what happened, not a forecast. When a new version appears on Nintendo’s page we update this guide.
How to update Mario Kart World
- Connect your Switch 2 to the internet.
- On the HOME Menu, highlight the Mario Kart World icon without starting the game.
- Press the + Button or − Button; the current version number shows under the title.
- Select Software Update, then Over the Internet.
The update installs automatically if the console is online and Software Auto-Updates is on. Nintendo says save data stays available after the update, and that the update must be applied to use the game’s internet features (online play also needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership). If a friend cannot join your room, compare version numbers first, because everyone must be on the same one.
Mario Kart World update FAQ
What is the latest Mario Kart World version?
Ver. 1.8.0, released September 9, 2026, according to Nintendo’s update-history page.
Are the SNES tracks in Grand Prix?
Nintendo’s notes say they were added to VS Race, Time Trials and races in Online Play and Wireless Play. Grand Prix is not in that list.
Why can’t I play online with a friend?
Nintendo says all players must be using the same version of the software to play together. Check the version number with the + or − Button on the HOME Menu.
More Nintendo and racing coverage
If the game asks for a console update first, see our Switch 2 system update 23.5.0 notes. For another Nintendo patch-notes page, there is the Pikmin 4 update 2.0.0 guide, and the Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition price and upgrade guide covers this week’s launch. Shopping for the console? See the Switch 2 Black Friday 2026 tracker. Another kart racer’s latest update is in our Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Year Two post.
Sources: Nintendo Support: How to Update Mario Kart World; Nintendo Life: Version 1.8.0 patch notes (Sep 10, 2026); Nintendo US store page (images).
Live: Follow today’s gaming news as it happens
Featured image: Nintendo
