Mario Kart World Just Dropped a Massive Switch 2 Update: Everything Added

Mario Kart World just got a major update on Nintendo Switch 2. Version 1.4.0 rolled out on December 2, and it brings new gameplay features, tweaks to online play, layout changes to several races, and a long list of bug fixes.

One of the biggest new features are Custom Items. Players can now choose exactly which items can appear in a match. This works in VS Race, Balloon Battle, Coin Runners, and online or wireless Rooms. It’s aimed at people who want more control over how chaotic or calm their races are. If you want a race with only mushrooms, or a battle full of shells, you can now set that up.

You can set Kamek as the only item in a VS race to help finish off those last character unlocks.

Nintendo also added small but noticeable improvements to the interface. When you pause during a race, you’ll see the name of the music track that’s playing and where it comes from. A new Music Volume slider was added to the Settings menu too, so players can tune the soundtrack without affecting sound effects.

Online play gets a big upgrade. Anyone gathered in a Room can now start Race, Knockout Tour, or Battle modes directly, with support for up to four players. Friends can also hop into someone’s Knockout Tour session from the Friends list during two-player online play. These changes make it easier to group up without jumping through menus.

Single-player got a little quality-of-life boost as well. VS Race now includes Restart and Next Race buttons in the pause menu. Time Trials lets you open Photo Mode while racing a ghost, which should help players who like taking clean screenshots.

One of the more unusual parts of this update is a batch of layout changes. Nintendo adjusted multiple routes that begin or end at Koopa Troopa Beach. No matter which direction the race starts from, any route that reaches Koopa Troopa Beach will now finish after two laps once you hit the beach. This affects paths from Koopa Troopa Beach to DK Spaceport, Crown City, Peach Stadium, and several others.

A few gameplay tweaks were made too. Riding on Manta Ramp’s back now gives you an automatic dash. Bullet Bill no longer clashes with Dragoneel, and you can’t activate a second Boo if you’re already invisible from the first one. Collectible items also respawn faster: Dash Food returns sooner after someone picks it up, and coins sitting on water respawn more quickly.

Beyond that, the update focuses heavily on bug fixes. A large number of issues were patched across many tracks and game modes. Some highlights include:

• fixes for players clipping through walls, stone rings, scenery, pipes, billboards, bulldozers, and trees
• corrections for Bullet Bill getting stuck, disappearing, or flying off the course on multiple tracks
• players no longer falling through the ground or getting stuck in spots on maps like Big Donut, DK Pass, and Wario Stadium
• Smart Steering now prevents falling into lava in Dry Bones Burnout
• gliding issues fixed on tracks that link Wario Stadium to Airship Fortress
• visual bugs fixed, including characters appearing blurry in Photo Mode
• online issues resolved, such as friends lists not refreshing and communication errors when checking group IDs
• fixes for players losing placement when retiring mid Knockout Tour
• spectator mode no longer showing racers looping off course repeatedly

Nintendo says additional small problems were also smoothed out, so overall gameplay should feel more stable.

If you play Mario Kart World often, this patch touches almost every part of the game: item settings, online lobbies, single-player conveniences, track layouts, and a big cleanup of long-running glitches.