“Free Roam” mode isMario Kart World’s killer app

When Ars tried out Mario Kart World at April's Switch 2 premiere hands-on event, the short demos focused on more-or-less standard races in the game's Grand Prix and Knockout modes. So when Nintendo invited us back for more time previewing the near-final version of the game before the Switch 2's release, we decided to focus most of our time on the game's mysterious (and previously teased) "Free Roam" mode.

We're glad we did, because the mode feels like the hidden gem of Mario Kart World and maybe of the Switch 2 launch as a whole. Combining elements of games like Diddy Kong Racing, Forza Horizon, and even the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, Free Roam provides a unique mixture of racing challenges, exploration, and collectibles that should keep new Switch 2 owners busy for a while.

Switch hunt

Surprisingly, Free Roam mode isn't listed as one of the main options when you launch a new game of Mario Kart World. Instead, a tiny note in the corner of the screen tells you to hit the plus button to get dropped into a completely untimed and free-wheeling version of the vast Mario Kart World map.

Exploring in Free Roam mode provides the best sense of scale for the game's massive, multi-ecosystem island in a way individual races just can't. Sure, other race modes sometimes let you travel between the individual race courses along pre-set paths from one finish line to another starting line. But Free Roam mode lets you fully explore the vast spaces between those paths, encouraging you to go off-roading in the mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, volcanoes, snowdrifts, and landmarks that dot the countryside.

Your main explicit goal when exploring all this varied expanse is to look for large, blue P-Switches, each of which activates a short, timed challenge mission in the immediate vicinity. In many cases, simply reaching the P-Switch is half the challenge, requiring some inventive wall-riding or item use to get to a particularly out-of-the-way corner of the map.