Mario Kart World not only features an open world, but also new driving mechanics. And speedrunners are now taking full advantage of them.
As Nintendo’s launch title for the Switch 2, Mario Kart World has a few new features up its sleeve. Not only is an open world drivable for the first time, but fresh driving mechanics are also set to make the fun racer more dynamic. These include, for example, grinding on railings or driving on walls .
What initially sounds more like Tony Hawk Pro Skater not only earns style points at full speed, but also builds momentum, which is particularly useful for the speedrun community. They didn’t wait long to take advantage of the new features.
“Best time is best time”
The new Mario Kart was released at the same time as the Switch 2 on June 5, so not too much time has passed yet. However, speedrunners are known for being able to develop strategies and techniques in no time at all to achieve new best times.
Just a few days after release, players were already sharing their records on social media. On Twitter, for example, Aplex wrote “PB is PB, I guess” (note: PB is short for personal best) and posted a clip of himself barely touching the ground on one of the race tracks:
PB’s a PB I guess pic.twitter.com/yu38LFwMjz
— Aplex (@APXMK) June 7, 2025
If the video reminds you of Trackmania,you’re not alone In the comments below the post, users marvel at the enormous effect the new mechanics have.
Funny that people thought this would be less sweaty than part 8.
Yeah, well, when I play against players like that, I break my Switch 2, and I don’t even own one.
The clip was reposted two days later by speedrun YouTuber Summoning Salt with an apt comment: “Three days out and the game is already completely broken, lol.”
Official best times on Speedrun.com are not yet available. There is still an embargo on the leaderboard to give the community and moderators time to develop categories and rules. Maybe in the future there will be a category where grinding and wall driving will be prohibited.
It’s only a matter of time before pro gamers find more ways to squeeze every last millisecond out of Mario Kart World. Until then, there are tons of other bizarre discoveries and tips for Nintendo’s new racer to make your life on the track a little easier.
