Update 7/30/2025 4:16 p.m. ET: It didnât take players long to wonder if Nintendo was trolling them. Its patch note increasing the rate of three-lap races notably states ââVS Raceâ and wireless racesâ but not âwireless âVS Race,ââ which is how Nintendo referred to Mario Kart Worldâs online mode in the previous update. Hmmm.
Some fans on Reddit claim they canât detect any real changes in the frequency of traditional three-lap races in online multiplayer. Some think itâs actually gone down since the update. For $80, you would think they would give players options for how to play,â wrote one person. Weâll see what happens.
Original story continues.
Nintendo just reversed course on one of its most controversial changes to Mario Kart World, sorta. The Switch 2 maker just buffed the appearance rate of three-lap courses after previously nuking a sneaky workaround players had been exploiting to avoid the new gameâs in-between driving sections. Somehow thatâs not even the biggest change in the gameâs first major update since launch. The Switch 2’s biggest exclusive is back on the menu.
Mario Kart World version 1.2.0 includes new features, lots of game tweaks, and some massive rebalancing. One thing that might bring back some lapsed players is this patch note: âIncreased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in âVS Raceâ and wireless races.â Fans are taking that to mean that traditional three-lap stages will be more frequent, including when playing online.
A big criticism of the game has been throwing lots of straightaway, interstitial courses into the mix that just have players racing between the actual tracks they want to play on. When Mario Kart World first released, choosing ârandomâ while playing online automatically removed these tracks from the selection pool. The communityâs preference was so strong it became common to see all 24 players in a race choose random. So, Nintendo being Nintendo, they got rid of that workaround in an apparent attempt to âforceâ fans to play Mario Kart World âthe right way.â
Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in âVS Raceâ and wireless races.
WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
— Bayesic (@BayesicMK8) July 30, 2025
The company now seems to have backed off a bit, though itâs anybodyâs guess whether it was âbulliedâ into accommodating playersâ preferences or simply wanted to try and fix how the random selection option worked without making everyone extra miserable. In any case, Mario Kart World version 1.2.0Â is so big, thatâs not even the most consequential part of the update. Far from it, in fact.
âMade COM weaker in everything other than âBattle,ââ reads a major change thatâs already rippling throughout the community with fans unsure whether to embrace the difficulty nerf or call for an unofficial âhardâ mode to return. Grand Prix and Knockout races could get pretty gnarly at 150cc (a 200cc mode doesnât exist in the game yet, though many suspect it will get added at some point), and itâs not just the higher speeds that make things tricky.
Instead, its CPU racers tricking off every surface in sight and hammering players with shells and other items. Mario Kart Worldâs item box RNG also tends to incentivize players âbaggingâ it in last place before trying shoot up the ranks with the powerful items theyâve earned. Twenty-four players also means races have huge middle packs with double the carnage of previous Mario Kart games. Weâll see how it shakes out, but some players are already claiming special bragging rights for unlocking three starsâthe highest performance ratingâon all races before the CPU nerf.
Other significant patch notes include âmade homing of Boomerang weakerâ and âOn the âFree Roamâ map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.â There are also dozens of fixes to race tracks where players were previously falling through the map or getting snagged on trees and other obstacles. Itâll take some time to see how all the changes shake out, but it definitely feels like weâve entered Mario Kart Worldâs first official âWeâre so backâ era.
Here are the full patch notes for ver. 1.2.0:
Latest update: Ver. 1.2.0 (Released July 29, 2025)
General
In the âVS Raceâ of âSingle Playerâ, added âNo COMâ to the COM rules.
In the âVS Raceâ of âSingle Playerâ and âMultiplayerâ, added âMushrooms onlyâ to the item rules.
You can now choose âView Replayâ after downloading ghost data in âTime Trialsâ.
You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in âKnockout Tourâ and âBalloon Battleâ in âOnline Playâ, âWireless Playâ, and âLAN Playâ.
You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in âOnline Playâ, âWireless Playâ, and âLAN Playâ.
When using CameraPlay in âMultiplayerâ and âOnline Playâ, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game.If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings.
On the âFree Roamâ map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.
Made COM weaker in everything other than âBattleâ.
Made homing of Boomerang weaker.
Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than âFranticâ.
Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than âFranticâ.
Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving.Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels.
Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in âVS Raceâ and wireless races.
Fixed Issues
Fixed an issue where the rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in wireless races.
Fixed an issue where the vehicle would stay floating in air when jumping off a half pipe.
Fixed an issue where, when a player crashes while gliding and uses Bullet Bill, they go out of the course.
Fixed an issue where, if a player quits a Rewind in the location where they were wall riding, the driverâs posture would not return to what it was before.
Fixed an issue where the item that was displayed in the item slot would turn into something else when using it.
Fixed an issue where in âOnline Playâ, the player would not dash even when getting on a Dash Panel.
Fixed an issue where the points in a team race in âWireless Playâ would display incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable on the menu screen after the player was retired in âBalloon Battleâ in âWireless Playâ.
Fixed an issue where a Peach Medallion would sometimes disappear when doing Rewind in âFree Roamâ.
Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player pointed the cursor at their own character or course and pressed A on the âFree Roamâ map.
Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player quit a mission in âFree Roamâ right before entering a pipe.
Fixed an issue where the player would slip through some drift ice around âSky-High Sundaeâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the outside of a handrail on the left and right sides right after the start of âAirship Fortressâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the fence and not be able to move forward in âBowserâs Castleâ.
Fixed an issue where, when the player used a Bullet Bill in âBowserâs Castleâ, they would not be able to glide and fell into the abyss.
Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on the last turn of âWhistlestop Summitâ.
Fixed an issue where the player could not get out of the location where they fell from a railroad when âSmart Steeringâ is on in âWhistlestop Summitâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground at a ramp near the goal at âChoco Mountainâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a block when using a Bullet Bill on the road that enters âChoco Mountainâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a plank of wood laid on the road when throwing a green shell on the road between âDK Spaceportâ and âWhistlestop Summitâ.
Fixed an issue where the last place would be sometimes incorrect in the wireless races of âDino Dino Jungleâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the back of a leaf when using a Bullet Bill in âAcorn Heightsâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would not be able to slip through a vase that is placed on the road in âShy Guy Bazaarâ, when using a Boo.
Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ceiling in âDry Bones Burnoutâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes hit a fence when throwing a red shell on the first turn in âMoo Moo Meadowsâ.
Fixed an issue where one part of the effects that take place for the bridge transforming when heading toward âRainbow Roadâ did not display.
Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground on the road between âStarview Peakâ and âSky-High Sundaeâ.
Fixed an issue where some of the item boxes would not have appeared in âWario Shipyardâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the bottom of a rock near the goal of âWario Shipyardâ.
Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on a turn inside âWario Stadiumâ.
Fixed an issue where the player gets caught on a tree in the middle of a shortcut if they have âSmart Steeringâ on when heading from âStarview Peakâ to âDandelion Depthsâ in âIce Rallyâ of âKnockout Tourâ.
Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.
