Mario Kart World: All Confirmed Items - New & Returning

What's a Mario Kart game without items? Just a standard racer, really. So of course items return in Mario Kart World, and we're getting a lot of them, including some new ones.

Whether you're looking to find out if your favourite has returned, or checking out which items are brand new (or not), then we have a list of all confirmed items for Mario Kart World below, including what they can be used for.

Note: We'll be updating this guide in the run-up to the game's release as more items are revealed.

All Mario Kart World Items

Here's a list of all confirmed items in Mario Kart World so far. We expect we'll be updating this in the run-up to the game's release, and especially after the game comes out. Who knows what secrets Nintendo is keeping from us!

New Items

Mario Kart World is introducing a handful of new items. We've got two confirmed newcomers so far, so we'll run down what they are and what they do here.

Coin Shell

We have Red, Blue, and Green shells. We obviously needed a gold one too. The Coin Shell doubles as a weapon and a little extra supply of coins.

However, others can actually steal the coins from you by following the trail of gold the Coin Shell leaves behind. So be careful and make sure you grab those coins for a boost.

Kamek

Kamek has seemingly been demoted from racer (in the Booster Course Pass) to item. Booooo! At least it's a pretty fun one.

If you get Kamek's little spell cloud, the wizard will appear and turn all racers ahead of you into popular Mario enemies like Pokeys. Very amusing. We hope it's not too distracting...

Returning Items

Of course, this is Mario Kart, so many old favourites are returning. Here are all of the ones we've spotted and used in World so far. If an item from a previous game is missing here, that doesn't mean it won't be in World, it just means we haven't seen it yet, for now.

Banana

Simple is sometimes best, and the Banana is the epitome of this. Drop this on the track and hope some racer hits it and skids out briefly. This is the true Mario Kart villain.

Bob-omb

If Mario Kart isn't chaotic enough for you, then the Bob-omb is what you need. Throwing this onto the course will leave the bomb in the middle of the road until it explodes, taking out any near-by racers. And, if your aim is good enough, you might even hit someone with it.

Boo

You can race as King Boo, but what about Boo? As well as owning a Cinema,the little ghost can be used to steal a random racer's item. Handy!

Boomerang Flower

Similar to the shells but with a shorter reach and a few reuses, the Boomerang Flower is another way to knock racers to one side and speed past them. Aim, fire, and hopefully you'll hit. You have a few goes, at least.

Bullet Bill

The Bullet Bill is like a souped-up Star. Using this will not only give you a huge speed boost and knock other racers (and obstacles) out of the way, but it will essentially auto-drive for you for a short period of time.

Coin

Mario collects coins, and he can do just that in Mario Kart World. Collecting coins will boost your speed, and using the item does the same — it gives you a little speed boost while slightly increasing your overall speed (at least in 8 Deluxe it does). You can lose coins if you get hit, though.

Coin Box

You might think this is a brand new item, but nope! The Coin Box made its debut in the mobile game Mario Kart Tour as a special item for a handful of characters. So this is its first console appearance.

With the Coin Box, your driver can hit the box multiple times to get a handful of coins.

Feather

Mario's trusty Feather makes a surprise return to the course in World, having only appeared in Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart Tour, and exclusively in Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Using a Feather allows you to jump and get a little speed boost, too.

Green Shell

One of the most common Mario Kart items, the Green Shell is used to knock out opponents. You need to have a good aim, though, as these will just be sent straight ahead of you.

Golden Mushroom

Mushrooms are great and all, but the Golden Mushroom is where it's at. Debuting in Mario Kart 64, you can use this mushroom for a limited time repeatedly without it running out.

Hammer

You might think the Hammer is brand new, but oh no. While it's mostly been in the arcade games, the Hammer last appeared as recently as Mario Kart Tour. So it's new for consoles, but not new to the series.

Anyway, Hammers can be thrown a handful of times to hit opponents on the course. They also remain on the course for a brief moment, meaning you can also block off other racers.

Ice Flower

Not dissimilar to the Fire Flower (which we haven't seen yet!), the Ice Flower can be used to spin out and briefly freeze other racers on the track.

While this is the first time the item has appeared on consoles, the Ice Flower is actually a Special Item in Mario Kart Tour, usable by only a handful of characters. Semi new, then!

Lightning

Getting the Lightning when you're low in the rankings can be a godsend. Using this means every racer ahead of you is shrunk down to a tiny size temporarily, with the racers higher up the ranks taking longer to return to normal.

Mega Mushroom

Finally, the Mega Mushroom is back. We haven't seen this item in a console game since Mario Kart Wii, but it has appeared in both arcade games and Mario Kart Tour.

As you'd expect, consuming the Mega Mushroom turns you into a mega-sized racer, meaning you can squish everyone for a limited time.

Mushroom

It's not a Mario game without a Mushroom. One single red spotted guy will give you a brief speed boost. Make sure you time them right to make the most of each course's shortcuts!

Red Shell

An item everyone wants to have, the Red Shell will home in on the racer ahead of you and hit them. As long as they aren't an expert, they'll probably get hit, meaning you can take over.

Spiny Shell (Blue Shell)

Everyone's favourite, right? Commonly named the Blue Shell, the Spiny Shell is the bane of every first place racer's existence. When used, it homes in on the racer in the lead and stops them (and any close-by racers) dead in their tracks.

Star

Stars are a Mario Kart mainstay, being one of the most helpful items you can get. You'll get a temporary speed boost and window of invincibility, meaning you can just drive through your opponents and knock them out briefly.

Super Horn

If you're in first place, the Super Horn is a must-have. This is the only item capable of stopping a Blue Shell in its tracks. It can also destroy any other items left on the course or coming for you.

Triple Bananas

Triple Bananas are a pretty safe item. Perhaps better left on and as a shield than dropped across the course, you can slip up opponents if you feel daring.

Triple Green Shells

What's better than one shell? How about three! Green Shells lack the accuracy of Red, but a triple threat means you have a handy shield or have three chances to hit the person in front of you.

Triple Mushrooms

Three speed boosts? Why not. Triple Mushrooms are great for getting up to speed and making it through shortcuts. Just make sure someone doesn't drive into you and steal them as they spin around you.

Triple Red Shells

The most deadly of weapons, the Triple Red Shells work exactly the same in World as they have done previously. They'll surround you with three Red Shells which you can use whenever — either as a shield or to take racers out.

Mario Kart World Items FAQs

While we wait to get our hands on Mario Kart World, let's answer some questions before we burn some rubber.

Can you drag items behind you?

You can! In Mario Kart, usually you have to hold down the Item button to drag your Shell, Banana, or Box behind.

From what we've played of World, however, this seems to be automatic now. We'll of course verify this when we've actually got our hands on the game,

What's the best item?

The Blue Shell, right? Well, the Blue Shell can be very useful if your worst rival is winning, but more often than not, you'll only get that item when you're pretty far back.

Really, the best item is situational. A Red Shell isn't super useful in first, but second? Right behind first? Perfect. A Super Horn is amazing if you're in first place and have a Blue Shell on your tail. The Bullet Bill is probably the best "catch up" item because of speed and damage. And we love a Mushroom.

Those are all of the items we've seen so far. We'll have more Mario Kart World guides for you as we approach the game's launch, but in the meantime, head to our Complete Course List or Character Guide for everything you need to know.