Mario Kart World Switch 1
Image: Nintendo Life

Mario Kart World expands on Nintendo's famous racing series, taking it from discrete circuits out into a massive open world.

Given the enormous success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch 1 (the console's best-selling game, no less!), fans might be wondering if Mario Kart World is releasing on the original Switch.

Well, unfortunately, it's bad news, Switch-owning MK fans: Mario Kart World won't be releasing on Switch 1.

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Boo! Why isn't Mario Kart World on Switch 1?

It's that huge open world and the new features that MKW brings to the table.

Switch 2 is a much more powerful machine (up to 10x the power of Switch 1, chip manufacturer Nvidia claims) and Mario Kart World takes advantage of that power to deliver a seamless open world with a much higher resolution and graphical fidelity than possible on the OG Switch.

Also, as Switch 1's most popular game, Nintendo is keen to generate interest in its newer Switch - what better way to do that than launch with a new Mario Kart?

Could it come to Switch 1 in the future?

While it's not impossible that Switch 2 could be so unpopular that Nintendo releases a stripped-back version for the predecessor, it seems incredibly unlikely.

Mario Kart is one of gaming's biggest series and will drive people to the new hardware - that's what Nintendo is banking on, so releasing a version for the original Switch would be counterproductive business-wise (assuming it would even be possible from a technological perspective).

Remind me, what Mario Kart games are on Switch 1?

If you're jonesing for some Mario Kart on the original Switch, there are plenty to choose from!

Here's all the MK games on Switch 1:

However, if you want to play Mario Kart World, you'll need to upgrade to Switch 2, unfortunately.