Mario Kart World appears to have at least 50 playable characters, and it has a baffling list of newcomers including the Moo Moo Meadows cow, a crab, and a dead fish: "TRULY PEAK CHARACTER VARIETY"

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"What do you MEAN a fish carcass is a playable racer in this game?"

Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Mario Kart World is the next installment in Nintendo's iconic racing series, and while the Switch 2-exclusive's gorgeous connected tracks and new battle royale-style mode look fantastic, the thing that's really turning heads is its wild roster of characters, which includes some frankly baffling newcomers.

Alongside the likes of Mario, Luigi, and Peach, plenty more characters will be behind the wheel this time around. The fan favorite is almost certainly Moo Moo – one of the cows from Moo Moo Meadows clearly got fed up of being hit with shells and decided to give the competition a taste of their own medicine.

Reaction to the world's fastest bovine has been fantastic, and proves to me that I definitely won't be the only one rushing to play as her when the game launches. "I will never not play Mario Kart World without choosing Moo Moo Meadows cow," one fan proclaims. "Mario Kart World is already a 10/10 game for me because you can play as the Moo Moo Meadows cow," says another.

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Moo Moo is far from the weirdest choice, though. The reaction across social media can be summarized with "THEY REALLY ARE ADDING ANYBODY," because there are some seriously obscure picks. Also behind the wheel are Sidestepper (one of those little crab dudes), Cataquack (Super Mario Sunshine's big duck-like things), Cheep Cheep, and its animated skeleton, Fish Bone. That one might be the strangest, actually. "What do you MEAN a fish carcass is a playable racer in this game?" one bewildered fan asks.

Twitter users like @DynamoSuperX have been trying to round up a comprehensive list of every character shown so far, and by their reckoning, there are at least 50 that we know of so far – you can check out their handy graphic below (which they note is missing Monty Mole). Other newcomer highlights include Dolphin (you'll never guess what that one looks like), a Swoop (bat fella), Super Mario 3D World's long-necked bird enemy, Conkdor, a Penguin, Snowman, Stingby (little bee), and Isle Delfino's Piantas.

The lineup is so, so weird, and that's what makes it fantastic – you can understand why people are shouting from the rooftops that Mario Kart World has "TRULY PEAK CHARACTER VARIETY." It's definitely one of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games, and luckily for us, it's also one of the launch games that'll be available from day one.

Be sure to check out our roundup of yesterday's Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news to keep up with all of the latest announcements.

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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