Mario Kart World Direct time – here's when and where to watch the big Nintendo Switch 2 racing game in action

Mario Kart World screenshot showing Mario and Luigi battling for top position in a vast open world race — (Image credit: Nintendo)

The Mario Kart World Direct time is almost here. Nintendo is set to show off its new Switch 2 racing game tomorrow, April 17, no doubt giving us a better look at Free Roam, the battle royale-style Knockout Tour mode, and more.

Announced during this month's flurry of Nintendo Switch 2 news – specifically, during the big Switch 2 Direct – Nintendo previously confirmed that it'd give us a bigger look at one of its main upcoming Switch 2 games, Mario Kart World, in its own dedicated Direct stream, which it's since confirmed will be 15 minutes long.

As for what will be shown off, we'll just have to wait and see. During a previous Treehouse: Live stream, it was teased that "there is more to Free Roam mode" than Nintendo had revealed so far, and fans were encouraged to tune into the Direct, so it seems like we're definitely going to find out more about that. I've still got my fingers crossed for the return of Mario Kart DS's Mission Mode, personally. Maybe we'll also get a better look at the Mario Kart World character roster, which looks absolutely enormous, and includes some weird and wonderful picks including the Moo Moo Meadows cow and, uh, a dead fish.

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More generally, the question remains of what Nintendo has packed in to justify that high Mario Kart World price, which stands at $80 in the United States. Many fans have been calling on Nintendo to "drop the price" of its new console and games, and it's fair to say that this launch game doesn't come cheap. Here's hoping that Nintendo will have some answers about what makes Mario Kart World picking up on the Nintendo Switch 2 release date, June 5, in the stream tomorrow.

Mario Kart World Direct time

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

This week's Mario Kart World Direct will begin rather early in certain time zones, so depending on where you live, you might need to start your day sooner than usual to watch it as it happens. Again, it's been confirmed that the Direct will be roughly 15 minutes long, so it'll be a relatively bite-sized presentation compared to the 60-minute Switch 2 showcase.

Here's a list of start times for the Mario Kart World Direct depending on which time zone you're in:

6am PT
9am ET
2pm BST
3pm CEST

Where to watch the Mario Kart World Direct

You'll be able to tune into the Mario Kart World Direct on either Nintendo's YouTube channel or the newly released Nintendo Today app. While it isn't set to air for another day, Nintendo has shared a link to the stream already, so you can be ready for when it goes live.

While you're here, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order guide to help you get hold of the new console yourself.

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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.