Is Mario Kart World on Switch 1?

Mario Kart World screenshot showing a racer almost getting eaten by a dinosaur — (Image credit: Nintendo)

If you're wondering whether Mario Kart World is on Switch 1, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed.

Mario Kart World is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, which means it is not available on Switch 1 or any other Switch consoles.

Nintendo has said that Mario Kart World essentially wouldn't have been possible on the original Switch - it needs the features and specs of the Nintendo Switch 2 to run how the developers intended.

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In an interview with GamesRadar+, Kosuke Yabuki, Producer Mario Kart World, told us that "the biggest factor is the computational power of the Nintendo Switch 2" when it comes to Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives.

"The expansive world, the wide variety of players and characters, and the wide variety of objects within this world, and everything working at 60fps, it was thanks to the processing power of the Nintendo Switch 2 that we could achieve this," Yabuki-san added. "Overall it is thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2 that we achieved everything we wanted to achieve with Mario Kart World."

He added that the team was "dying to have this performance and power" to play with.

However, it's not just the graphical grunt that the Switch 2 offers, it's also about other new features - particularly Game Chat.

"When it comes to Mario Kart, it's always been a key concept to play and have fun together with other players. With GameChat you are able to chat with friends while playing and see their screens, and also to display their faces above the racing characters. This was a major evolution when it comes to Mario Kart."

So there you have it.

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Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.