Yesterday was a fantastic day to be a Xenoblade fan. Not only did the Nintendo Direct reveal a brand new game in Xenoblade Genesis, a shadow-dropped Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has added a new minigame I never knew I needed: Xenoblade Kart.
Or at least, that's what JRPG fans are calling it. While the headlining changes to Xenoblade Chronicles on Switch 2 are the resolution and frame rate boosts, Monolith Soft has also added Ether Jets, all-new, high-speed vehicles you can use to zip around the Bionis and Mechonis faster than ever before. Unlocking these also comes with an unexpected bonus – the Nopon Grand Prix minigame.
Nopon Grand Prix has a couple of different modes. Score Attack sees you zoom around collecting crystals, trying to reach checkpoints as quickly as possible, whereas Battle Race lets you race against the other party members around different courses, like a JRPG-flavored Mario Kart. Upon unlocking the Ether Jet, I immediately gained access to courses in all corners of the huge open-world, including Makna Forest, Alcamoth, and Valak Mountain.
Different characters even have different driving stats – Shulk is an all-rounder, for example, while Reyn has the fastest top-speed but poor acceleration.
The whole thing is delightful, despite feeling wildly out of place. Although it certainly has its lighthearted moments (like, basically any time a Nopon is on-screen), Xenoblade Chronicles' main narrative has a pretty serious tone to it. It's a quest full of death, driven by revenge and heartache, and all sorts of other big topics that I won't spoil here. The concept of Shulk and the gang taking a break from their journey to hunt down those behind the deaths of their loved ones just to race around a forest is a little odd, to say the least, but don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the slightest – nor are other fans.
"They're calling it the funniest DLC of all time," one fan writes, sharing a clip from the Score Attack mode. Another says: "Now that I've had a few hours to process this is the funniest thing ever. Of all things to add as an upgrade to xb1 it's xenoblade racing. It's so surreal but I wouldn't have it any other way."
They're calling it the funniest DLC of all time pic.twitter.com/atRQ826yG1June 10, 2026
"XENOBLADE KART IS REAL," as one fan puts it on Reddit, and that name (and variations of it) is already catching on elsewhere.
"Xeno Kart is honestly some of the most fun I've had with this series," another fan says. "Challenge modes are great inclusions, but I don't think it comes as a surprise that stuff like this is what really grabs my attention. I hope they continue to add goofy modes like this into future games!"
"'I hope they randomly patch Mario Kart into your favorite 16 year old atmospheric JRPG with no warning' isn't an impossibility anymore," reckons another fan. "It's real. It's threatening. It could be waiting for you at any moment."
Who knows, perhaps Xenoblade Genesis could have a mode like this, too? I hope so, anyway – this is too fun to give up.
Be sure to check out our roundup of everything announced at Nintendo Direct June 2026 to keep up with all the latest news.
