Before you start those engines, it's good to know which Mario Kart World characters are in the game, so you can make a choice ahead of race time about who you want to play as. Perhaps you could be Princess Peach? A drifting Donkey Kong? Or maybe a winning Waluigi? Scroll down to see every confirmed character for the Switch 2 game.
You can also see all the Mario Kart characters in the Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and which vehicles they drive, before checking out our favorite Mario characters from the entire franchise.
How many Mario Kart World characters are there?
There are currently 50 playable Mario Kart World characters. There will almost certainly be more added to the game, as we're likely to see DLC that adds other characters, perhaps bringing back Link, Inklings, and Isabelle from Animal Crossing.
Returning Mario Kart characters
Here's a list of every returning playable character in Mario Kart World. Everyone that you've grown to know and love across the Mario Kart series, including mainline games and Mario Kart Tour on mobile, pops up.
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| Mario |
| Speed - 50 Acceleration - 55 Weight - 45 Handling - 50 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Luigi |
| Speed - 50 Acceleration - 55 Weight - 45 Handling - 50 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Peach |
| Speed - 45 Acceleration - 60 Weight - 40 Handling - 55 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Yoshi |
| Speed - 45 Acceleration - 60 Weight - 40 Handling - 55 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Bowser |
| Speed - 65 Acceleration - 40 Weight - 60 Handling - 35 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Daisy |
| Speed - 45 Acceleration - 60 Weight - 40 Handling - 55 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Flower Cup |
 |
| Pauline |
| Speed - 55 Acceleration - 50 Weight - 50 Handling - 45 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Waluigi |
| Speed - 60 Acceleration - 45 Weight - 55 Handling - 40 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Wario |
| Speed - 60 Acceleration - 45 Weight - 55 Handling - 40 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Birdo |
| Speed - 50 Acceleration - 55 Weight - 45 Handling - 50 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Banana Cup |
 |
| Toad |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Toadette |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Donkey Kong |
| Speed - 60 Acceleration - 45 Weight - 55 Handling - 40 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Mushroom Cup |
 |
| Baby Daisy |
| Speed - 35 Acceleration - 75 Weight - 25 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Baby Luigi |
| Speed - 35 Acceleration - 70 Weight - 30 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Baby Mario |
| Speed - 35 Acceleration - 70 Weight - 30 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Baby Peach |
| Speed - 35 Acceleration - 75 Weight - 25 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Baby Rosalina |
| Speed - 35 Acceleration - 70 Weight - 30 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Bowser Jr |
| Speed - 45 Acceleration - 60 Weight - 40 Handling - 55 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Lightning Cup |
| Chargin' Chuck |
| Speed - 60 Acceleration - 45 Weight - 55 Handling - 40 |
| Unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race |
 |
| Dry Bones |
| Speed - 35 Accelebration - 70 Weight - 30 Handling - 65 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Hammer Bro |
| Speed - 50 Acceleration - 55 Weight - 45 Handling - 50 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| King Boo |
| Speed - 55 Acceleration - 50 Weight - 50 Handling - 45 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Leaf Cup |
 |
| Koopa Troopa |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Lakitu |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Shell Cup |
 |
| Monty Mole |
| Speed - 45 Acceleration - 60 Weight - 40 Handling - 55 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Nabbit |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Rosalina |
| Speed - 55 Acceleration - 50 Weight - 50 Handling - 45 |
| Unlocked after clearing the Star Cup |
 |
| Shy Guy |
| Speed - 40 Acceleration - 65 Weight - 35 Handling - 60 |
| Unlocked automatically |
 |
| Wiggler |
| Speed - 60 Acceleration - 45 Weight - 55 Handling - 40 |
| Unlocked automatically |
New Mario Kart World characters
These are the new additions to the roster that have not featured in a Mario Kart game before:
- Cataquack - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Cheep Cheep - unlocked automatically
- Coin Coffer - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Conkdor - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Cow - unlocked automatically
- Dolpin - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Fish Bone - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Goomba - unlocked automatically
- Para-Biddybud - unlocked automatically
- Peepa - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Penguin - unlocked automatically
- Pianta - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Piranha Plant - unlocked automatically
- Pokey - unlocked automatically
- Rocky Wrench - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Sidestepper - unlocked automatically
- Snowman - unlocked automatically
- Spike - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
- Stingby - unlocked automatically
- Swoop - unlocked after being turned by a Kamek during a race
How do Mario Kart World characters affect your kart?
Following on from previous Mario Kart games, characters are divided into sizes, which affect the stats of your vehicle. For instance, using Baby Mario on the standard kart improves your handling stat, but using Bowser gives you a lot more acceleration. Make sure to keep an eye on this when choosing a character and kart combination.
Are there any Mario Kart World characters coming as part of DLC?
As we start racing through 2026, we have no DLC confirmed for Mario Kart World yet. There's every chance that Mario Kart World will get DLC in the future.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass adds a total of eight characters and 48 courses through six waves of DLC. Mario Kart 8 on Wii U got two packs of DLC, both of which added characters, tracks, and vehicles, as well - so it's highly likely that World will get the same treatment.