Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement: Is Nintendo Teasing a New Mario Kart?


The Nintendo Switch 2 is Coming Out in 2025.

This is an emerging story with speculation based on the official trailer.

On January 16th 2025, Nintendo confirmed the impending arrival of the newest member of the Switch family: The Nintendo Switch 2. A fairly minimalist trailer dropped on the Nintendo website, revealing the console’s look – which isn’t too dissimilar from its predecessor, the Nintendo Switch – and a promise of more information to come.

After months of speculation and weeks of leaks, this isn’t particularly surprising. What is perhaps unexpected, though, is the game footage used to tease the new console. Towards the end of the trailer, a Mario Kart course is shown, revealing a sandy desert highway.

Again, this may not be particularly out there, considering the franchise has a history of tracks like Bone-Dry Dunes and Sunset Wilds. However, this particular pitstop isn’t included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the current version of Mario Kart available on the Switch. Similarly, there are 24 starting places, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe only offers 12.

At the start of the race, a sign saying “Mario Bros Circuit” hangs over the racer’s heads, confirming the course’s absence from Mario Kart 8. Could this be teasing a new Mario Kart, optimised for the Nintendo Switch 2?

As well as the course’s sandy setting, we can see a cute Yoshi-themed diner at the side of the tracks and some themed billboards. It doesn’t give much insight into the course itself, but it’s pretty adorable anyway.

It’s not clear if this is actual gameplay footage, but considering a lack of a disclaimer saying so in the trailer, it seems like it could be pretty hopeful news for Mario Kart fanatics hoping for a new release soon.

Little information is included in the trailer itself besides the console’s look and the fact that it will largely be backwards compatible with games released on the Switch. More information will follow on the Nintendo website.

The next Nintendo Direct has also been confirmed for April 2nd 2025.


Toni Oisin H.C. is the Head of Audio at QSO Media. Read more of his writing here.

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One response to “Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement: Is Nintendo Teasing a New Mario Kart?”

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