All we know about Mario Kart 9 so far: release date, gameplay

The recent Booster Course Pack doubled the amount of courses available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but racers are still curious about the possibility of Mario Kart 9. When is the Mario Kart 9 release date? What will the game be like?

Mario Kart 9 has been confirmed by Nintendo, but not much is known about the upcoming racing game. The mystery hasn’t stopped insiders and leakers from finding out more about Mario Kart 9, with players hungry for more information despite waves of new courses still being dropped in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Here is what we know about Mario Kart 9 so far.

When is the Mario Kart 9 release date?

Nintendo has not revealed an official release date for Mario Kart 9. It’s possible it could be teased sometime in 2022, according to an industry analyst who claimed the game is in “active development.”

This possibility has been confirmed by Nintendo insider Zippo. In a blog post, the leaker explained that all of the DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is being made by Bandai Namco. That’s because the Mario Kart team is allegedly busy working on Mario Kart 9. It’s been rumored that Mario Kart 9 will come out alongside the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 or a similarly significant update to the Switch platform.

What will Mario Kart 9 gameplay be like?

Mario Kart 9 is largely a mystery, but industry analyst Serkan Toto explained that there will be a “new twist” in the next racing installment’s gameplay.

It’s currently unclear what this new twist will be, but many fans immediately thought of Mario Kart Double Dash on the GameCube, which had two characters per vehicle. In recent Mario Kart games, Nintendo has added anti-gravity abilities, underwater elements, and other new features.

One Nintendo leaker had some possible insight into the brand new Mario Kart 9 gameplay. The leaker Newmarkomaro tweeted that the gameplay will be like a Mario Kart and Smash Bros mashup with a focus on the game’s “online community.” There will allegedly be “weekly stuff to do” and “new ways to race.”

“Not sure how much of this original content will survive at the end but will be cool if they still go to the ‘N. All Stars’ route. See you next year for new info!” Newmarkomaro tweeted.

Other rumors have pointed to a possible new Mario Kart mobile game as well. But for now, Mario fans will have to wait for official Nintendo updates on the next Mario Kart installment.