Switch 2’s launch racer Mario Kart World has had its free updates, and now the talk shifts to a paid expansion pass, likely sooner than you think.
You are reaching that point where it feels impossible not to talk about a Mario Kart World expansion pass. Nobody is saying Nintendo is guaranteed to announce it next week, and nobody is pretending the timing is locked in, but it really does feel like something that should happen in the first half of 2026. At this stage, it is an expectation and not just speculation. When you look at how Nintendo treats its biggest multiplayer games, it starts to feel like the question is no longer “if,” but “when.”
Mario Kart almost always ends up with paid DLC. That has been the pattern for years now. Mario Kart 8 on Wii U got it, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got it, and both times Nintendo leaned into DLC not just as extra content but as a long-term strategy. So when you play Mario Kart World and wonder if it will follow the same path, it’s safer to assume it will.
The Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the clearest example of how effective Nintendo’s DLC approach can be. Instead of dropping everything at once, Nintendo spread the content out across multiple waves. Every time a Nintendo Direct got close, you and everyone else would start guessing what tracks or characters were coming next.
That cycle of speculation did not just hype the DLC itself. It kept Mario Kart in the spotlight year after year, and it made every Direct feel more exciting by default. That kind of marketing is hard to copy, and Nintendo knows it works.
That same strategy makes even more sense now with Switch 2. Nintendo wants to keep momentum going early in the system’s life, and Mario Kart is one of the safest ways to do that. Smash is probably still a ways off, especially with Sakurai just releasing Kirby Air Riders.
Even if Smash is being worked on behind the scenes, it does not feel like Nintendo is ready to put it front and center yet.
Mario Kart World launched alongside Switch 2 and has already received free updates, so it makes more sense for it to get paid content now. A big expansion pass gives players a reason to keep coming back, keeps Mario Kart World relevant in conversations, and helps Switch 2 sales. And when you look closely at the game itself, there are signs that content may already be planned but intentionally held back.
The Donkey Kong situation is the most obvious example. Donkey Kong and Pauline are clearly important characters, yet they only have one alternate costume each, while many other characters have several. That kind of imbalance feels strange unless Nintendo is planning a larger update down the line. When you factor in Donkey Kong Bonanza, the picture is clearer. Nintendo may simply be avoiding spoilers.
There are also subtle hints suggesting more Donkey Kong-related content is coming. It is starting to feel like a Donkey Kong-focused wave is being saved specifically for an expansion pass reveal. Not just costumes for Donkey Kong and Pauline, but characters like Diddy Kong and Funky Kong, who already showed up in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC. Add in Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong to the mix, plus potential Bonanza-related characters and maybe even King K. Rool, and suddenly you have a lineup that feels substantial enough to headline paid DLC.
You should also consider Nintendo’s history with expansion pass announcements. Splatoon 3’s expansion pass was announced in 2023. The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass was announced in 2022. Nintendo clearly likes revealing these plans in Direct presentations, and doing so relatively early helps set expectations.
The bigger question, though, is how Nintendo would actually deliver new content in Mario Kart World, especially when it comes to tracks. Unlike previous Mario Kart games, this one is built around a single large island surrounded by water. It is not just a list of disconnected courses in a menu.
Adding new tracks directly into the existing world would be difficult.
It would likely require removing or heavily reworking areas that are already carefully designed. Nintendo usually avoids that kind of disruption unless necessary. So if you are thinking about how Nintendo could add a meaningful number of new tracks without breaking the structure of the game, the solution is new islands.
Each wave of DLC could introduce a new island that you can physically drive to across the water. These islands could be open environments with five or six tracks built into them, designed to connect smoothly with each other. That structure works especially well for knockout tours, where routes can branch and change depending on the race, but it also supports traditional Grand Prix racing.
Nintendo could also mix things up by allowing some races to start on the main island and finish on a new one, or vice versa. That kind of gameplay would make the new content feel like a natural extension of the world.
When you think about what those islands could be, a few obvious ideas stand out. Isle Delfino feels like the cleanest fit. It is a recognizable Mario location, and it would not need to be as large as the base world to feel substantial. An expanded Yoshi’s Island is another easy pick, especially since Nintendo could build on ideas already introduced in previous DLC.
Donkey Kong Country also makes a lot of sense, particularly if Nintendo blends multiple Donkey Kong locations into one larger area instead of limiting it to just DK Isle.
If Nintendo goes with fewer waves, that does not necessarily mean less content. Three large waves, each centered around a new island, could easily feel more significant than six smaller ones. Free updates in between those waves would keep you engaged and give Nintendo more opportunities to tweak and improve the game.
Customization would likely play a major role as well. Mario Kart World already has a big roster, so Nintendo may not feel the need to constantly add brand-new characters. This is when costumes and accessories come into play. Accessories are especially important for characters that cannot wear full outfits, like the cow. The game already supports shared items like crowns, so expanding that system would be a logical next step.
There is also the question of crossover content. Developers have previously said that Mario Kart World focuses on the Mario universe, and that philosophy clearly shaped the base game. But DLC offers more flexibility. The challenge is that the open-world structure makes it hard to simply drop in locations from other Nintendo franchises without it feeling awkward.
Adding warp points around the mainland and on these new islands would make it easier to get to faraway places quickly. They could work more like portals or wormholes that take you to different places while the game loads.
Once warps exist, Nintendo could also experiment with limited crossover pockets.
Not full worlds stitched onto Mario Kart, but small areas that feel like dimensional overlaps. For example, part of an island could briefly blend into something like Hyrule Circuit, reimagined to fit Mario Kart World’s format.
Free updates would still matter alongside the paid content. Adding 200 cc at some point feels almost inevitable. It is a simple change, but it changes how the game feels, especially at higher levels. A more traditional circuit-style option also makes sense, letting you run classic three-lap races across all tracks.
Free updates will also help with more knockout tour options. The knockout routes that are in place now work, but they could be more different. In my opinion, giving you more preset routes or even a few options to customize them would be very helpful. And if DLC islands give you more ways to knock out your opponents, then bingo, that’s another reason to get the expansion pass.
Pricing is always the sensitive topic, but Nintendo’s history gives some clues. Mario Kart 8’s original DLC packs were very cheap because Nintendo was still testing the waters. The Booster Course Pass was larger and priced accordingly, with additional value offered through Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
Mario Kart World is already an $80 game, which is why some people argue the DLC should be free.
A more realistic expectation is that Nintendo aims for a price that feels fair relative to the amount of content. It would not be surprising if Expansion Pack subscribers get access included, while everyone else pays something in the range of a premium DLC.
So Mario Kart World feels like it could get a paid expansion pass. The free updates have done their job, the game’s structure clearly supports expansion, and Nintendo has every reason to milk Mario Kart World like the cash cow that it is. The pieces are already there. It’s on you, Nintendo, to put them together.
