Mario Kart World‘s new update has proven to be so unpopular, some fans claim to be “going back to Mario Kart 8” Deluxe, an eight-year-old game. (11 if you’re counting the original Wii U version.)
Mario Kart World’s intermission tracks – the roads you race on in between the actual, proper, traditional tracks – exist in a gray area. Some people love them. I do, at least in the frantically non-stop Knockout Mode. Some people kinda hate them. But Nintendo recently told everyone to shut up and eat what they’re served as Mario Kart World’s latest update lessened the chances of racing on a classic three-lap circuit online.
“Fortunately we have a product for people who want to play normal 3-lap races online; it’s called Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” pic.twitter.com/HASJr6bBH3June 26, 2025
You see, Mario Kart World never explicitly gave you the option to simply race on a three-lap track in the first place. During online play, you could pick between three tracks that include intermissions or ‘Random’, which would guarantee a three-lapper. After the new update, though, even ‘Random’ can shove you into an intermission-filled race, exacerbating an already annoying problem.
Fans across social media haven’t reacted well to the change. Multiple Reddit posts have been slamming the game’s dampened options for the last day or so, not to mention heated reactions from popular content creators like Shortcat, which have 700,000 views and counting.
“I’m actually happy for this, not because of the feature removal, that sucks, but because now I have an excuse not to buy the Switch 2,” one fan quips. “You’re going to hold down the A button and not much else and you’re going to like it,” says another.
The main complaints stem from the obvious fact that less option aren’t great. Knockout Mode is more obviously designed with intermissions in mind, but right now, normal races just seem like a chopped up version of the same experience. Intermissions also seem to encourage dull strategies, like waiting at the back with particular items until the last leg of the race, if you want first-place bragging rights.
A couple players have even posted about their half-full online lobbies after the update. I jumped in to see what was up myself (totally not an excuse to play Mario Kart World during work hours), and anecdotally, it did take me way longer to get into a regular race than it did for Knockout Mode.
For now, check out some upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games.
