In Mario Kart World, there are quite a few characters available. While it might pale in comparison to Super Mario Kart 8D which brought in Link, Isabelle, and other characters from a few other Nintendo franchises, there are still quite a few available. Some of them are locked at first, and players have to unlock them.
As is typical with Nintendo, these characters, some of which are just existing characters with new outfits on, are not locked behind a paywall of some kind. They’re not DLC, they’re just progression-locked. Fortunately, most of them are pretty easy to get. Here’s how.
Unlocking Every Mario Kart World Character
There are 50 total characters available, and that does include the costumed variants. They’re all the classic characters you know and love, but some random, new, interesting players have been added. Birdo is back, but the character is locked behind completing the Banana Cup.
To get Bowser Jr., you must complete the Lightning Cup. Complete the Leaf Cup to unlock King Boo. For Lakitu, you need to finish the Shell Cup. Everything else that is unlocked is tied behind an item that you can use, so it’s a little random but far from impossible to get them in the new Nintendo game.
Kamek Item Unlocks
Cataquack is unlocked by using the new Kamek item that you get from the question-mark blocks. Charging Chuck, Dolphin, Pianta, Peepa, Swoop, Coin Coffer, Conkdor, and Fish Bone are, too. Spike comes from the item, but you have to use it on the Salty Salty Speedway track. For Rocky Wrench, use the Kamek item on the Airship Fortress track.
Outfits in Mario Kart World
Food Bags are a brand-new item in Mario Kart World. They resemble items and can be used as a speed boost, but they also provide an outfit change for some characters. Depending on where you get the item, your character will transform into a different outfit that is usually related.
However, not all characters have the same number of unlockable outfits, so the Food Bags won’t always unlock the same type of outfit for different characters. For some characters, the bag only provides a speed boost. Goombas, Cows, and Dolphins cannot gain Outfits, so they just get speed boosts from Food Bags.
It may take some time to get these outfits, though, because there are a lot. Mario, for example, has 10 different outfits. Luigi, Yoshi, and Princess Peach all have nine. Bowser, Toadette, Rosalina, and Toad have five. Koopa Troopa has been given six and so has Waluigi. Wario has eight available costumes.
Baby Mario landed with four, while his baby brother Luigi got three. Baby Peach, however, got five costumes, as did both Baby Daisy and Baby Rosalina. Pauline and Donkey Kong have just two available at the moment. Shy Guy, Lakity, and Birdo each have three, while Daisy has seven unlockable costumes.
Bowser Jr. and King Boo have four at the moment. There is the potential for more, especially for characters with low outfit counts now. Donkey Kong, for example, is very likely to get more outfits when his game, Donkey Kong Bonanza, drops later this year. To get these, simply drive these characters to get food in different regions and keep transforming! You may transform into an outfit you already have, so bear that in mind as you’re driving.
Final Lap
Mario Kart World is quickly cementing itself as one of the top games in a very old franchise. It may not be going for the abundance that its predecessor had with every track imaginable and tons of unique characters, but there are still plenty of both here. And with them tied behind activities to unlock, there remains plenty to do in this title.
