5 Mario Kart World habits players should stop doing immediately

Mario Kart World’s been out for over a year, and brought with it new game modes, unique character costumes, customization options and, of course, an enormous, interconnected map. If all this new content was a bit daunting to you, you may not have realized some of your racing habits might be holding you back from first place.

If you just got a Nintendo Switch 2, you’re new to Mario Kart, or you’re just looking to break some bad habits that are keeping you from first place, we put together some common mistakes Mario Kart World players might not realize they're making.

1 Leaving Smart Steering On

Image: Nintendo via Polygon

Do yourself a favor — grab your Switch 2, boot up Mario Kart World, and disable smart steering. Unless you literally just started playing, it’s probably doing you more harm than good. Smart Steering keeps you from going off track during a race, so it’s great if you’re just starting out and trying to get used to the controls. But if you want to grind rails or take off-road shortcuts, Smart Steering will quickly start holding you back. It also prevents you from reaching the third level of drift boost in the game: the Ultra Mini Turbo.

Smart Steering is on by default, so casual players who aren’t trawling through their settings may never have noticed it. You can toggle it off in the settings menu.

2 Ignoring smaller speed boosts

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

While flashy powerups and on-track Boost Pads may give you the biggest speed boosts in the game, there’s a ton of ways to secure smaller speed boosts that might add up to big wins. You probably know that using Z/ZR to drift around turns offers up to three levels of Mini-Boosts. Slipstreaming, or drafting, can also speed you up. All you have to do is line your kart right behind one of your opponents. You’ll see a little wind form around your kart, and feel a burst of speed. As a bonus, you can ram into the driver you’re slipstreaming behind to knock them off course.

Rail grinding can also help speed you up, but it can be a bit less intuitive for newcomers. Some rails start at ground level, so you can drive right up on them without any extra work. But if you’re past a rail’s ground-level start point, you can hop on by holding down the R/ZR button as though you’re going to drift, but instead of steering, continue driving straight ahead. Once you release the button, you’ll jump, giving you enough air to hop onto a rail. Hitting R/ZR again in the air lets you perform a quick trick that boosts your speed upon landing. Perform one of those tricks whenever you’re in the air — whether you took a ramp or a sand dune — to secure another speed boost.

3 Driving with empty pockets

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

While seasoned racers are used to keeping their wallets full during laps, newcomers may not know how important coins can be in tight races. Like with previous entries in the Mario Kart franchise, collecting coins increases your maximum speed. For the highest possible boost — about 5% above your maximum speed — aim to keep 20 coins on you at all times. Every time you’re hit, you’ll lose a few coins. If you’re running low, keep an eye on some of the non-player cars driving alongside you, sometimes they’ll drop a few coins.

As a bonus, every 100 coins you collect in Mario Kart World unlocks a new vehicle, with 4,000 coins unlocking them all.

4 Throwing out items

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

We’re not saying become a hoarder, but don’t feel you have to use items as soon as you get them. For example, if you’re hoping to go off-road or use a short cut, holding on to a Mushroom until then can help you avoid the speed penalty that comes with off-roading. Similarly, keeping a Green Shell or Banana Peel behind you can shield you from attacks by other racers.

This goes for coins as well. If you’re maxed out at 20 coins, and you just got another in an item box, don’t cash out immediately. Unless you have a great item on deck, or you’re approaching another item box, keeping that extra coin will allow you to quickly recover a bit of speed if you get hit.

5 Forgetting to Free Roam

If you have some bad habits to break, there’s no better place to practice than the game’s expansive Free Roam mode. Free Roam allows you to practice drifts, jumps, and more outside of the pressure cooker that is a Grand Prix. If you’re hoping to collect new vehicles, Free Roaming allows you to grab coins at a more leisurely pace. Finally, taking some time to explore the map can help you find shortcuts you didn’t know existed, preparing you for your next Grand Prix.

If you’re just starting out and looking for more tips in Mario Kart World, we have beginner’s guides for racing, collectibles, and more. If you’re an experienced player looking for something new, Bob-Omb Blast and Team Racing were both added to the game earlier this year.

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