You’re all invited to watch!
Nintendo has announced that on October 5, 2025, the Mario Kart World Invitational 2025 will be taking place at Nintendo Live 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. For those not competing or unable to attend, the event will be livestreamed online in English. For all the information, we have the full announcement here:
Watch the Mario Kart World: Invitational 2025, live from Japan!:
Join us on Sunday morning, October 5th for the Mario Kart World: Invitational 2025, where players from around the globe will compete for glory at Nintendo Live 2025 TOKYO in Japan.
The competition will be livestreamed worldwide (English only), so you can tune in and watch the action unfold on Nintendo of America’s YouTube channel or via this website:
Schedule:
Here’s when you can catch the action, live from Japan!
- Parents and Kids – October 5th, 05:30 am (UK time)
- General – October 5th, approx. 08:00 am (UK time)
Who’s competing?
Competitors from Europe, Japan, North America, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea will head to the starting grid in one of two competitions: ‘Parents and Kids’ and ‘General’.
Representing Europe in the Parents and Kids competition:
- Team Ruffy (Salva and Clara from Spain)
- Barker Boosters (Casey and Harlow from the United Kingdom)
Representing Europe in the General competition:
- Thomas from France – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Champion 2023
- starxlx from France – Placed 2nd in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championships 2023
- Mars from France – Placed 3rd in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championships 2023
Rulesets:
Mario Kart World: Invitational 2025 (Parents and Kids)
Tournament format:
- 14 competitor pairs (parent and child)
- Round 1: Knockout Tour (kids only)
- Round 2: Knockout Tour (parents only)
- Round 3: VS Race (6 races in total)
- Races 1-3 (kids only)
- Races 4-6 (parents only)
Winners from each round will be awarded.
Rules (Knockout Tour):
- Class: 150cc
- Items: normal items
- Course selection: randomly decided from rallies chosen by each player
- Characters: any characters can be chosen
- Vehicles: any vehicles can be chosen
- COM: Normal
- Controllers: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (wired, settings can be adjusted before each race, button remapping not allowed)
Rules (VS Race):
- Class: 150cc
- Items: normal items
- Teams: no teams
- Course selection: randomly decided from courses chosen by each player
- Characters: any characters can be chosen
- Vehicles: any vehicles can be chosen
- COM: no COM
- Controllers: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (wired, settings can be adjusted before each race, button remapping not allowed)
Mario Kart World: Invitational 2025 (General)
Tournament format:
- 21 competitors
- Round 1: Knockout Tour (1 rally)
- Round 2: Knockout Tour (1 rally)
- Round 3: VS Race (6 races in total)14 competitor pairs (parent and child)
Winners from each round will be awarded.
Rules (Knockout Tour):
- Class: 150cc
- Items: normal items
- Course selection: randomly decided from rallies chosen by each player
- Characters: any characters can be chosen
- Vehicles: any vehicles can be chosen
- COM: Normal
- Controllers: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (wired, settings can be adjusted before each race, button remapping not allowed)
Rules (VS Race):
- Class: 150cc
- Items: normal items
- Teams: no teams
- Course selection: randomly decided from courses chosen by each player
- Characters: any characters can be chosen
- Vehicles: any vehicles can be chosen
- COM: no COM
- Controllers: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (wired, settings can be adjusted before each race, button remapping not allowed)
About Mario Kart World:
Ready your wheels for a brand-new Mario Kart game exclusively for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system—with a world of interconnected courses to race through — The whole world is your racetrack in this massive evolution of the Mario Kart™ series! The courses you race on are all connected in a seamless world. Drive the paths between them to traverse mountains, forests, cities, and more. Take in the sprawling vistas as you explore at your own pace in Free Roam—or watch how a sudden shift in the weather can mix up a dead heat in a tense Grand Prix.
Ride on rails, jump off walls, skim across water, and more as you race for the finish line. Master these new maneuvers and you might cut down your time to the finish line!
Take on a classic Grand Prix, or go the distance in the Knockout Tour elimination mode — Speed through one course and then drive to the next in a non-stop rally that stretches from one corner of the world to another in the adrenaline-packed Knockout Tour! In this fierce 24-driver mode, racers are steadily eliminated, checkpoint by checkpoint, until only one remains. With Grand Prix and VS Races also supporting up to 24 drivers, the competition has never been tighter!
Race online* across modes with up to 23 other players, or talk with friends using GameChat as you race or roam. Through CameraPlay, you can even see your friends’ faces next to their vehicles as you zoom past them, whether you’re online or on the same couch. Hop into a match of Balloon Battle or Coin Runners for even more mayhem, or get focused and strive for your personal best in Time Trials. There’s something for every kind of racer!
Go full speed with series-new drivers, vehicles, courses, outfits, items, and more! — Race on brand-new courses, as well as familiar ones that have been reimagined with additional routes and other details. Stick with your favorite driver or broaden your horizons—there are loads of drivers, many with different outfits to unlock, and plenty of vehicles to master too. Some of the new additions might surprise you! (Is that Cow?!)
Source: Nintendo
