Mario Kart World Game Creates Problems for Gamers

Nintendo is expected to reveal sales figures for Mario Kart World, the newest installment in the Mario Kar series of games, in the near future. As of March 2025, there are already 190 million copies of this franchise sold.

Fun part: what mistakes gamers will turn the Nintendo Switch 2 "into a brick"

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As for Mario Kart World, according to preliminary estimates, taking into account all formats, the game sold at least 3 million copies worldwide in June alone. But in reality, this figure is most likely much higher. Even in Russia, where console games are sometimes perceived as a niche, Mario Kart World has become an absolute bestseller on the Avito site: according to completed deals, its popularity there is higher than that of other games for portable consoles.

At the same time, the game has already attracted serious criticism, primarily because of the price: the basic digital version of Mario Kart World costs €80, the physical version costs €90.

Secondly, the physical cartridges with games on the Switch 2 turned out to be "dummies": To run such a game, you need a constant Internet connection, which makes them practically useless without network access.

Thirdly, GameChat chat and online mode in Mario Kart World require a subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online, and additional features are often paid.

Finally, due to the virtual game card system, users cannot freely transfer copies of games to friends or family members, as was the case before.

Given all this, many users come to the conclusion that all the advantages of the new game are overshadowed by the harsh monetization that turns Switch 2 into a platform where you have to pay more for content.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Maps, tracks, three fouls: Mario Kart World was brought to Russia