Are Mario Kart 9 & The Switch 2 Dropping Soon? Your First Look Is Here

The start of 2025 is already proving to be an exciting time for Nintendo fans. In the first week of the new year alone, two major — but interconnected — rumors began making waves on the internet: that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released soon, and the highly anticipated Mario Kart 9 will lead the launch lineup for the updated video game console. Honestly, with the veritable trash soup making up headline news these days, yes, please. Bring on something bright and shiny and fun that we can latch onto (literally and figuratively)!

But are these rumors rooted in reality or just hopeful missives? As someone who has been anxiously awaiting the next chapter of both the classic game and the console I play it on, I decided to do a little more digging. Here’s what you should know if you’re a gamer parent like me and/or have gamer kids who you know want all the intel.

What’s the word on the street when it comes to the Switch 2?

Citing unnamed sources, popular podcaster and reliable leaker Nate the Hate predicted in a video released on Jan. 13 that Nintendo would do a Switch 2 reveal on or around Thursday, Jan. 16. “I’ve heard that the reveal itself is going to focus almost exclusively on the console itself,” Nate says, with no real spotlight on the games to launch with the console. Software news would effectively be the second phase of the Switch 2 reveal.

And, well, Nate the Hate had it right. True to the podcaster’s prediction, Nintendo released a teaser video for the Switch 2 on Jan. 16.

So, how will the Switch 2 be different from the OG? Some of the rumors that circulated ahead of the official teaser trailer were right: The Switch 2 is a slightly larger and more powerful system than its predecessor, and the console will be backward-compatible (meaning it can play physical and digital games from the original Switch). Instead of the slide-and-groove style of the OG Joy-Con controllers, the newer model’s Joy-Cons will attach to the dock via port and magnet.

Totally new additions? A U-shaped kickstand, a second USB-C port, and a new button on the right Joy-Con — although it’s unclear what the button’s purpose is at this point. Per Polygon, rumor has it the new button opens an in-game text or chat system.

How about Mario Kart 9?

There are few games I love more or feel more nostalgic about than Mario Kart, a series launched way back in 1992. There are now 15 games in total across multiple consoles, with each new game rolling out fresh gameplay elements like new circuits and characters. And while every incarnation tends to do well thanks to Nintendo’s fan base, the timing feels right for Mario Kart 9 to be massive. After all, Nintendo revealed last year that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Switch game to date, closing in on 75 million sales.

Fans (myself included) have practically been salivating for 9 ever since the final wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass dropped in 2023.

Is the wait almost up for a new version? According to Average Lucia Fanatic, who successfully predicted details about the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Alarmo in recent months, the answer is yes. They’ve gone on record to say their sources have revealed both Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 will launch on March 3, 2025, making Mario Kart 9 the crown jewel in the new console’s software lineup.

No official details about the game have been released, but Nintendo did seem to confirm in its Switch 2 first look that Mario Kart 9 is forthcoming.

In the Switch 2 reveal trailer, footage shows some of the Mario Kart racers we know and love — Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Bowser, Daisy, and more — on what looks to be a desert highway track we’ve never seen before. Yoshi’s Diner on the side of the road? And Donkey Kong, is that you? You look different, bro.

So, all signs point to a new version of Mario Kart coming out with the Switch 2.

I’m personally hoping a few of the predictions being tossed around come true. First up? That Mario Kart 9 will incorporate F-Zero elements — something it toyed with a little in the 8 Booster Course Pass DLC with tracks like Big Blue (such a good one) and Mute City. This may even mean creating a speed beyond 200cc that feels closer to the cult favorite racing franchise.

I’d also love it if the leaked accessory that transforms your Joy-Con into a steering wheel comes to fruition, and I definitely wouldn’t be mad if they added even more characters (or skins for characters) and references to other games in the Mario universe.

When will the Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 actually be available?

It goes without saying that Nintendo typically stays pretty tight-lipped about news leading up to launches — after all, they didn’t budget on revealing any information the last few months as rumors reached a fever pitch.

Now that the first official look has been released, Nintendo says it plans to reveal more about the Switch 2 in a dedicated Nintendo Direct on April 2. The company also announced a “series of hands-on” Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events around the world leading up to the console’s launch. These will start in April, with the last batch of announced dates rolling out in June (although dates for Hong Kong and Taipei are TBD).

At CES 2025, accessory manufacturer Genki revealed what it claims to be Switch 2 accessories as well as a mock-up of the console itself, hinting the hardware will drop in April. The latter isn’t too far off from Nate the Hate’s speculation — mirrored by a few other well-known gaming pros — that the Switch 2 could launch in May or June of this year.

That timing also seems to align with the end of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events. So, summer 2025, we’ve got our eyes on you, baby.