The moment-to-moment racing of Mario Kart World feels like a moderate change from Mario Kart 8, and there’s a lot of depth hidden within the game’s flashy new maneuvers. Once you get your bearings on the game’s 30-plus new tracks, mastering these tricks will be the only way to get gold on each Grand Prix and Rally competition.
Aside from the P-Switches littered throughout Free Roam, there isn’t a great way to learn how to do these tricks. These fun, bite-sized challenges also don’t explain whether you’ve pulled these moves off correctly, so we’re here to explain how and when to flawlessly execute each of the game’s new additions. Here’s our guide to Mario Kart World’s newest tricks.
How To Do A Charge Jump
The Charge Jump is the most prominent new addition to Mario Kart World. The technique is primarily used to set up the game’s other new moves, leap over obstacles, and dodge attacks while flying through a track.
To do a Charge Jump, hold down the R button while accelerating in a straight line. Turning left or right while initiating the charge cancels the move, so be sure to do this on a straightaway with enough room to activate it. When initiated correctly, your racer will hunker down in their vehicle. Keep holding R until you see sparks fly from your wheels. Like with drifting, your wheels will discharge different color sparks — first white, then blue, orange, and finally rainbow — depending on how long you hold your charge.
When the R button is released, your racer will jump in the air, then boost forward when they land back on the track. You can direct your jump by tilting the analog stick. If you want to jump to the right, for example, tilt the stick right before releasing R. Once you see the sparks, you can turn your vehicle slightly, but you won’t have as much maneuverability as you normally would.
How To Wall Ride
Wall Riding can be used to avoid obstacles being thrown at you, gain some extra boost, collect wall-based items, or take hidden shortcuts. To pull off the Wall Ride without the help of a ramp, you’ll need to master the Charge Jump.
Initiate a Charge Jump when approaching a wall, then release it in the appropriate direction. To stay on the wall, you’ll have to steer your vehicle in the direction opposite to the ground. Be sure not to oversteer on smaller walls, as you may veer off the surface entirely.
Pulling off a Wall Ride will give you a boost when you land. For an additional boost, be sure to tap the R-button again at the end of your Wall Ride to perform a Jump Boost.
You won’t always need to Charge Jump to start a Wall Ride. If there’s a ramp with a boost pad at its zenith near a wall, tap the R-button and the appropriate direction to Jump Boost onto the wall. The Wall Ride takes some practice, but it's an easy way to shave precious time off your lap results.
How To Rail Grind Efficiently
Mario Kart World took a page out of Tony Hawk Pro Skater’s book by adding rail grinds to its chaotic races. More than any other addition, Rail Grinds are the fastest and simplest way to surge ahead. You can Rail Grind on a surprising number of objects, including railway tracks, bridge arches, electrical wires, and pipes.
There are two ways to pull off a rail grind. If the rail starts at ground level, just drive onto the start of it. Be sure you’re perfectly lined up, as missing it can be catastrophic. If the rail is above ground, use the Charge Jump in the appropriate direction to leap onto the railing.
If your character initiates a grind on a straight rail, you can tap the R-button to keep boosting until the end of the rail, essentially zooming you along the track. Right at the end, you can tap R once more to Boost Jump off the rail.
The New Trick System
Mario Kart World has a full-on trick system: when hitting a ramp or jump, you can specify what kind of trick you want to perform. Pushing the analog stick down during a Jump Boost performs a backflip, forward a frontflip, left a left spin, and right a right spin.
This new technique isn’t just for vibes; the direction you do a trick allows you to perform a sharper or wider drift upon landing. For example, if there’s a hairpin turn to the left coming up, performing a left Jump Boost will let you drift sharper into it, avoiding the risk of careening into a wall and losing your place. Conversely, Jump Boost tricking in the opposite direction of a turn will give you extra room to build up a drift boost without having to turn too sharply. It’s a subtle new addition that can make a big difference both online and in single-player mode, and if you’re serious about racking up wins, you’ll have to master it.
