Mario Kart World doesn’t have 200cc and maybe that’s OK

Nintendo Switch 2 players will be minding the speed limit in Mario Kart World after the console launches this week because the game will ship without the series’ notoriously fast engine class.

As reported by Rolling Stone, the aggressively brisk mode won’t be making a return for Mario Kart World, though Nintendo isn’t ruling out the possibility in a future update. Mario Kart 8 initially shipped without 200cc, only to be updated later.

“Some players are really happy with the addition of high difficulty modes likes this,” Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki tells Rolling Stone, when asked if Nintendo would consider adding 200cc post-launch. “However, does that mean we’re going to consider adding engine sizes that are larger than 150cc to Mario Kart World? I’m afraid I can’t say just yet.”

200cc was introduced in the wildly popular Mario Kart 8, where its challenging nature quickly became the bane of some people’s existence. Simply put, it was a wickedly rapid mode — almost too swift, some argued. These critics would later be vindicated as fans crunched the numbers and found that the number was misleading; what was labeled “200cc” was actually, relatively speaking, 415cc.

But the version of Mario Kart World people play on June 5 won’t have 200cc in any form. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a great thing or a terrible thing. On social media sites like X, some are happy to see a mode they deem “garbage” and “ass” gone.

There as just as many people who are appalled by its omission, for a variety of reasons. Price is one of the most prevalent criticisms, with fans noting that it seems egregious to charge so much for a game that perceivably has less features than its predecessor. Switch 2 games will be more expensive than Switch 1 games.

“I’m excited for the game but for $80 things that have been in MK8 for years are missing? Come on,” reads one comment on a Reddit thread discussing the omission.

Others are saddened by the news because the open world and its long straightaways seemed suited for 200cc. “…so you mean to tell me after months of everyone including myself justifying how empty the tracks felt with ‘oh that’s cause it’s built for 200cc’ the game doesn’t even have it” says an exasperated user on X.

Players are also disappointed to hear 200cc is gone because the mode upped the competitive nature Mario Kart by allowing for more types of shortcuts and strategies, like brake drifting. Mario Kart World’s inclusion of mechanics like wall riding could have even more complexity at higher speeds. By the same measure, some new design ideas like rewinding time would literally negate 200cc’s incredible pace, so balancing the high engine class seems tricky.

The most sensible reactions to this news point out that 200cc was never balanced to begin with, and that Mario Kart 8’s version of it was over twice as fast as it was supposed to be. Would Mario Kart World’s theoretical 200cc even be accurate? If Nintendo brought it back properly, 200cc in Mario Kart World may not replicate the punishing experience people are yearning for anyway.

Maybe it’s for the best. Toad’s delicate constitution was not made to withstand eating a cheeseburger at 200 mph.