Even though not much has been revealed about the newest gameplay mechanics and content coming to Mario Kart 9, its brief look in the Switch 2 reveal trailer has already caused waves of speculation among fans. Being revealed as a presumed launch title for the console has only made speculation about Mario Kart 9 skyrocket to even greater heights, with theories ranging from outlandish to surprisingly plausible. While fans will have to wait and see if Mario Kart 9 manages to fully reinvent the franchise or simply add to the pre-existing formula, it already has some tough competition.

With Mario Kart 9 being the first new title in the franchise in over 10 years, it could offer a brand-new experience for long-time fans of the series. The advanced hardware of the Switch 2 could also result in new mechanics and graphical fidelity, but fans will have to wait until the next Nintendo Direct in April for more news. While the Switch 2's Mario Kart 9 already seems to be making some changes to stand out from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with new character redesigns, it'll have to do more than that to outdo its long-lived predecessor.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Has An Absurd Amount Of Content

Nearly A Decade's Worth Of Content To Compete With

Over its long lifespan, Mario Kart 8 received not only a remastered port for the Switch from the Wii U, but multiple DLC waves that added new characters and plenty of fun tracks to speed through. After years of content updates, the current edition of Mario Kart offers a staggering 96 tracks throughout all its DLC, not to mention its 40 playable characters and range of customizable vehicles. While not all of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 96 tracks are made equal with the same level of replayability, the Mario Kart franchise is filled with some incredible tracks that need to return for Mario Kart 9.

Even if Mario Kart 9 aims to be the biggest entry in the franchise so far, there's virtually no way it will include the same number of stages as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at launch. Given that 32 tracks was the standard number for a majority of entries, it's the most likely candidate for Mario Kart 9's offering, although it may try to compete with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 48 at launch. While Mario Kart 9 is bound to be another success for Nintendo, matching Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's initial offering of tracks would make it a much easier jump into the new venture for fans of the series.

It will be hard to follow up the massive offering of its predecessor.

Overall, it's still impressive that Nintendo has continued to Mario Kart 8 over the years with reasonably priced expansion es, providing countless hours of enjoyment with friends or through online play. While Mario Kart 9 is likely to add new mechanics that will take away from the resources dedicated to making so many new tracks, it will be hard to follow up the massive offering of its predecessor. Even Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is facing a similar problem with having to port over its massive and ever-growing roster of new characters, making a sequel with the same expectations an incredibly tough challenge.

The Next Mario Kart Needs To Be Great, Not Big

Providing A Quality Experience To Celebrate The Next Generation Of Nintendo

Rather than simply trying to match up with the same amount of content as its predecessor, Mario Kart 9 should focus on adding brand-new features that make the game a worthy entry in the long-running franchise. There are already plenty of features fans want to see in Mario Kart, giving Nintendo plenty of freedom and ideas on how it can revolutionize the series on next-generation hardware.

Rather than focusing on the number of levels like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the ninth entry could focus more on introducing stages with more variety and routes, giving the same tracks even more replayability than before. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already having revised many tracks from the series, there aren't as many great stages just waiting for a remaster. Given the inevitable comparisons with its predecessor, there's plenty of incentive for Mario Kart 9 to focus on creating a limited selection of high-quality and unique stages fit for its new mechanics.

How Mario Kart 9 Could Escape 8 Deluxe’s Shadow

Settings Itself A Part With A New Design Philosophy

From the limited footage shown in the Switch 2 reveal trailer, it looks like Mario Kart 9 already has some new mechanics that can set it apart from the series. While a new art style is a good start, the seemingly 24-player races could be an excellent start to shaking up the formula of the franchise while sticking to what makes Mario Kart so fun in the first place. While an expanded player count is certainly an exciting prospect, it isn't enough of a selling point for a brand-new entry in the series. Thankfully, the speculation of expanded track sizes and new power-up mechanics could offer a pleasant surprise for players that are hoping for more than just a shinier version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with less content.

Given the lengthy development time since its predecessor and nature as a potential launch title for the Switch 2, players can likely expect some big changes coming to Mario Kart 9 that will set it apart from the series. Some fans have even speculated these changes could take the franchise in an open-world direction, combining racing games like Forza Horizon with the mechanics and gameplay loop of a Mario Kart title.

While such a drastic change might not be the most likely outcome for the release of Mario Kart 9, the idea of expanded tracks that feature more off-track segments and shortcuts might be likely given the abundance of off-roading vehicles and tires seen in the trailer. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being known for its flashy maps with gravity defying, flying, and underwater driving mechanics, Mario Kart 9 will need to balance this new direction with the same level of fast-paced racing that its predecessor provided.

Regardless of whether Mario Kart 9 chooses to opt for quality over quantity at launch, the most important aspects of the next-generational sequel will boil down to how good the mechanics and track designs are. If Mario Kart 9 manages to satisfy with its exciting new mechanics, it may finally push the franchise past the shadow that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has had over the series for years.